Bright Memory: Infinite

Despite the rough patches, Bright Memory: Infinite is a great achievement for a single indie developer. The fast-paced action and weapon diversity are great, and the eye-catching Unreal Engine 4 graphics make it easy on the eyes. enjoyable. Bright Memory: Infinite is a flawed gem, but a gem all the same.

A beautiful looking game with simple-yet-engaging sword and gunplay, it’s hard to think that this was made by one man. Yet Bright Memory: Infinite is proof of a passion project done right, even if it does suffer from a surprisingly short runtime, forgettable story and extremely linear progression system. Still, it’s better than this period’s AAA offerings.

Pushing out sheer pornography with its visuals while also testing you with fast paced combat, Bright Memory: Infinite teases you like a temptress. It brings you oh so close, then leaves you wanting more.

Bright Memory Infinite brings the ideas of its predecessor to a much more satisfying conclusion and comes within striking distance of many of the games it’s inspired by.

Bright Memory: Infinite is the product of a developer who wasn't satisfied putting out a game that he knew he could improve. So, instead of moving on, we get this over-the-top and insanely beautiful FPS adventure that is fun from beginning to end. Absolutely none of it makes sense, but who cares when I just launched an ancient sword-wielding statue dude in the air and cut him into pieces. Sign me up for the next adventure with Shelia.

Bright Memory Infinite is not without flaws, but thanks to the use of a fast and intuitive combat system it keeps the player glued to the screen for the two hours it takes to reach the end credits. To make the offer even more attractive is the method of distribution of the game, which can be downloaded at no additional cost by all owners of Bright Memory (who will find Infinite in the library starting from 12 November 2021). Furthermore, if you have not yet purchased the title, know that its price on the Valve platform is really negligible: only 8.19 euros. An element that cannot be ignored in the evaluation, which perfectly counterbalances the poor longevity of the adventure and a few too many edges.

This solo work demonstrates that a linear shooter campaign can be as entertaining as the largest open-world.

Obviously, this is just the beginning of a long journey, and for the first game from a very tiny studio it's a huge success. The enthusiasts did what the players asked for. One can only guess what fate awaits the FYQD studio, but I would not be surprised if in 10 years Bright Memory becomes a huge franchise under the wing of a major publisher.

With high quality visuals, Bright Memory: Infinite is about as impressive as independently developed videogames get. Sadly, the controls don’t feel like a good match for the game’s complicated skill system and your character’s low endurance skills. The story offers a great deal of interesting twists and the world is visually stunning, which results in a relatively short but packed adventure.

Bright Memory: Infinite is an incredibly mixed bag. The story is nonsensical and the bosses are a bit disappointing. However, the overall gameplay is immensely satisfying, and the graphics are incredible.

Short, fast paced and completely lacking in narrative value, Bright Memory: Infinite nonetheless proves a fun romp with tight combat.

I hope the game does well so that we can see more of Bright Memory: Infinite, as it could easily be an episodic game release and allow its developer to showcase even more of its dazzling visuals and exciting first-person gun and melee mechanics. For now, enjoy a short afternoon’s worth of shiny, stunning action that will leave you wanting more.

Bright Memory Infinite is still at best a visual tech demo. It's lack of quality of life updates and extremely short play time still makes me wonder if this was the full game to begin with. Still, the gun blasting and blade swinging action is bombastically fun. After all, this game was developed by one person alone. So kudos to Zeng Xian Cheng.

Bright Memory Infinite is a first step in the right direction but certainly not the premium shooter that many expected, since it's very short but also available at a very low price. The two hours needed to beat the game are a lot of fun, however, and we really hope this is just the beginning for this project.

For a short, replayable FPS game, Bright Memory: Infinite really is a stunning creation. Like its prequel, it is engaging, exciting and extraordinarily fun. Similar to many Resident Evil titles, it’s perfect for playing through multiple times, and it’s a game I urge any first-person shooter fan to play.

In many ways, Bright Memory: Infinite feels like an extended tech demo. The jaw-dropping action and stellar graphics would serve as a great selling point for any new platform and almost appear too good to be true. Developer FYQD Studio proved some killer concepts but didn’t evolve them across a more complete adventure. Short games aren’t inherently bad, but Bright Memory: Infinite leaves me wanting so much more and is full of unrealized potential.

Despite all my problems with Infinite, it's a game made by a single developer (for the most part) that was amazing looking enough that Xbox wanted to tie it to its then next-gen, now current-gen console.

A full playthrough takes about two hours, which is weird, considering that Infinite is advertised as a full game. Still, these two hours are good, so hopefully, next time the developer will get a bigger budget and will finally deliver a full-length game. [Issue#259, p.55]

Bright Memory: Infinite is a fun, spectacular hack & slash shooter that fails to make the most of its combat. The lack of situations and limited enemy design forces the players to make the game fun.

Bright Memory: Infinite proves that smaller games don't always have to forego high quality visuals, but at the same time it also demonstrates that looks aren't everything.

They call it "Bright," but it's more of a "Sufficiently Visible" memory. The crowning achievement of Bright Memory: Infinite is that it even exists. A one-person studio working with creating the work from top to bottom, with only minimal help from outside sources. While flaws certainly show themselves at an alarming rate, the core idea is satisfying fun. While more for those already engrossed with the everlasting FPS phenomenon, it's commendable just for the attempt.

Bright Memory: Infinite looks incredible for a game from a small development team, and the core sword-and-gun gameplay is fun enough. However, everything surrounding those two elements feel unpolished and poorly thought-out. The incoherent story, the non-combat gameplay mechanics, and general lack of quality control drag down the entire thing. If you're looking for a quick and breezy shooter to tide you over for an afternoon, Infinite might be fun for you. Otherwise, there's nothing here that you can't see in videos that show off its rain-soaked beauty.

Buoyed by beautiful visuals, great performance, and entertaining exposition, Bright Memory: Infinite still feels like a small part of a complete game.

Bright Memory: Infinite is appealing and technically impressive shooter, that sadly a bit too short and lacks interesting plot or boss fights.

Bright Memory: Infinite will go down as a largely impressive game held back by glaring shortfalls. The frenetic and uniquely compelling shooter/hack ‘n’ slash combat as well as the breathtakingly realistic visuals make for a worthy experience alone. Unfortunately, that narrative is told in a less than elegant way and the quick sprint to roll credits hold Infinite back from reaching its true potential.

Unskippable cutscenes made replaying the first few levels more of a chore than it should've been, and the same remains true if you opt to replay the whole game on a higher difficulty level after completing it. There's nothing else to do if you want to eke out some additional replayability, and Bright Memory: Infinite's short length is certain to put some people off. It's a fun shooter for as long as it lasts, though, offering a satisfying mix of fast-paced gunplay and dynamic action. It's also hard not to be impressed that this came from the talents of a lone developer. Unfortunately, a dismal stealth section, unintelligible story, and some major technical issues hold it back, while its terseness does make it difficult to recommend, even at a low price point.

Bright Memory Infinite gets in its own way, and occasionally takes the focus off of its strongest quality.

On the surface, Bright Memory: Infinite is a phenomenal showcase from FYQD Studio of what can be achieved with Unreal and that indies can look just as terrific as their big-budget counterparts. But in trying to throw so many ideas together into such a brief runtime, it feels more like a montage of cool gameplay moments rather than a great game as a whole.

Bright Memory Infinite is a disappointing follow-up to a prelude that made its share of promises. It’s a shame because a polished expansion on the original concept would have had a certain cult appeal, whereas Infinite feels watered down. It’s a pretty game, and best of all it’s free for those who lashed out for the prelude, but in the end, it plays like a game that got spooked by its own shadow and is a result of improbable ambition.

So, is there any reason to play Bright Memory: Infinite? Unless you’re curious about what can a single person achieve in the video games industry (at least in terms of development alone; Zeng Xiancheng had help from the publisher, composer, etc.) – there isn’t. Otherwise, you should pick any other shooter, especially Shadow Warrior, if mixing guns and swords sounds good to you.

Bright Memory Infinite's tight gunplay is simply spread too thin to make up for an otherwise uninspired experience.

There’s an upgrade system to offer up replayability and variation, but there’s just not enough about the world, characters, and story to elevate it above anything more than a fun tech demo to put your new GPU through its paces.

Bright Memory: Infinite is a matured version of the original Bright Memory, stripping away some of that game's excesses for a more put-together experience. That said, the story is still complete insanity (that's barely acknowledged by the characters), and it’s clear that this solo production cannot match its boundless ambition.