Chorus Hands-On Preview: A Promising New Space Shooter

Nara has spent much of her life within the Circle, a cult that warped her thoughts and taught her to draw upon a strange alien power known as “aether.” This sinister, corruptive force enables a select few to wield godlike abilities that defy every law of physics. The Circle, however, failed to keep Nara properly restrained. Now free from its control, the accomplished fighter is determined to destroy the organisation that once held her captive. Piloting the universe’s most sophisticated starfighter, Nara ventures into the cosmos’s bleakest corners, where her resolve and sanity are both put to the test.

Fishlabs earned its reputation through the Galaxy on Fire mobile series, but publisher Deep Silver has allowed the developer to take a fresh approach to the space-shooter genre with Chorus. This open-world space combat game features numerous upgrades alongside several distinctive takes on classic zero-gravity battles. We previously saw an extremely early demonstration of the game, but we have now played the opening hours of a newer, more refined build to get a clearer impression of it.

Chorus: Nara and Forsaken’s escape from the Circle

Chorus opens with Nara fleeing from the Circle. Hoping to give herself an advantage, she steals one of the galaxy’s most dangerous weapons: a sentient starcraft named Forsaken. Nara shares a mental connection with Forsaken, which lets her execute remarkable aerial manoeuvres, including sharp drift turns reminiscent of a racing car. Chorus also conveys an impressive feeling of speed, something that games set in the vastness of open space often struggle to achieve.

Chorus presents a single enormous open world, filled with side missions and assorted chance encounters. During her travels, Nara can improve Forsaken’s equipment. Every weapon has a particular role to play. Gatling guns, for instance, fire rapidly but deal limited damage, making them well suited to nimble targets. Lasers deliver powerful, concentrated strikes that are especially effective at taking down shields. Missiles, meanwhile, are devastating against armoured foes, though their relatively slow speed makes them more useful against sluggish or immobile opponents. Forsaken also includes three mod slots, which can change weapon statistics or further tailor the craft’s performance.

Chorus combat, weapons and hostile ships

The flight controls in Chorus are satisfying to use, while the varied enemy roster keeps battles moving at a lively pace. Crows are lightly equipped ships that quickly crumble once caught in your sights. Their speed makes them difficult to pursue, though, and their large numbers can prove troublesome unless you reduce the swarm. Vultures, by comparison, are heavily armoured gunships with considerable firepower. They can deploy forward shields, making frontal assaults difficult, but these cumbersome vessels are easy to outmanoeuvre. Shade-class ships are vast dreadnoughts that continually release smaller enemy craft, so destroying them promptly is essential before they overwhelm you.

Aether powers and the Faceless temples

Even with Forsaken accompanying her, Nara is not yet prepared to confront the Circle. She feels that she must restore her aether abilities, sending her on a hunt for ancient temples tied to the threatening alien species known as the Faceless. Completing the temples’ challenges grants Nara fresh aether powers that assist her during combat and exploration alike. The Rite of the Hunt, for example, lets Nara and Forsaken briefly pass through the aether, temporarily disappearing from reality before emerging elsewhere. I used it to get beyond barriers and move into position behind hostile ships. Another aether ability turns Forsaken into a streak of light that rips through enemy vessels. A further power enables Nara to take control of enemy craft and use them as lethal projectiles. Fishlabs says Forsaken can ultimately become powerful enough that Nara will not require weapons to eliminate entire enemy fleets.

Space shooters have been part of the games industry since 1971’s Computer Space, yet few modern entries in the genre have found broad popularity. Whether Chorus can alter that remains to be seen, but it introduces several appealing new ideas. Its open-space structure, responsive flight systems and imaginative upgrades make us optimistic ahead of its December 3 launch.