The answer to the question is both, but we’ll get a bit more into that in a bit. I downloaded a demo for Bright Memory some years ago… or maybe I purchased the initial tech demo version? I can’t recall now… but either way, I somehow ended up with the full version in my library. As with the majority of games I own, I take a very long time to get around to playing them - enter the saviour to my gaming, the Steam Deck, and as I browsed for something to play, I landed on this one. I recalled how impressive the demo looked, and I was curious to see how the full version of the game turned out, especially how it looked when played on the Deck.
The initial cutscenes display the game’s graphical prowess, but cutscenes aren’t always a trustworthy source for determining the true quality of a title. As the gameplay begins however, the visual fidelity is quickly confirmed. I was pretty blown away by every aspect of how the game looked and ran, I experienced no frame rate drops, the game loaded incredibly quickly, and the level of detail and the quality of the effects is beyond what one might expect for a game made by a lone developer (Zeng Xian Cheng with his personal development studio FYQD, published by Playism). It always astounds me the quality of some games that are released by single or very small development teams.
As impressive as it is, something worth keeping in mind is that it’s an incredibly short game, with a runtime of about 2 hours. What struck me most upon playing it however, other than its brevity, was how polished it is. The visual, as I have mentioned are near impeccable, but so are all the little details such as the heads up display, which is very minimal and unobtrusive. The big things are done right too, such as the gameplay mechanics, which is a much more impressive feat, its quick paced first person combat (ranged and melee) feeling punchy, fluid, and above all, fun. The shooting, while rather standard in its implementation (four guns, a pistol, an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a sniper rifle), is incredibly satisfying, with the sound effects and animations making the weapons feel impactful. Add to these the addition of alternate ammunition types and various upgrades earned during play, the shooting always feels fresh. The same can be said for the melee combat too, and while this is mostly restricted to your sword (save for occasional mission dependant situations), it feels equally robust, with a variety of upgrades available, and excellently rendered and quite visceral damage inflicted upon your enemies when used.
Despite the game having an incredibly short run time, there is a surprising amount of variety in the gameplay, with stealth sections, some situation dependent restrictions in armaments and abilities, as well as a rather unexpected vehicle section (although it’s pretty limited). Along with this, and the as mentioned, rather robust combat, navigation is also key, and manoeuvring about the environment is just as much a part of the game as anything else. Wall running, double jumping, grappling, and dodging. All of these combine to give Shelia (the protagonist) a great feeling of agility, and when her athleticism is used in conjunction with the combat it adds a great amount of excitement, bringing the gameplay up a notch.
As I’ve said, the game looks incredible, with a very impressive the level of detail within the environments you explore. The level designs themselves, which consist of recognisable suburban areas intermixed with gravity defying floating islands, are equally impressive, with fun platforming intermixed. The enemy designs are very good too, and although there isn’t a massive variety to the majority of the foes you’ll encounter. There is some special consideration with the bosses however, most of which look look very cool (albeit incredibly over the top - which is intentional and appreciated).
Shelia is also well designed, and it’s always nice to see a strong female lead in a game. What undermines this slightly however is how overly sexualised she is, or rather sometimes is. Stylistic choices are a matter of preference, of course, and as a default, she is wearing remarkably utilitarian clothing. Several questionable camera angles raise eyebrows early on however, and suggest that perhaps her arse is the main character - and it feels as though these choices were likely made to work in conjunction with some of the skimpier outfit options. Luckily, this isn’t too egregious for the most part, and as you play through the game in first person, the actual gameplay isn’t affected too much, but the story changes when it comes to the customisation options, specifically the aforementioned outfits - those included in the game and those available as downloadable content. It reminds me of the questionable choices in Metal Gear Solid V with the character Quiet. In that game, you could give the character a reasonable and appropriate outfit for the situation - military fatigues or whatever, but you could also pick outfits a little…. less appropriate to the deserts of Afghanistan and Angola. Some of the outfits available in Bright Memory seem just as grimy and out of place. Perhaps it’s a cultural difference, or even if it’s just a matter of taste, it’s ultimately down to the creator to make these choices, but it just feels somewhat at odds with the idea of a game based around a capable female lead. I’m on shaky around here having any sort of opinion, and I suppose the fact that the choice is there is good, and the packs do alter the visual style of the weapons too, so that’s something I suppose, but it just seems a bit tacky to me. If you like virtual tits and arses clad in minute outfits, you’ve got the option, but if you’re here for the gameplay, I’d stick with the default outfit, as it suits the character and the style of the game far better.
If you ignore the downloadable content, the base game is a very fun and well made (albeit shot) first person shooter. It has roots in the likes of Shadow Warrior, and perhaps a little bit of Titanfall too for good measure, and that alone is worth checking it out for. There is a lot of potential with this game, and it’s nice to see someone creating something with the kind of production values you might expect from a big development house (who ironically often include questionable DLC, so they’re perhaps closer to the big dogs than they might realise). For a lone developer this is about as good a demonstration of skill as you could hope for - perhaps one day a full length campaign in the Bright Memory universe will come to fruition…
Have you played this one? If so, what did you think? And what do you think about cosmetic DLC? I think it’s probably fine for the most part, but I prefer it when a little bit of taste is used.
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Jamie B
"Titanfall meets Shadow Warrior" is definitely a good description of this game. I rerun the campaign every now and again and it is so much fun. You're right about the DLC though, its silly as hell especially for a friggin first person perspective game.