Bright Memory started as an Early Access game that saw a final release, but it was only the first episode in what needed to be a larger game. The success it found since it became available on Steam made it clear that one-man developer FYQD-Studio had to go bigger and better with Bright Memory: Infinite. While that’s mostly true, Bright Memory: Infinite delivers a satisfying opening and closing to the story it wants to tell, but runs on too truncated of a time table. While you don’t get to spend a lot of time with it, it’s a mile-a-minute game that does a little bit of everything before it’s over. Bright Memory: Infinite is a technical marvel and a wonderful showcase of what’s possible with Unreal and NVIDIA tech, though I wish the actual game took center stage.
Bright Memory first introduced us to the SRO (Supernatural Science Research Organization) and Agent Shelia. Yes, it’s Shelia – not Sheila. The entomology of the spelling and pronunciation of her name means “Heavenly”, if that helps. She and the SRO will have to stop a villain who’s let a black hole start consuming planes, and soon the world. It’s a real world-eater event, and stopping this is the only solution. I’ve become accustomed to games are 50+ hour epics, but I’ve turned a corner on that, wanting shorter games. Lately I’ve found enjoyment with four-to-five hour games instead. With Bright Memory: Infinite though, it’s actually too short. Coming at the length of a comedy, the campaign wraps up just around the 90-minute mark. There’s nothing wrong with the time, but it feels like it could have done and said more. I was even surprised that completing the campaign doesn’t even unlock an Endless Mode. It would make sense considering that “Infinite” is in the title. There’s plenty of moments in the campaign where you face off against waves of enemies, making a whole mode out of that wouldn’t be that out of place.
The primary things you’ll be doing shooting, sliding, and using your sword for attacks and blocks. Along the way, you’ll be doing tricky platforming, driving a vehicle in one sequence, and even staying stealthy as you sneak through an area undetected. Experimenting with different types of gameplay is interesting, but none of them feel like fully-formed ideas. And in those moments, I was ready to get back to the shooting and slicing again. You’ve got your assault rifles, shotguns, automatic pistol, and sniper rifle. All the weapons are wonderfully modeled and are satisfying to use. The game wears its inspirations on it sleeve, and borrows ideas from Bulletstorm to Doom Eternal without it feeling like copying someone’s homework verbatim. There’s some original ideas here, and the fusion of first-person shooting and melee is really fun and feels great all-around. When you start to unlock upgrades and new ammo types, you’re able to get through encounters almost unscathed.
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The upgrade system this time is a little more convoluted than how it was in Bright Memory. There’s tokens collected from fallen enemies, and there are trinkets that are collectibles, but also another form of currency. So long as you spend a little extra time scouring an area before you leave it, you’ll becoming a wrecking ball of destruction. You have a grapple power that will let you traverse an area, but more importantly have you bring enemies to you, and then explode them right in your face. There’s room to play with your powers and find a style that suits how you want to play through the rest of it. No matter the choice you make, every weapon is rewarding in its own way.
Now, Episode 1 of Bright Memory is available as a separate purchase, though I do wish Bright Memory: Infinite included it here. Admittedly, it’s an entirely different gameplay systems between the shooting and melee would be completely disjointed. The first game’s action was akin to a Devil May Cry game with letter rankings and combo meters as you shot and stabbed your way through it. In Infinite, it opts for a simple . Bright Memory: Infinite has a bunch of cosmetic DLC to purchase. This is optional, non-gameplay related DLC, but asking for more money on what’s a genuinely short experience feels beggarly.
Like Bright Memory before it, Bright Memory: Infinite uses the latest and greatest technology from NVIDIA with Ray Tracing and DLSS to great effect. Powered Unreal Engine 4, the game is not only a visual showcase, but it’s incredibly performant. It’s actually the best looking and best performing game I’ve played all year. And yes, the scope and scale of this game is smaller and focused than others, but that doesn’t takeaway the optimization and absolutely stunning environments, effects, and artistry on display. If nothing else, this is worth playing just to gawk at.
My PC Specs:
– Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
– Intel Core i9 9900K @ 5Ghz (Turbo)
– Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM 97 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
– Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
– EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12GB GDDR6X FTW3 ULTRA
– Seagate FireCuda SSD (500GB)
– Seagate BarraCuda SSD (1TB + 2TB)
– OWC Aura P12 NVMe SSD (2TB)
Bright Memory: Infinite doesn’t overstay its welcome, but with a lengthy of only an hour and a half to see the credits, feels like it only just got started. And because of that, it still feels like a tech demo that should be something more – a criticism shared by its predecessor. It’s style over substance, but respectful of your time, and that’s hard to find. Bright Memory: Infinite is nothing short of impressive by FYQD-Studio, regardless of anything else. Bright Memory: Infinite’s ambition is never fully realized, but that doesn’t stop it from being a gorgeous, flashy, and entertaining game.
A Steam code was provided by the publisher for review purposes
