''Bright Memory'' (), also known as ''Bright Memory: Episode 1'', is a

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

video game developed by Chinese-based FYQD Personal Studio. Created by a single developer in his spare time, it was initially released through Steam's

Early Access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...

program for Microsoft Windows on 12 January 2019, eventually leaving early access on 25 March 2020. Additionally, the game was released for mobile platforms between 2019 and 2020, as well as for the

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as one of its launch titles on 10 November 2020. Instead of creating an ''Episode 2'', the game was remade and expanded in both gameplay and story into a full-length title called ''Bright Memory: Infinite'' (), released on Windows and Xbox Series X/S in 2021. Players who have bought the Windows version of ''Bright Memory'' will be able to get ''Bright Memory: Infinite'' for free.

Gameplay

''Bright Memory'' is a

with melee elements. Players take control of Shelia, who, in addition to using guns and a sword, also has

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

abilities such as

psychokinesis Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...

and unleashing energy blasts. All forms of attack can be combined as desired and the game will award letter grades to creative combinations similar to ''

Devil May Cry is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists ...

''. Success in combat awards

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s that can be used to augment the character's skills and to unlock more abilities such as stopping time. Additionally, some areas feature puzzles that need to be solved. The early access version of the first episode features about an hour of gameplay with the developer announcing another two hours of gameplay by the end of 2019 with more episodes in the following years.

Synopsis

Protagonist Shelia is tasked by the Science Research Organization (SRO) for which she works to prevent SAI, a military organization, from acquiring a legendary ancient power that can reawaken the dead. The game takes place in a "Land of Sky" located above the Arctic consisting of levitating land masses which are home to ancient creatures.

Development

''Bright Memory'' was developed by Zeng "FYQD" Xiancheng using

Unreal Engine 4 Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal (1998 video game), Unreal''. Initially developed for Personal computer, PC first-person shooters, i ...

with development work taking place in the developer's spare time. Zeng first previewed the game in a trailer in 2017 and received financial support through

Epic Games Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, ...

's Unreal Dev Grants. An early access version of "Episode One" was released worldwide on 12 January 2019. The game supports the

Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a division of Meta Platforms, released on March 28, 2016. In 2012 Oculus initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Rift's development, a ...

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

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Stolen assets controversy

In January 2019, Zeng admitted on a post on

Sina Weibo Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ...

that he has used some enemy models without acquiring a license and modified them for use in the game but did not specify which models or which games they were from. In reaction, Zeng announced that he would use the money from the game's sales to hire an art designer and reach out to the original rights holders.

Reception

''Episode 1''

''Bright Memory: Episode 1'' received "mixed or average" reviews, according to

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, for having occasional bugs and almost unintelligible instructions, as it was translated from Chinese. Nevertheless, ''

Rock Paper Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...

'' opined that the game has both the look and feel of a shooter game developed with a large budget, and 'wipes the floor' compared to some much higher priced games. The music and translation were criticized as was the short length since the game does not feature any endless mode.

''Infinite''

''Bright Memory: Infinite'' received "mixed or average" reviews according to

References

External links

''Bright Memory'' on Steam''Bright Memory: Infinite'' on Steam
*{{MobyGames, /bright-memory-episode-1
Xbox website
2019 video games Android (operating system) games Early access video games First-person shooters Hack and slash games IOS games Indie video games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 5 games Science fiction video games Single-player video games Unreal Engine games Video games developed in China Video games featuring female protagonists Windows games Xbox Series X and Series S games Playism games