I was given the opportunity to preview Bright Memory Infinite by given access to Bright Memory Episode 1. The first chapter of Bright Memory was about an hour of gameplay and story and to say I was unimpressed would be an understatement. I have absolutely no idea what Bright Memory is about. I know that the player character is named Shelia and the primary antagonist is named Carter and he appears to be looking for an artifact that can raise the dead. The game starts out with Shelia in a hallway where you’re fighting dudes that look like they’re in HAZMAT suits. Once you get to the end of the hallway and into a big circular room, Shelia hacks a computer, Carter appears from behind the computer and suddenly you’re in a jungle. Shelia makes comments here or there for exposition and though she’s supposed to be talking to a disembodied voice that talks to her through a radio, that person seldom responds.
Bright Memory has garnered a lot of attention in Early Access spheres for being developed by a single developer in their spare time, and it shows. While Bright Memory itself is quite impressive for a single person, we need to compare apples to apples. Bright Memory is absolutely a budget title boasting environments and models that look almost a decade old, poor animation, lip-syncing, puzzle design, and a nonsensical story. The only area that Bright Memory shines in is the gameplay/combat department and even that is a little suspect. While the combination of shooting, technological powers, and melee abilities had me creating some fun combos, I couldn’t imagine finding the gameplay exciting for more than a couple of hours. I found myself facing off with various enemies of Chinese lore, presumably. The combinations given allowed me to use a grappling hook to not just use on the environment, but enemies as well. Shelia is also equipped with an E.M.P. that allows her to stun enemies and throw them into the air. Creating combos with the E.M.P., grappling hook, melee weapon, and guns make for an enjoyable time.
At the end of 2020, Bright Memory just doesn’t come off as very impressive outside of the single-person boast, and that boast comes along with some controversy back in 2019 where the developer admitted to using unlicensed assets. That said, Bright Memory has promise. I actually enjoyed the combo creating gameplay. There’s an upgrade system in place that allows you to upgrade and unlock new abilities but it seems pretty light on content. Again, unsure of how long the final product is meant to be, that could be a good or a bad thing. What I would like from Bright Memory is for the story to make more sense, improve some of the art assets and animations, and work on puzzle design.
I was given a puzzle where I had to spin three circles in order to make a matching pattern, I think. While performing the task to create the combination I thought the game wanted, I accidentally solved the puzzle in an unexpected way. A cut scene appeared showing a passage opening and Shelia saying, “Nailed it!” despite me having no idea what I had just nailed. Truly, I feel like this is a pretty strong representation of what I was shown of Bright Memory. Me, being confused by what Playism and FYQD Personal Studio are showing me and before even given the opportunity to figure it out on my own, Bright Memory just yells, “Nailed it!” and we’re onto the next set-piece. Bewildered, I continue, hoping that Bright Memory has something better on the horizon.
