"Drifting Saves This Space Shooter From Its Own Plot"
About
Chorus is a space combat shooter where you pilot Nara and her sentient starfighter Forsaken through environments ranging from ancient temples to surreal dreamscapes to dismantle a cult. You engage in fast-paced dogfighting sequences while building an arsenal of weapons and psychic abilities that evolve throughout the campaign. The game emphasizes mobility and traversal across open areas, blending traditional aerial combat with exploration of derelict stations and otherworldly locations.
Verdict
The moment Chorus hands you the drift, dogfighting clicks into something genuinely thrilling, and the powers that follow keep widening the combat sandbox. Everything wrapped around it is more ordinary: a self-serious redemption story, thin upgrade paths, and missions that boil down to shoot-and-evade. Buy it for the flying, not the fiction.
You'll like it if …
- +chasing the feel of fast, mobility-driven dogfighting
- +you treasure striking space vistas and a strong soundtrack while you explore
You'll dislike it if …
- −you want missions that keep introducing new objectives over shoot-and-evade loops
- −you play for a weighty story and a cast you bond with
- −you need a reason to return after the credits
Breakdown
- +Drifting mechanic turns dogfights into fast, readable, satisfying combat
- +Escalating psychic powers continuously widen the combat sandbox
- +Mastering movement and mobility is where the game earns its keep
- −Mission objectives rarely ask anything new beyond shoot-and-evade
- −UI invites visual clutter that hurts readability during the busiest fights
- +Striking space environments with regions that hold their own visual identity
- +Tight, well-scoped campaign that doesn't overstay its welcome
- −Weapon and ship upgrades feel samey and push you toward plot powers
- −Linear campaign with optional side missions that are mostly generic
- −Little structural reason to return once the credits roll
- +Nara-Forsaken pairing is the one thread the writers clearly cared about
- −Redemption story reaches for dark and weighty but lands at cliche
- −Constant whispered narration grates
- −Supporting cast never registers
- +Explosions and scale sell the dogfighting fantasy
- +Soundtrack is the game's quiet triumph
- +Distinct, gorgeous regions reward visual exploration
- +Performance is strong and the game runs well on modest hardware
- −Persistent progression-halting bug has reportedly survived since launch
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