Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (169 positive / 130 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Visuals & art20% mention it
- Story & writing17% mention it
- Combat13% mention it
- Performance11% mention it
- Bugs & crashes5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing19% mention it
- Visuals & art18% mention it
- Combat18% mention it
- Controls & UI18% mention it
- Bugs & crashes16% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
55%
287 reviews
5-15h
91%
11 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 58 | 21 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 84 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 72% | 69 | 12 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 33 reviews sampled · 28 total reviews in window · weighted 6.1 up / 2.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (36)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“It's hard to actually review Bright Memory, as it's not a game you can easily recommend, even for its relatively small price. But what we can definitely rate is a passion the developer has put into this project, while trying to give a new life to a slowly withering genre. We can only wish luck to the FYQD studio with their next game, which we will judge accordingly.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“FTQD Studio's first outing is a playful shooter/slasher hybrid that's far too finite to feel worth its retail price.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Those who decide to spend some time with the title will not be disappointed as long as they know what to expect. Otherwise, those who are really thirsty for titles to enjoy the new generation, can definitely check this one out.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“So overall, for a launch title, Bright Memory even while super short and basically being a tech demo, for how pretty things can look and sound, is still an amazing fast paced experience. At twenty-five to thirty minutes per playthrough, and a total of three to get everything, I would say pick it up and enjoy it as it’s really hard to go wrong especially at its current price tag.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“On its own merits, Bright Memory is short, rough around the edges and has a somewhat forgettable storyline. But as proof of concept and a playable teaser for the forthcoming Bright Memory Infinite, it’s a tantalising look at what’s to come and I personally cannot wait. For the price of a large Big Mac meal, it’s a no-brainer.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Bright Memory for Xbox Series X|S is an extremely unoptimized and poorly polished launch title. However, the future looks bright for the game. The foundation for something truly special is there.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“While there are plenty of rough edges and frustrations here, these are all somewhat balanced out by the cost of Bright Memory on Xbox Series X; AU$11.95.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Although Bright Memory is utter nonsense, in a good way, it is still just a gloried tech-demo”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Bright Memory is a rare good-bad game that's enjoyable partly because of its oddities and flaws, but there's signs that its sequel Bright Memory Infinite could actually just be good.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“One of the few games that can accurately be described as so bad it's good, with a gleefully bizarre mix of bad voice-acting, appalling console optimisation, and surprisingly decent gunplay.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“There is a lot to like in Bright Memory, and I can’t help but wonder how fantastic it could be as an eight or ten hour experience with a coherent storyline and some extra polish. Hopefully the next game will deliver a more complete package, whenever that might be.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Plagued with a plethora of issues, but still occasionally fun, Bright Memory is one of the most confusing games I've played in some time.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
VGChartz
Enternity.gr
Chalgyr's Game Room
FingerGuns
Game Freaks 365
Rocket Chainsaw
Explosion Network
TheSixthAxis
Metro GameCentral
Niche Gamer
GamingBolt…and 24 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Bright Memory: Infinite New Screenshots!Nov 26, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Bright Memory 1.0 release!Mar 25, 2020
- Information Regarding Major Bright Memory Update and Bright Memory: InfiniteNov 20, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Bright Memory Early Access Version Major Update Goes Live November 20th!Nov 14, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- About the Bright Memory frequently updated~Jul 2, 2019
- Bright Memory (2019/3/31 Update)Mar 31, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Bright Memory Update 2/25Feb 25, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Bright Memory Update 2/23~24(Support Controller)Feb 23, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Bright Memory - Plans for the future~Jan 29, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/27~28)Jan 26, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 （Update 1/25）Jan 24, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Second Update 1/21)Jan 21, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/21)Jan 20, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Second update 1/20)Jan 20, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/20)Jan 19, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/19)Jan 19, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/18)Jan 17, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/16)Jan 15, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/15)Jan 14, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/14)Jan 14, 2019
- Bright Memory - Episode 1 (Update 1/13)Jan 12, 2019