Chorus (not Chorvs, as the posters might suggest) is a tale of two different games. On one hand, Chorus is a great space combat game that should satisfy plenty as you barrel roll your way through enemy fleets. But on the other hand, there’s the cinematic, action-adventure experience weaved in – and it’s this half that clips Chorus’ otherwise beautiful wings.
Chorus review
- Developer: Deep Silver Fishlabs
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Platform: Played on Xbox Series X
- Availability: Released today, 3rd December, on Xbox, PlayStation, PC (Epic and Steam), Google Stadia and Amazon Luna (in the US)
Chorus’ combat is the highlight. It’s what you’ll be waiting to get back to when the game gives you literally anything else. Swerving past enemy ships, tailing them and eventually blowing them up is always a thrill, even though it’s nothing original, and the speed and fluidity of Chorus’ movements are enough to keep it fun.
The game does also throw its own innovations into the space combat formula. Your ship comes with three different weapons with their own uses and downsides. The gatling guns are your classic high rate-of-fire machinery – they’re easy to aim but do relatively low damage, so they’re best at dealing with canon fodder enemies. The lasers are mainly used to burn through enemy shields making them vulnerable to a full takedown. And then there’s the missile launcher that you’ll need to make use of against armoured targets. It’s not the most strategic system but switching between the three keeps the momentum high and adds variety to the combat.
Protagonist Nara has abilities, called Rites, that make things a lot more fun. Throughout her adventure, Nara works to reawaken several of her lost abilities. At first this is limited to the Rite of the Senses, which is your standard Eagle Vision ability, highlighting enemies, objectives, collectibles and so on but, while the Rites begin in mundane fashion, eventually Nara becomes a beast on the battlefield, flinging ships into each other, zipping through them, or teleporting behind them in the perfect position for a kill.