Bright Memory

87%
Game Brain Score Based on 5,230 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Bright Memory Game Cover
Despite some minor issues, Bright Memory is a taste of what’s to come next year from Bright Memory: Infinite and I couldn’t be more excited
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"Bright Memory" is a fast-paced, action-packed FPS game that combines elements of close-quarters combat and long-range gunplay. Players take on the role of a special agent with supernatural abilities, battling against enemy soldiers and mythical creatures in a futuristic world. With a variety of weapons and abilities at your disposal, you must utilize strategy and skill to defeat your enemies and complete your mission.

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Reviews

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,230 reviews
gameplay684 positive mentions
stability123 negative mentions
  • gameplay1,521 mentions

    The gameplay of "Bright Memory" is characterized by its fast-paced, action-oriented mechanics that blend first-person shooting with hack-and-slash elements, reminiscent of titles like "Doom" and "Devil May Cry." While the combat is engaging and visually impressive, many players note that the experience is hindered by its brevity, with most runs lasting around 30 to 60 minutes, leading to concerns about value for money. Additionally, some mechanics feel unpolished or clunky, and the overall gameplay can become repetitive, but the core mechanics show promise for future iterations.

    • “The gameplay is fast-paced, with responsive shooting mechanics and a satisfying melee system.”
    • “Bright Memory is a dynamic FPS that fuses fast-paced shooting with hack-and-slash mechanics, delivering an experience that’s visually striking.”
    • “The gameplay offers more abilities and skills, they are fun and awesome to use.”
    • “Gameplay elements don't feel natural; you lose momentum and have to restart sections because you fell, only to be forced to listen to the same audio speech again.”
    • “Solid core mechanics for a shooter, but still a badly designed, buggy, and unoptimized mess that manages to outstay its welcome, despite only taking 30 minutes to finish.”
    • “The gameplay is mindless button mashing with enemies that have way too much health and take ages to kill, especially when you try to shoot them.”
  • graphics1,155 mentions

    The graphics of "Bright Memory" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning quality, often compared to AAA titles despite being developed by a single individual. Players have praised the impressive attention to detail, vibrant environments, and effective use of ray tracing, although some have noted occasional graphical glitches and performance issues. Overall, the visuals are considered one of the game's strongest aspects, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.

    • “The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is good and fast-paced.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning, it utilizes the power of the Unreal Engine while also being optimized for high frame rates.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, especially considering it was created by a single person.”
    • “The graphics need more work.”
    • “Some of the enemies look a bit wonky, and there are graphical artifacts, like missing textures or floating debris.”
    • “The graphics are pretty solid, but you realize that the game is made for visuals and not animations.”
  • story991 mentions

    The story in "Bright Memory" is often described as confusing and underdeveloped, with many players feeling thrown into the action without sufficient context or explanation. While some find the premise intriguing and see potential for future development in the sequel "Bright Memory: Infinite," the current narrative is criticized for being minimal and fragmented, relying heavily on environmental storytelling and vague dialogue. Overall, the game is viewed more as a tech demo showcasing gameplay mechanics rather than a fully realized story experience.

    • “There’s a full sequel called Bright Memory: Infinite, which builds on the original game but with even more depth, story, and polish.”
    • “The story is surprisingly good and it caught me.”
    • “The story seems intriguing with its environmental storytelling but I feel like the main character talks a little too much to the point where it does feel a little annoying.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story unfolds through fragmented environmental storytelling and cryptic dialogue.”
    • “I'm not sure what it is meant to be as the story is never explained.”
    • “The story is a bit vague in the beginning because you get thrown in without any context but when you move on it becomes a bit more clear.”
  • music238 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its energetic and fitting nature, often drawing comparisons to the soundtracks of games like Doom and Devil May Cry. While some players found the soundtrack to be exhilarating and immersive, enhancing the gameplay experience, others criticized it for being repetitive or unmemorable, particularly during boss fights. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, though there are calls for more variety and improvement in certain tracks.

    • “The music makes my blood pump.”
    • “The soundtrack rocks, and kicks in just as combat does.”
    • “The music is outstanding, the graphics are unbelievable, and the gameplay is amazing.”
    • “The music is just fairly generic techno battle music.”
    • “The music and script are very lackluster, and you die too much from falling.”
    • “Largely loud and brash, the music, whilst fitting the action in-game, is certainly nothing to write home about.”
  • optimization172 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant stuttering, crashes, and performance issues across various hardware configurations. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly on high-end systems, others experienced severe frame drops and technical glitches, indicating that it is poorly optimized for lower-end PCs. Overall, while there are instances of good optimization, particularly for an indie title, many players feel that substantial improvements are still needed to enhance the gaming experience.

    • “The game is perfectly optimized despite the fact that it's still in early access.”
    • “Overall, I'd say the game is excellently optimized.”
    • “This game is beautiful and the performance is better than most A+++ games. I'm highly impressed, considering it is only made by one person!”
    • “Solid core mechanics for a shooter, but still a badly designed, buggy, and unoptimized mess that manages to outstay its welcome, despite only taking 30 minutes to finish.”
    • “Even if you manage to stop the game from crashing on boot, the game will still be a stuttering mess which is also prone to crashing no matter your graphics settings or Proton version.”
    • “The optimization for this game is god awful as well.”
  • stability129 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, ranging from minor graphical issues to significant gameplay interruptions, such as freezing and loss of experience points. While some players appreciate the game's potential and visuals, many express frustration over its lack of polish and stability, often describing it as an unoptimized and buggy experience. Overall, the game's stability issues detract from the enjoyment, with many reviewers recommending patience for future updates to address these problems.

    • “It looks fantastic and runs great.”
    • “The combat feels unique and satisfying, it runs great, the graphics are incredible, and it's all the more impressive knowing it was made by a single person.”
    • “Holy crap this game is awesome and runs great in Linux using Steam's Proton layer.”
    • “In addition, the game suffers from occasional bugs and glitches, which can range from minor graphical glitches to game-breaking crashes.”
    • “Solid core mechanics for a shooter, but still a badly designed, buggy, and unoptimized mess that manages to outstay its welcome, despite only taking 30 minutes to finish.”
    • “It's buggy as hell, makes no sense at all, and is generally goofy. If it was made by a team and not one guy, I'd say it was unpolished and incomplete, but for a one-man effort, it's quite amazing.”
  • replayability79 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its enjoyable gameplay and unlockable abilities that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others criticize its short length and limited content, leading to low replay value. Many reviews highlight that while the game can be fun to speed-run and offers achievements for replaying, it ultimately lacks depth for those seeking extensive replayability. Overall, it seems to provide a decent experience for casual players but may not satisfy those looking for long-term engagement.

    • “It's replayable and does have achievements (some of which are literally for replaying it), and as short as it is, that replay is simple to knock out if you enjoy the gameplay.”
    • “While this is just a demo for the full release game, it has a lot of replayability as you will be able to unlock other abilities on your second playthrough that can completely change how you play.”
    • “The gameplay is really fun, so you have a ton of replayability; it feels really satisfying to pull off sick combos with your abilities and beat the living crap out of the enemies.”
    • “I'm unsure how much replay value this game has, since the game has a set path from what I've seen.”
    • “Overall, the game takes under an hour for a first playthrough and replay value is based around just getting the achievements. I can't recommend the game unless you enjoy supporting development for the full game and are curious about the indie scene.”
    • “I don't foresee the replayability of this being very high, especially when you're doing the same 4 hours over and over, so that's a bit of a hit to what it could be.”
  • atmosphere36 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its immersive qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the effective use of graphics, sound, and music to create a captivating environment. However, inconsistencies in voice acting and linear gameplay detract from the overall experience for some players. While the game features beautifully styled environments and engaging combat, the execution varies, leading to mixed feelings about the depth and detail of the atmosphere across different sections.

    • “The atmosphere of this game is insane; I would recommend experiencing it to everyone.”
    • “Graphics are crysis level, gameplay is devil may cry level, music is doom level, enemy variety keeps things fresh, and the atmosphere is incredibly immersive.”
    • “Just played your game Bright Memory - Episode 1 and what can I say, you have done a super awesome work, this game is super cool, it got everything: action, story, and a beautiful atmosphere; just love it :)”
    • “Additional attention to sound effects and audio cues could enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The voice acting (English) doesn't, in my opinion, sell the story atmosphere all too well.”
    • “Though not the greatest on a technical level, the styling of the environments in some sections of the game effectively lends to the atmosphere that the storyline is trying to create, though this is not consistent across all areas of the game.”
  • monetization31 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some players criticizing it as a cash grab due to the presence of ads and a lack of a compelling storyline. While there are no microtransactions, the game's reliance on advertising for other titles has frustrated users, who feel it detracts from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, some players appreciate the game's potential and the developer's passion, hoping for improvements in future updates.

    • “Microtransactions for a good cause.”
    • “No microtransactions.”
    • “You need to be respectful to them and give a thumbs up only to those who create the game with love, not a cash grab like this.”
    • “This shows that passion and good gameplay will always beat quick short-term cash grabs like microtransactions.”
    • “I will say however that adding ads is kind of a waste in a game like this.”
  • humor26 mentions

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players finding amusement in its quirky design choices, unexpected glitches, and nostalgic references, particularly to the Dark Souls bonfire system. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to elicit laughter through its chaotic gameplay and humorous mistranslations, making the experience both entertaining and endearing. Overall, the combination of fun mechanics and comedic elements contributes to a lighthearted atmosphere that keeps players engaged and amused.

    • “For as short as this is, it seems like a promising demo of something bigger, but for as fun as the gunplay is, you'll be spending half the time shooting and half the time laughing at the design decisions going on here.”
    • “The bonfire system made me laugh.”
    • “Dark Souls setting with crazy FPS gameplay and hilariously vague story works surprisingly well.”
    • “You spend more time laughing or crying than actually playing.”
    • “The jokes fall flat and often feel forced.”
    • “The humor is so over-the-top that it becomes cringeworthy.”
  • grinding25 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often requiring a significant time investment to progress. While some appreciate that it avoids the pitfalls of typical open-world grind fests, many express frustration with repetitive mechanics and lack of difficulty scaling, leading to a sense of monotony. There is hope for improvement in future iterations, but current experiences highlight a need for better pacing and engagement.

    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “The 'boss' sections are pretty good; they aren't too grindy and you never feel like you're not doing damage.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Without any way to scale the difficulty, I'll never progress: it's just too tedious, and feels too random.”
    • “A tedious, convoluted mess.”
  • character development22 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with many praising the character design and visuals, particularly for the main female character, while others criticize the lack of depth and nuance in character development. Although the graphics and gameplay are highlighted as strong points, some reviewers note that the storyline and character backgrounds are minimal, leaving little room for meaningful character growth. Overall, while the aesthetic appeal is high, the narrative and character development aspects seem to fall short for some players.

    • “I decided to try out the game and I instantly fell in love with the storyline, gameplay, graphics, character design, and more. The features this game offers will be really striking to the eyes, and I hope we can see a great and amazing game come in the near future for its full release.”
    • “An extremely small team has done a really great job; character designs are good, the bosses have interesting designs, regular enemies act differently, and the combat is honestly really fun.”
    • “The character designs are interesting, and there's plenty of scope with the story for the future.”
    • “Character design is a bit too doll-like and robotic.”
    • “There is a lack of character development.”
    • “There is zero character development; the only person you know anything about is the one you play.”
  • emotional9 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with some players feeling a lack of depth and connection due to minimal content and poorly executed storytelling, leading to little emotional engagement. However, others found enjoyment in the gameplay and soundtrack, which evoked a sense of nostalgia and excitement reminiscent of arcade experiences. Overall, the emotional responses range from disappointment to fleeting enjoyment, highlighting a disconnect in the game's ability to resonate with players.

    • “The soundtrack, as short as it is, is very cool and it made me feel awesome while playing.”
    • “I really got into the zone with this game and it made me feel like I was in an arcade blasting my way through each area to show a short cinematic to connect the next area.”
    • “There are boss fights that, funny enough, made me feel like I was playing a FPS version of Dark Souls.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

62% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
1-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 30 analyzed playthroughs

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