I love the escapism of video games! It allows me to forget about the real world while taking on tasks that are otherwise unobtainable. One genre that piques my interest is science fiction, and in particular, space shooters. Therefore, when Chorus was announced, I was genuinely excited. Thanks to its fast-paced action, beautiful aesthetics, and lore infused plot, I couldn’t help but start salivating.
Developed by Fishlabs and published by Deep Silver, this is a Good Vs Evil open-world Sci-Fi title. You’ll spend much of your time blasting through space while completing side quests and seeking revenge. It’s a game that sounds fantastic, is wonderfully acted, and looks great on the surface. However, as you get into it, you see niggling issues that taint the polish ever so slightly.
Chorus has religious undertones.
Every great story has an element of David Vs Goliath. No one vies for the favourite and everyone secretly wants the underdog to win. Fortunately, Chorus uses this theory beautifully in its lore infused and religious plot. The Space-cult known as the Circle is a power-hungry entity that stops at nothing to get what they want. People matter not, and war crimes and atrocities are committed repeatedly. The only thing to stand in their way is the rebels. This hardy yet under-resourced group has heart and desire, but that isn’t enough to stop the bloodshed. No, they need a fearless hero to help their cause, and this is where Nara steps in.
She was once a key weapon in the Space-cult’s ghastly plans. Her cold and calculating ways allowed her to commit evil acts without issue. Yet, even heartless beasts have a breaking point and when Nara snapped, she knew she had to help the rebels. Assisted by ungodly powers, a sentient ship, and abilities known as rites, you must take on side quests and the main story. Along the way, you’ll find new areas of space to explore, interesting puzzles to solve, and ball-breaking bosses to overcome.
An eye-opening internal monologue.
Nara feels guilt and regrets as she has spent her life completing heinous tasks. Yet, listening to her guilt-ridden dialogue is a little depressing. Furthermore, if you combine this with the lore heavy plot, you have a considerably overwhelming experience on your hands. Fortunately, though, the freedom to explore the vast environments and the array of quests on offer reduce the pain. Furthermore, the introduction of Nara’s sentinel ship Forsaken helps further still. The special bond between the two strengthens as you progress and I loved how it added a human touch to a cold world.
Outwardly, Nara offers a friendly or hostile persona. However, her inner monologue highlights her true thoughts in any situation. It was intriguing to see how each moment developed and how the relationships formed. It was a clever idea from the developers that helped to build rapport in a subtle way.
Dogfighting at its best.
Blending a vast open-world with intricate space combat is no mean feat. Many Sci-Fi games have tried and failed to get the mixture just right. The normal gripes of chasing fast ships while continually spinning on the spot are both annoying and nauseating. Fortunately, however, Chorus has got this element balanced perfectly. With a combination of excellent controls, interesting locations, and amazing free-flowing mechanics, dogfighting has never been so good.
You can upgrade your ship to improve weaponry, shields, and add mods. Alongside this, your rite abilities allow you to strafe, teleport, temporarily disable your foes, and more. It was truly wonderful to dodge lasers while unleashing hell upon your enemies. Tackling space pirates or simply blasting through space was an enthralling experience. I never tired of unlocking new areas or destroying capital ships.
These hulking machines are laced with turrets and are tricky to destroy. Sadly, you can’t fly in all guns blazing. Instead, you must be tactically savvy. You must destroy key areas before venturing inside to finish it off. Subsequently, it can be a little frustrating when you can’t find the key components required to complete the task. However, with a little patience, you’ll enjoy the challenge that these behemoths present.
Nara looks incredible, but Chorus is lacking elsewhere.
I was amazed by the attention to detail and the animation of Nara in the cinematic. The developers have invested an incredible amount of time and effort. Therefore, it was disappointing that this didn’t continue in every element. The NPCs are faceless and comprise limited models. Sadly, this continues with the vehicles. You’ll witness the same ships repeatedly, and this annoyed me.
Though there are shortcomings, I found the exploration to be truly enthralling. With a vast world to explore and brilliant environments to discover it was excellent. I was amazed by the variety of space debris, planets, anomalies, and more. It was wonderful to take on numerous side quests while searching the interesting landscapes.
The brilliant story was enhanced beautifully by Nara’s fantastic narration. Both her forceful and blunt dialogue are complemented by her inner thoughts. This was supported further by the phenomenal sound effects and great music. Its blend of soft and high energy music and thumping noises are wonderfully futuristic.
Excellent controls.
A space combat title with poor controls is unforgivable. Fortunately, though, Chorus is fantastic to play. Its free-flowing and accurate setup allows you to play with ease. It was thoroughly enjoyable to combine the rite abilities with the traditional space combat mechanics. Therefore, fans of this genre will adore Fishlabs’ approach and eye for detail. Moreover, the action is supported by a clean UI that makes selecting weapons a cinch. Furthermore, the waypoints are clearly displayed, and this makes exploration much easier.
I love open-world titles but find the likes of Assassins Creed or Far Cry overwhelming. With masses of collectables and a ridiculously large quest list, there is almost too much to do. Fortunately, though, Chorus gets the balance just right! With a nice variety of side quests to polish your combat skills and an interesting story to experience, you’ll want to keep playing. You’ll easily invest around 20+ hours to get through the story, and a large achievement list will test you along the way.
Chorus is a fantastic space combat game.
Chorus is a game that does most things right! Yes, there are shortcomings that impact the final polish, but many elements paper over those cracks. Much of the gameplay is phenomenal and the protagonist and story are genuinely interesting to experience. It’s a fantastic example of the genre and I recommend you to buy it here! Revenge is all-consuming and you must stop at nothing to stop the evil Space-cult.
