More: 10 Flight Sims To Check Out If You Liked Star Wars SquadronsĬhorus releases today, Decemfor PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. With its story and wider lore providing plenty of scope for the player to explore, Chorus is an ambitious and spectacular space shooter. Its minute by minute gameplay is truly enthralling, whether a small-scale dogfight or a battle against a larger foe, while its varied and colorful world is gorgeous to behold. It's a shame the side quests and minor plots don't live up to the main story of Chorus, however, and this does hold back the game a little. Chorus gives hints of The Culture by Iain Banks, but centred on a society on the receiving end of a supposed all-encompassing utopia. This helps the player gain an understanding of a rather immersive game world that ties closer to a space opera than the bolt and nails realistic future of some other space combat games. The pilot struggles with the guilt of her actions before she left The Circle, determined to do the right thing even if redemption cannot be found. Nara has doubting whispers that feel similar to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, although it’s more of an internal monologue than the thematic narrative structure of Ninja Theory's magnum opus. Indeed, there's a weight behind Chorus that is almost palpable. The relationship between Nara and Forsaken (Forsa for short) is interesting, with the two quipping back and forth like Kratos and Atreus in God of War. Forsaken is certainly not a mechanised buddy akin to BT in Tit a nfall 2, but nonetheless the pair discuss various moral quandaries in a way that is refreshing for the genre - even if other relationships in the game aren't quite as strong. Forsaken can then swap between its weapon types depending on player need, with certain weapons working best on specific enemy ships, leaving Chorus with a gameplay balance relying on powers and loadouts that feels almost similar to Control.įorsaken also provides the strongest emotional weight to Chorus as a whole, and the surly spacecraft is unhappy at being left for years in an asteroid until Nara decided to fight back against The Circle. This could be extra shields, speed boosts, or cooldown bonuses for Nara's Rites, and creating a good balance alongside choosing the right weapon loadout is essential. The starship also plays into Nara's abilities, and Forsaken is able to be upgraded in a variety of ways. Meanwhile, Nara can also gain the upper hand through Masteries, which are gained in a more traditional way such as shooting a specific number of enemies with a particular weapon to get a boost. The player gains Rites over the course of the game, which are essentially powers like a shock that can take down enemy shields or a spacial jump to take another ship unawares.
There are also larger ships to defeat that require a more tactical approach of shutting down shields to reach reactor cores, and also boss battles against huge enemies that must be taken apart piecemeal.Įven with a sentient ship it may seem as though the cards are stacked against Nara, but the pilot does have special skills to help her in her fight. Combat in Chorus is an absolute blast, with the player having an excellent level of control over Forsaken as they flip and shift to get the upper hand on The Circle or other enemies like space pirates. Related: Elite: Dangerous & 9 Other Games That Let You Explore Deep SpaceĪ space combat sim lives or dies on its dogfighting, and Chorus is exceptional in this regard. The player must travel from one open world area to another, fighting The Circle, protecting the innocent, and trying to make amends for the atrocities committed in her past. After going to ground with a resistance group, Nara returns to the sentient spaceship known as Forsaken to take the war back to The Circle. This is something that developer Fishlabs is attempting to change with Chorus, a new open world space combat sim.Ĭhorus is the story of Nara, a superpowered fighter pilot who used to be part of a dangerous cult known at The Circle. Even so, sometimes space combat games can struggle to connect with their audience due to a lack of emotional depth.
Indie space simulator games Pc#
Space combat simulators were once a genre on the decline, but the likes of Elite: Dangerous and Everspacehave rekindled a style of game that once dominated the PC world.