Last April, in honour of my sister’s birthday, we reviewed a game led by a female protagonist. This year, although I could still claim it’s in her honour (which it kind of is), I have received several requests to continue showcasing strong female leads in video games. Therefore, that is precisely what we are doing.

As someone who enjoys silly action shooters, and with the unpleasant taste of Shadow Warrior 3 still lingering, this time we are reviewing an even more indie first-person shooter from the Chinese studio FYQD: Bright Memory: Infinite.

Story:

The story follows Sheila as she is sent by the SRO (Supernatural Science Research Organisation) to investigate what is causing gravitational disturbances, while also preventing an opposing force from taking the artefact causing said disturbances.

Honestly, the story is quite poor and terribly executed. While the voice acting is acceptable, the story itself lacks cohesion at times. It seems to jump from place to place to deliver the next level, which I’m okay with.

Sound:

The voice acting is alright, it’s not bad or good. 

The effects and world sounds are quite solid, they won’t win any awards for being the best but they do their job well enough. The gun effects on the other hand are well above average, they sound great and only add to the feel of the guns which is always a good thing.

Graphics:

I didn’t know what to expect from the graphics, but this wasn’t it. I was hoping for Shadow Warrior or Serious Sam levels at best, but this is way beyond that. They are a sight for sore eyes in every possible way.

The models and textures are intricately detailed, as blatantly obvious in the first 10 seconds of the opening cinematic and continues throughout the game. The enemies, while based on classical figures we have seen before, are amped up to an incredible level to fit into the story and cause worry and fear. The boss characters are somehow even more impressive, leaving me at a loss for words, so just stare at the screenshots. The same goes for the guns. Although there are only four guns, a sword, and a fist in the game, all of them look stunning.

Sadly, the world doesn’t match up to the level of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still better than most games I can think of, but it feels lacking. The grass is particularly weak, but only in comparison to the rest of the game.

Gameplay:

The game consists of linear levels that guide you easily from point A to point B with very little to distract you along the way. It does try to add variety by including a stealth section, a driving section, and a section where you fight enemies on the wings of planes. The stealth and driving sections felt rushed, with the former being a little too easy and the latter annoying. They could have been improved by having the stealth section notice someone hiding in the bushes, and the driving section could have been enhanced by smoothing out the road.

The normal levels are great, mainly due to the fantastic guns. Each gun feels punchy while dealing decent damage. The guns also have a secondary ammo type that amps up the punchiness to the next level. In addition to the guns, there are special weapons like a sword, a punch, and some kind of blast that suspends nearby enemies in mid-air. There is also a block that, when timed right, deflects attacks back at their owner.

There is an upgrade system that lets you upgrade your guns and abilities by finding statues throughout the world. The problem with this is that the levels are so linear that it’s kind of hard to miss one, and it slows down the game’s momentum since you must enter an upgrade screen to allocate points into the category you would like. While I don’t mind this system, I would have preferred one where each weapon and special ability automatically upgrades based on how much they are used. That would have forced players to try out each type of weapon/ability.

The enemies keep the fun going. While most of the time, you will be fighting grunts who can be simply shot, there are a few special types carrying shields, staffs, or bows and arrows. It’s these enemies that you need to dash around or deflect back at them while thinking about how you want to engage them and their friends in a hurry. All these factors make for some awesome battles where you need to bounce between shooting, suspending, or just using your high-damage abilities.

Overall, the gameplay is quite fun, with hectic shootouts and enjoyable boss fights, but there is room for improvement. Adding an automated upgrade system or having weak points for bosses would have seriously enhanced the gameplay, but it’s not bad as it stands right now.

Conclusion:

The game as a whole is great for someone who loves first-person shooters. Beautifully created, concise levels are only improved with fun weapons and challenging enemies that make you think fast and act faster. I just wish the game were longer; it took me only an hour and a half to beat the game, as you can see from the playlist below. I hope FYQD makes another FPS that is longer, badder and better gameplay.

Pros	Cons
Great, linear Missions	Few Missions
Great Guns and abilities	Annoying upgrade system
Good sound	Average voice acting
Varied enemies	NA
Fun gameplay	Game is only a couple of hours at most

Recommended Purchase Price: $50 or ₹250

Final Score: 7/10