Rate top gamesNot really a great space sim title, gameplay is very arcade heavy. Also everything is just kind of easy and forgiving. The game has a story it wants to tell, and everything is just focused on that aspect really. Itemization, combat and pretty much everything else is secondary.
The facial animations are ME:Andromeda-bad at times. It takes a lot away from those cutscenes, when they try to convey some complicated emotion, but you just can't help but wonder if they really felt the animation was at the quality they wanted it to be.
That said, the story is quite good, and pretty compact. Without sidequests, it's probably 8 hours total, 20 hours with all sidequests. The ending is somewhat sudden, but does feel rewarding.
If the story doesn't click with you, this game probably won't keep you entertained.
I would love if the devs kept building on this engine, in DLCs, or sequels, new game+ mode, or whatever really. There is no open arena style game system, where you can just go ham and dogfight or freely repeat mission or bosses, and no PvP or anything similar either. There may be better space sims, but the unique arcade space combat that Chorus came up with is just amazing fun.
Chorus has full HOTAS support, and I tried to play with it for a while, but the very fast paced turns also the fact that it has no cockpit view did convince me to play it with mouse/keyboard in the game.
«Blew my mind»
«That ending!»
«OST on repeat»
Other reviews3
While the story may not be the best or most original, the fast paced dogfighting mixed with space magic gives this game a unique edge. The story reminded me a lot of the faith energy stuff from the Guardians of the Galaxy game but a little more longwinded and preachy. The underlying message of the game, to be true to yourself no matter what, is a good message but it seems to get lost in it's lore and it's different Doctrines it spouts off. It borrows some lite RPG elements like leveling and set perks but doesn't fully invest in them. There are a good amount of side missions to pad out your playtime, most of which award new gear. One thing I found odd was you get credits out the ass but barely have anything to spend them on. Most of the weapons and good mods are acquired through missions and the purchasable upgrades to your hull health and shield get locked at certain tiers until the next hub opens up (I think?). I ended up completing the game with around 100k because I maxed everything out. The gameplay is what is the true gem of the experience. It is fast paced and responsive with its controls set up nicely so you are never jeopardizing movement. The only thing I had an issue with was there isn't much lateral movement and the dodge doesn't cover much distance so found myself clipping into walls or objects when in some of the tight chase sections. On top of that the game has a pretty good OST, especially the title theme. I look forward to what the devs do next because they have a good handle on arcade flight gameplay.
«Underrated»
I enjoyed Chorus. The game controls really well, combat is fun, and there are some nice abilities to shake things up. Best of all, there's a large focus on story. That tends to go by the wayside with space sims.
Date Completed: 2022-09-11
Enjoyment: 8/10
Playtime: 15h
Recommendation: It's worth a play through