There are so many similar stories, spanning just about every platform known to man: now it’s Zeng “FYQD” Xiancheng’s turn to be in the spotlight with Bright Memory<\/em>.<\/p> Bright Memory<\/em> (PC, Xbox Series X\/S [reviewed on an X])<\/strong> So I’ll start with a quick overview here, as the development timeline of this game is sort of confusing.<\/p> This is Bright Memory<\/em>: a roughly 45-minute-long prologue to the longer, fully-featured Bright Memory <\/em>Infinite<\/i>, which isn’t out yet. The prologue was released earlier this year on PC, but this week, it’s slated for release on Xbox consoles as a sort of next-gen-launch exclusive. Note that it’s technically 9PM pacific, so it’s not quite time for “next-gen” to be “current gen” yet! I have a few more hours to relish in that nomenclature before I have to put next-gen in quotes from here on out.<\/p> So where were we? Oh yeah, Bright Memory<\/em>. It kind of came out of nowhere and it managed to ensnare players with its stylish presentation and adherence to wacky first-person-shooter action. It is wacky, mind. There’s a vague story afoot right now, involving an agent named Sheila, the “Supernatural Science Research Organization” (haha), and some history with a mysterious villain named Carter (no relation). This thing gets started quick, as Sheila raids a sci-fi facility and then finds herself in a fantastical Tomb Raider<\/em>-esque jungle zone battling demons in minutes.<\/p> I absolutely love how weird it is. One minute you’re fending off military personnel and the next you’re fighting a bull demon thing and his skeleton warrior retinue. Or platforming in first-person. Or…anything can happen! The English voice cast has a delightful camp PS1 or Dreamcast-era feel to it and the pacing is a lot like those old-school light gun arcade shooters. You’re constantly shuffled from place to place with some exposition, but Bright Memory<\/em> keeps it light.<\/p> <\/iframe><\/p> Action-wise, it clearly uses action games like Devil May Cry<\/em> as a reference point, all the way down to the “SSS” rating for performing well in combat. This is an FPS at heart, complete with a pistol, rifle, and shotgun loadout; but you also have a light blade, EMP pulse capabilities, fast reflexes, super sprints, and time-stopping powers. There’s lots of moves, actually, some of which are enacted by double or triple button presses.<\/p> It all reminds me of some of those old-school hardcore action combos: ones that allowed you to chain moves and account for cooldowns. Bright Memory<\/em> is short, but it doesn’t wait long to make you feel powerful. That said, getting a few things like the “XP upgrade” in a short prologue release isn’t the best feeling, and the menus could use a lot of design work. Speaking of brevity, after around 30-45 minutes, the story just kind of…ends, and you can replay the first chapter again like an arcade game. That’s it.<\/p> On Series X, I experienced load times of around 10 seconds, even between deaths. I know what you’re thinking: that’s good! But it’s not as fast as other next-gen games I’ve played across both consoles. “Optimized” might be a bit of a stretch, especially in regards to consistency with its visuals, but it works.<\/p> Bright Memory<\/em> has the potential to be great once Infinite<\/em> arrives, but for now, it gets a very light recommendation with some provisos. It’s not technically impressive even as a Series X launch title, but Bright Memory<\/em> is worth pursuing either way if you grew up on classic action romps.<\/p> [This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]<\/sub><\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7218,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","categories":[91,135,1,97,94],"tags":[116],"article_type":[],"coauthors":[23137],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Bright](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/v1cdn.jbsgame.com\/BrightMemoryXboxReview1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
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Developer: FYWD Personal Studio<\/strong>
Publisher: AGM Playism<\/strong>
Released: January 12, 2019 (Early Access PC) \/ November 10, 2020 (Xbox)<\/strong>
MSRP: $7.99<\/strong><\/p>