There’s just something about space combat that feels more intense, immersive, and fun than any other form of combat for me. The pace can’t be matched, the back-and-forth struggle is prolonged, and the tide can turn in mere milliseconds thanks to a massive skill ceiling. Elite Dangerous and No Man’s Sky are great examples, but one that’s flown a bit under the radar is Chorus, which I’ve had my eye on since its late 2021 release. Does it stack up with the rest?

Chorus starts you out with a basic ship and lets you learn the ropes at your own pace. The tutorials are sufficient and the gradual advancement in ship techniques and weapon unlocks makes the combat persistently challenging and rarely ever too difficult or too easy. Focusing on the right enemies at the right times is crucial to surviving on tougher difficulties, as turrets will rip you to shreds and shielded enemies will require much more attention than unshielded ones.

There are only a few prevalent characters within Chorus. You take the reigns of Nara and her ship with an AI, Forsaken. The dialogue between the protagonist and the starfighter challenges each party at vital turning points, provides emotional support when you take damage, and makes for some truly tense arguments that see satisfying, effective ends. Nara is a noble protagonist with great intentions, weighed back by her dark past and doing her best to make reparations for it by eliminating pirates and a cultish foe.

Traversing around Chorus‘ open world is a delight. You’re free to take things at your own speed and there’s plenty of engaging side content to earn some currency to purchase stronger weapons. You can also purchase more shields/health, and buffs that you can cycle through. These buffs range from things like quicker cooldowns on abilities to less overheat on your weapons. Plenty of playstyles can be accommodated too. I opted for the strongest possible lasers, which tore through enemy ships in just a few shots, giving me a great sense of power.

Chorus runs like a dream on PC, especially considering it’s a bit on the demanding side to max it out. Framerates were consistently high, and the load times on SSD were mere seconds for entire map switches. Color-coding the enemies and having a detailed user interface rarely ever left me confused about what to do or what to shoot. Employing late-game abilities and going at top-speed is an absolute thrill. I legitimately was on the edge of my seat in the tougher air battles as the game neared its fantastic climax and ending.

My time with Chorus was well-spent as I completed everything I could find and never felt like quitting. The harder difficulties present a challenge that felt insurmountable at times and I was tired of hearing some of the same voice lines for the tenth time. However, past these nitpicks, I couldn’t get enough of this game. It’s sad to see radio silence on this game after a year, but it remains a hidden gem on Game Pass and is more than worth your time.

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Chorus

39.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Gripping Combat
• Mesmerizing Graphics
• Likeable Characters

Cons

• Difficulty Spikes
• Could Use More Voice Lines