Revealed last year Chorus (stylized “CHORVS” in the logo, but written and said “Chorus“) is a unique space fighter game that brings a bit more personality to the genre. The main character, Nara, has a dark history. Once in upper tiers of a cult known as The Circle, a group seeking attainment of the perfect harmony: the Chorus. As the Prophet’s personal executioner, Nara gave into the ultimate darkness, tearing a rift into reality and ripping apart an entire planet. Shaken, broken, and haunted with regret, Nara flees to life as an exile, until her past catches up with her seven years later.
Before the presentation even started, it was immediately clear that Chorus would have some epic music. As we waited in a digital waiting room to hear from the developers at FishLabs, a deep and moving soundtrack pumped through my headphones. Chorus is in fact, as its name might suggest, deeply tied with its music. The main theme appears across the game, tailored to the specific situation. The vocalist serves as a bridge to Nara, and voices in the game represent unknown mysteries memories, and messages from the past.
Despite being so narrative heavy, the duration of the game takes place in a ship. Initially, I was concerned that this would make Chorus feel really impersonal and disparate. But Nara’s connection to her sentient ship, Forsaken, helps fill the void where this would otherwise be an issue. The unity between pilot and ship extends well beyond just the story too. In fact, it’s a main staple of the gameplay, choosing how to utilize Nara’s own powers with the capabilities of the ship. Combat, exploration, and navigation all rely on Forsaken’s unique ability to drift and maneuver in a fast-paced environment. Drifting is a a kind of warp that let’s Forsaken move with ease, especially necessary in tighter environments.
The world of Chorus is one that invites exploration, all from within the confines of your ship. Across a variety of environments—from asteroid mines to cities in the sky—you’ll meet locals, resolve conflicts, and uncover the hidden stories across the star systems, which you can explore as you see fit. Chorus is designed to be high-risk, high-reward as you empower Nara with weapons, abilities, and allies to take on the Circle.
The Rites are powers that Nara can wield, found in transdimensional temples. Pairing the Rites with Forsaken’s weapons (which are interchangeable, and can be upgraded at space stations) and the drift capabilities lead to unique gameplay combinations that help Chorus feel rather different from other starfighter games. Weapon selecting is also important depending on the targets you’ll be up against. The gatling is most effective on fast targets, lasers will take down shields, and missiles are best for larger or stationary targets that you might go up against. Additionally there are perks and mods that can change the behaviors of weapons and the ship itself.
To help Chorus not be so disorienting, FishLabs specifically created a horizon that the ship will automatically align to—either after a moment of no input or at the press of a button. Along with pulling the camera back away from Forsaken a bit, this allows movement and combat to all remain extremely fast-paced while keeping the player’s general orientation of where they are in the space.
As thrilling as the navigation and combat is, however, what’s got me most interested is the evolving conversation and relationship between Nara and Forsaken. FishLabs says that the combined arc of these two companions enriches the whole game, and I’m eager to follow their story as Nara confronts her very dark past. This narrative ribbon seems to be the bow that ties the entire package together, and I can’t wait to get more time with Nara and Forsaken later this year.
Chorus is an epic space opera, perhaps more literally in a lot of ways than a lot of its space-faring influences in media. If you’re a fan of epic space fantasies that explore the expansive mysteries at the corners of the universe—whether they lean on the more scientifically plausible or the absurdly fantastical—Chorus is going to be one to keep an eye on.
Chorus releases on December 3, 2021.
