''Chorus'' is a 2021
space combat game developed by
Fishlabs and published by
Deep Silver
Deep Silver is an Austrian video game publisher and a division of Plaion.
History
Deep Silver was announced in November 2002, with their first release to be '' Anarchy Online: The Notum Wars''. According to Craig McNichol, who ran Koch Medi ...
. It was released for
Luna
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages
* Luna (goddess)
In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
,
Stadia,
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
, and
Xbox Series X/S
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
on 3 December 2021.
''Chorus'' received generally positive reviews from critics and failed to meet the sales expectations of
Embracer Group
Embracer Group AB (formerly Nordic Games Licensing AB and THQ Nordic AB) is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises 8 operative groups: Amplifier Game Invest, CDE Entertainment, Coffee Stain Studi ...
.
Gameplay
''Chorus'' is a space combat video game played from a
third-person perspective
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to del ...
. The game's protagonist, Nara, pilots a sentient starcraft known as ''Forsaken''. ''Forsaken'' can be armed with a variety of weapons such as missile launchers,
gatling gun
The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling of North Carolina. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon.
The Gatling gun's operatio ...
s and
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
cannons. ''Forsaken'' also has three slots for mods, which can be used to alter the ship's performance in combat. The game is set in an
open world
In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the Gamer, player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include ''The Legend of Zelda (video game ...
, and the players can complete various optional quests. As Nara explores the world, she will encounter various ancient temples. Upon exploring these temples and solving puzzles, Nara will gain aether powers that grant her new combat abilities. For instance, the "Rite of the Hunt" ability allows ''Forsaken'' to warp directly behind enemies.
Synopsis
Nara (portrayed by Jess Chanliau, voiced by
Cassie Bradley), a top pilot with a checkered past, and her sentient starfighter ''Forsaken'' must work together to defeat the Circle, an oppressive cult led by the Great Prophet who seeks to dominate the whole universe.
Development
''Chorus'' was developed by
Fishlabs, which is most known for developing the ''
Galaxy on Fire
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar Syst ...
'' series for mobile devices. Development of the game commenced in 2017. The game was announced on 7 May 2020 during
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
's
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
20/20 event.
Reception
''Chorus'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, while the PS5 version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
.
The game won Best German Game at
Deutscher Computerspielpreis
The Deutscher Computerspielpreis (, also DPC) is a prize mainly aimed at the German games industry and has been awarded since 2009. The DCP is awarded by the Cabinet of Germany and the German Games Industry Association ''game''. In addition to awar ...
in 2022.
Jon Bailes of ''
GamesRadar+
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'' wrote that the game "conjured the feel of a good ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' scene", praising its ship designs, space battles, controls, and special powers while criticizing the bland story and bad
bosses. Dan Stapleton of ''
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' praised the game's scenery and
dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...
s while calling the story "respectable even though it threatens to drown you in lore." Ollie Reynolds of ''
Push Square
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
'' praised the slick combat,
DualSense
The DualShock (originally Dual Shock, trademarked as DUALSHOCK or DUAL SHOCK, with the PlayStation 5 version as DualSense) is a line of gamepads developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment) for the PlayStat ...
feedback, side missions and accessibility options while criticizing the poor dialogue, low
framerate
Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and motion capture s ...
, and in-game map.
In February 2022,
Embracer Group
Embracer Group AB (formerly Nordic Games Licensing AB and THQ Nordic AB) is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises 8 operative groups: Amplifier Game Invest, CDE Entertainment, Coffee Stain Studi ...
(parent company of Deep Silver) revealed that ''Chorus'' had failed to meet sales expectations.
Accolades
Notes
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.chorusthegame.com/
2021 video games
Unreal Engine 4 games
Windows games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 5 games
Stadia games
Deep Silver games
Action-adventure games
Video games set in outer space
Video games developed in Germany
Single-player video games
Space opera video games
Space combat simulators
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games about cults
Space massively multiplayer online role-playing games