Frenetic action

This game feels like it has been a decade in the making. I still remember being impressed with the initial trailer at an Xbox event (the year escapes me, time is weird) and being impressed. Then discovering it was made by one person made it even more interesting. The Xbox Series X launched and a small sampling of the game came out called simply Bright Memory. I was not impressed with that vertical slice. It felt clunky and just not fun. Fast forward nearly two years and the final game is finally here. Things have changed. The game is now coming out on everything and it feels like an entirely different game. This is a perfect example of how time makes something better. Bright Memory: Infinite is an impressive showcase that is extremely fast and super fun to play.

Infinite follows the events of Shelia, a member of the SRO who is equipped with some awesome weaponry such as a katana and of course a smorgasbord of firearms. She can also double jump and move around the environment thanks to a jetpack. The game definitely leans into its futuristic setting. My main gripe about the main character though is the amount of fan service in the form of outfits. There is a series of skimpy outfits available from the beginning that feel entirely out of place. Seeing her in cut scenes in a short skirt or bikini just feels gross.

MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

The story involves black holes appearing around the world and of course in video game fashion, your job is to run into them. This is an interesting mechanic where I went from fighting normal soldiers to ancient enemies with swords and shields. This keeps the action fresh by forcing players to change up their tactics. Things that work against normal soldiers simply do not work against these demons. Instead I had to learn to counter attack and plan my attacks. It is fun and with the responsive controls it never got frustrating. Something the early demo version definitely had issues with.

The weapons feel like the star of Bright Memory: Infinite. The standard katana is super fun to use. Shelia can use it to deflect bullets as well as slice up enemies. She can launch them into the air and chop them up in slow motion, similar to games like Metal Gear Rising. The first-person melee combat is extremely satisfying. The guns also feel really good. Each one has a solid impact as well as a secondary fire by tapping up on the d-pad. Some of these are outlandish and ridiculously fun to use such as homing shells and sticky bombs. The combat here is super satisfying.

The upgrade system involves collection items called Reliquaries. These are used as skill points that upgrade Shelia’s damage and health. It is also used to unlock new abilities both in traversal and attacks. There are some really neat upgrades available along the way, but the skill tree can be a bit cumbersome to navigate and know what to do first. I wish the game explained this a bit more, but once I got the hang of it I was learning new abilities without much issue. The combat just feels great and rarely misses a beat. I loved how fluid everything felt and how Shelia moves around the world.

Technically Bright Memory: Infinite is impressive. Even more so when you consider the size of the development team. This game feels great. The shooting just feels amazing and the frame rate holds up. The fact that it is by standard running at 60fps with an option for 120fps for the new consoles is just excellent. It feels great. There are some hitches at times likely due to loading assets, but most of the time it feels smooth as butter. There is a lot of complexity to the combat but none of it ever feels cumbersome. I was pulling off movement and parries without issues and for a game this fast that is imperative. This game just looks and feels way above its budget.

Bright Memory: Infinite is a shooter that accepts what it is. It feels great, the shooting is sublime, and it is impressive considering the development team behind it. There is a lot here to love and it feels like a shooter from the golden era of the genre. I had a ton of fun and with a low price point entry this is a game that screams to be played. Don’t sleep on this game, it is fast, fun, and truly a technical marvel. Don’t sleep on Shelia’s adventure, just maybe stick to the default outfits.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.