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Why wait for Xbox Series X? Here's what it's like playing Bright Memory on mobile

Bright Memory Infinite looks cool, but you know what's cooler? Mobile gaming

Why wait for Xbox Series X? Here's what it's like playing Bright Memory on mobile

Inside Xbox 2020 was shown to the world only yesterday, offering us all a glimpse into the future of Xbox and the new Xbox Series X console. It's fair to say that while the presentation wasn't at all bad, it was a little underwhelming, with one of the key games being shown off being a sharp, gorgeous shooter that was apparently made by only one man: a game called Bright Memory: Infinite.

Though, if you've had your ear to the ground recently, and you've been reading Pocket Gamer, then you'll already know all about Bright Memory because you can already buy and play it right now on mobile devices.

So, why wait an uncertain amount of time to jump into the next generation of gaming? Pull out your mobile device and look in the Google Play Store or App Store for Bright Memory, which as of the time of writing, costs only 0.99GBP. Not bad at all…

Next-gen, in the palm of your hand

Bright Memory is a gorgeous FPS set in a fantasy land. You'll be shooting down a variety of demonic monsters and armoured footsoldiers while dashing around the stages at high speed, and enjoying a fair bit of dynamic platforming.

If you've seen the Inside Xbox stream or the latest trailer for Bright Memory: Infinite, then you already know what this game promises. It looks gorgeous and visceral, which is why it became one of the standouts of the show.

The question is, how does it all look and play on a mobile device? Well, honestly, the answer to that question is fairly mixed.

In fairness, this is a gorgeous mobile game. Bright Memory will push your device to its limits, and my "gaming phone" heated up in a way that no other game has really managed before. Environments are rich and detailed, beyond what you would expect from most mobile shooters - though some mobile games can certainly give this title a run for its money.

The controls are another issue. They're not always the most accurate, including your gun refusing to stop firing even after you lift your thumb off of the screen. For the most part though, they work, but you must admit that there are many other mobile shooters that do a better job of translating a traditional control scheme to mobile touch screens.

Though, this is also one of the more ambitious controls for a shooter on mobile. You don't just slowly move through stages, you have an incredibly fast dash move which can be used either to traverse rapidly or dodge enemy attacks, in addition to an EMP attack, and a sword which can be used to send out deadly long-ranged attacks. In its best moments, Bright Memory feels a lot like Shadow Warrior 2, and that is no bad thing.

Next-gen, right now

There is a small, um, major, problem with Bright Memory Mobile that might be immediately obvious. Essentially, despite being a paid game, Bright Memory Mobile is only a tiny slice of the full game - basically a long demo containing several missions.

You won't find any story conclusions here - though in this version of the game you might struggle to understand some unusual localisation choices, and not be able to keep track of the story anyway. Flying Snake? That's a dragon, bro.

But of course, there is a way to play the full game now. You can find Bright Memory on Steam, as the developer sees PC as the primary platform, and now I suppose it is also Xbox Series X. Bright Memory on Steam features all of the fancy graphics that you saw in the Inside Xbox stream, as long as you have a PC capable of running them.

And in addition to that, Steam players who buy the game now will still receive the Bright Memory: Infinite update when it launches. Not bad at all! Especially since the asking price for the Steam version is only 7.19GBP as of the time of writing - who knows how long that bargain will last for, but I'm willing to bet it won't be that cheap on Xbox Series X when it launches.

It is a little odd that Microsoft would show off a game which has already been released as one of their lead titles for their first Xbox Series X showcase, but Bright Memory: Infinite is a pretty good game on mobile, which has the potential to be an incredible one on PC and Xbox Series X.

Dave Aubrey
Dave Aubrey
Dave is the Guides Editor at Pocket Gamer. Specialises in Nintendo, complains about them for a living.