2022 has been a year of trying to play some things outside of my comfort zone. I’ve been wanting to mix things up a little. After playing Shadow Warrior 3, I found that I actually somewhat like shooters with the right mix of platforming and action. Bright Memory: Infinite caught my eye a while back, as I had followed the development of the game (and its predecessor) a year or so ago. How does it fare now that it is out? Well, let’s get into that.

You play Sheila Tan, an agent of The Supernatural Science Research Organization (SRO) who finds herself investigating a strange weather event. This investigation leads to a surprising discovery of a Black Hole, as well as a strange mystery of an alternate world. It is a direct sequel to Bright Memory, so if you’ve played that game, you’ll probably have a bit more context for what is going on.

The game plays out in First-Person, utilizing Sheila’s Exosuit for electromagnetic abilities such as an EMP blast and something akin to Force Pull from Star Wars. Sheila can double jump, use a light blade (laser sword), and a variety of guns she collects over her adventure. She can also dash, deflect bullets, guard with her blade, and perform stealth kills with a knife.

There are other small mechanics here and there, but they aren’t used much. There is also the occasional stealth section when Sheila’s Exosuit is unavailable, but it isn’t too difficult. Combat is dynamic and engaging. It will require you to keep moving and utilize each gun’s ammo and specialty ammo such as grenades to succeed.

Some enemies (especially bosses) have defensive bars that you have to deplete before you can deal damage to them as well. There are multiple difficulty levels, which determine the strength of enemies and presumably the amount of ammo you can pick up in the environment. However, even on the easiest difficulty, the game is pretty challenging.

By breaking boxes and killing enemies you collect things called relics. By collecting enough relics, you can get Reliquaries, which are used to upgrade your abilities. You can also find reliquaries out in the level as well, so proper exploration is important.

Interestingly enough, I don’t have many complaints about Bright Memory: Infinite’s gameplay. The voice acting is decent and can be played in English, Simplified Chinese, or Japanese. The art style is gorgeous, and the graphics are incredibly well done. The one complaint I have is that while the level design is interesting, the levels are fairly linear and don’t leave much room to explore and find collectibles. I like a good bit of exploration to break up the combat.

The biggest issue the game has though is its length. I finished the entirety of the game in a single session of a few hours. The plot doesn’t really come to much of a resolution, and without providing any spoilers, you don’t get much of an answer as to who the villain is really or why he wants to do what he is doing. The plot is paper thin, and the gameplay is short.

If you like games such as the Shadow Warrior franchise or Doom, then I think Bright Memory: Infinite scratches that itch. It doesn’t have the same level of humor, and it is very short, but it does some interesting things in a different way. In fact, many of the areas in the game are designed around real Chinese locations and landmarks, which make for absolutely beautiful scenery.

Even if you haven’t played the original Bright Memory, I think this game is definitely worth your time. The controls are solid, there’s a decent amount of depth, and it is pretty fun overall. Bright Memory: Infinite is definitely an interesting experience.

A PlayStation 5 review copy of Bright Memory: Infinite was provided by Playism for this review.

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Bright Memory: Infinite

$19.99

4

Score

4.0/10

Pros

• Decent Gunplay
• Smooth Controls
• Beautiful Visuals

Cons

• Plot Makes No Sense
• Villain Isn't Fleshed Out
• Can be Beaten in 3-5 Hours Max
• Linear Levels
• Single-Use Mechanics