Bright Memory: Infinite feels like an interactive cheesy science fiction action movie, for better or for worse. It features incredible – and wonderfully improbable – action sequences powered by a story that barely qualifies as a narrative. Infinite even has a runtime that is comparable to some films. Unfortunately, Bright Memory: Infinite burns out before it fades, peaking early and showing a lot of promise before it completes earlier than expected.
Bright Memory doesn’t have a story, but a series of events that just happen. You are Shelia Tan, an emotionally wooden but capable soldier who specializes in supernatural phenomena. A black hole appears in the sky, consuming everything within reach and causing catastrophic weather. This void is somehow tied to an ancient mystery in which a seemingly evil organization – led by the staunchest villain for years – has a personal interest. Your goal is to stop these guys and find out what the hell is going on. Unless you deal with high tech soldiers, you are fighting centuries-old warriors and unearthly demons for reasons that are not adequately explained. The plot hardly tries to understand what happened, it just says that enemies are bad and need to be shot and / or stabbed in the face. Even after telling my brain that his services were not required for this story, I was still overwhelmed by its terribly abrupt ending. Just when it seems like the second half is about to begin, the story pulls the plug with hardly any resolution. This whiplash is harrowing and I still shake my head in disbelief.
It is less important to me that the story ends quickly and more disappointed that I could no longer play the game itself. Play Bright Memory: Infinite is exciting thanks to its silky smooth, fast-paced combination of sword and weapon game. Dividing enemies with Shelia’s sword feels incredibly satisfying. Likewise, a parade that blocks bullets and stuns enemies so you can launch them Devil May Cry style and juggle them from the air. Even better is an upgrade that fires beams of energy with every swing, essentially turning the sword into just another long-range weapon. The four firearms – an assault rifle, shotgun, handgun, and sniper rifle – feel good about themselves, and each has a fun alternate firing mode, some of which are delightfully silly. I’m not sure why a sniper rifle would fire a sticky grenade too, but I loved blowing up multiple targets with it.
Shelia’s Exo Arm offers another fun tool that lets you manipulate gravity to pull enemies towards you, then blow them up with an EMP shot. This is great for dealing with threats removed and will practically (in a good way) break after a full upgrade. Thanks to a very generous cooldown, I’ve been constantly picking enemies from the other side of the map, with sometimes little consequence. Chances are, you will receive this power and others much sooner rather than later. The game inundates players with collectable upgrade points that are easy to find in the linear environments. I fully updated half of the available skills within the first 90 minutes. Parkour-style traversing and a grappling hook make exploring enjoyable, but the platform challenges themselves are simple and do not fully utilize your maneuverability.
As entertaining as Bright Memory: Infinite is, the action peaks early. Expect to encounter limited combinations of the small group of enemy types during the roughly two and a half hour adventure (you read that right). Some battles take place in a temple courtyard, others on passenger planes that speed into the black hole. Regardless of the ridiculous backdrop, the confrontations eventually stagnate as enemy encounters don’t have enough time to develop. My approach, on the other hand, didn’t do it after a while, which is a shame. I loved mixing my skills in great ways, but eventually I found a familiar rhythm, even though the entertaining boss fight against equally skilled swordsmen or a mythical colossus provided the challenge I wanted. Bright Memory: Infinite ended when I got a grip on my basic skills; a disappointing payoff for its comfortable learning curve.
In many ways, Bright Memory: Infinite feels like an advanced tech demo. The breathtaking action and outstanding graphics would be a great selling point for any new platform and almost seem too good to be true. Developer FYQD Studio has proven some killer concepts, but hasn’t turned them into a larger adventure. Short games aren’t inherently bad, but Bright Memory: Infinite makes you want more and is full of untapped potential.
