Traditional shooter-style games, whether 2D or even three-dimensional, have become little more than a fringe genre these days. And precisely because of that fact, every time a new representative arrives, his followers clap their ears … and more so if it is as good as the one that Deep Silver brings us.
When the oldest of the place visited the arcades during the 80s and 90s, one of the genres that had the most followers was that of shooters, a style of games that is one of the most veteran. Unfortunately, from that golden age to the situation that takes place today in relation to this class of titles is a gulf … to the point that has practically disappeared next to the arcades themselves. The annual arrival on the market of games belonging to this style can be counted almost on the fingers of our hands and, if we focus only on its 3D aspect, we have one left over. The label of “niche game” that has come to be placed on lifelong shooters (that is, without considering FPS or third-person action shoot’em ups) causes the vast majority of companies and Studies move away from this genre when conceiving their new proposals, something that fortunately has not happened with Fishlabs and Deep Silver.
This tandem brings us Chorus, a title that has surely gone quite unnoticed by the general public due to its very nature and, also, due to the fact that it landed in the middle of the Christmas season and was overshadowed by a multitude of great releases. But that it has arrived without making noise does not mean that it is a minor work and, even less, that it lacks quality. On the contrary, what I have found with this production has surprised me very pleasantly, being a game that shines in the vast majority of its sections and, what has convinced me the most, has a lot of personality and he is ambitious and accurate in what he proposes, going beyond what is usual for this type of degree.
A story of redemption and science fiction
One of the main distinguishing notes of the shooter is its elaborate story and narrativeOne of the main distinctive notes that separate this shooter from the rest has to do with the treatment it has received. worked history and narrative. Far from being inconspicuous and acting as a mere procedure to serve us space battles on a platter, there are many lines of dialogue that are part of the script, which is developed in a rather entertaining and well-embodied way throughout the numerous missions that await us.
The plot revolves around Nara, the main protagonist who comes to be a kind of savior, but who has a darkest past and from which she intends to flee … or, at least, redeem herself. Nara must fight both against his own inner demons and against an organization full of weapons, ships and forces that he deploys without shame throughout the galaxy that hosts this work. And to stand up to such an enemy, she only has the help of Forsaken (or Forsa, as she calls it). And who is this character? Well, in reality it is your ship, which is endowed with advanced artificial intelligence and a clearly defined personality, and precisely the tensions experienced by both characters they become one of the strengths that history proposes to us.
We can learn skills or Rites as we go. Mastering the aerial “drift” is essential during battles.
Leaving aside the plot and focusing on what this work itself offers in the playable plane, the truth is that it has quite a bit of crumb. There are many ingredients that make up the gameplay that gives life to the title, logically the fierce space battles being the most important and outstanding. From a perspective located from the outside of the ship, we must end up with a large number of opponents that are seen throughout the game. And it should be said that there is a plausible variety of these rivals, which have different attributes that must be taken into account when ending them, which adds a tactical touch to these confrontations that I have found very interesting.
There are enemies whose weak point is their rear, others that are protected by armor or shields, ships of an enormous size that can only be damaged from within … Depending on which rivals we face, we have to draw a different strategy and, also, go selecting the specific weaponry (machine gun, missiles, laser, etc.) with which our Forsaken ship is equipped. An aircraft that we can improve as we move forward, providing it with increasingly powerful weapons as well as armor for its hull, shields and various technological improvements.
The fighting is exciting and, depending on the characteristics of our rivals, we must use certain weapons and tactics
This roleplaying note is well supported by the possibility of obtaining certain unique abilities for Nara, the protagonist, skills that are called Rites. Thanks to them, we can use electrical charges to knock out enemy ships for a moment, perform rapid teleportations or carry out a kind of “skidding” or “air gliding”, a technique that I personally have found incredibly attractive and that, if we master it , can make a significant difference during the course of the contests.
It is also worth highlighting the sandbox component possessed by this production, an element that makes us feel like true space explorers. The world in which this shooter contest takes place is of a truly incredible size and is full of areas that we can freely investigate, being able to use a kind of radar to find the main objectives as well as caches of money, parts for the ship, etc. In addition, we can also interact (through conversations, which by the way take place in English with Spanish subtitles) with some secondary characters and accept secondary assignments to obtain additional rewards, objectives that are sometimes somewhat insipid (such as having to scan certain elements of the scenarios) but that also offer us more interesting missions such as participating in space races or acting as escorts.
Without being a high-budget game, the title boasts a very careful setting and aesthetic line.
A work that we could consider as AA that exudes pampering on the part of its creatorsFor all this, the possibilities offered by Chorus go beyond those common in the vast majority of titles with similar characteristics, being a highly varied, dynamic and unpredictable shooter. And to all this, one more quality is added, the magnificent control of the aircraft that has been implemented, conforming a gameplay that although it does not reach the outstanding in any aspect, it does it is tremendously enjoyable.
In technical terms, this is a work that we could consider AA and that exudes a lot of care on the part of its creators. The design of the flesh and blood characters (such as that of the protagonist herself) may not be the best that have ever been seen in a title of this style, but the aesthetic line shown by both the aircraft and, especially, some of the the funds is to be commended. However, what has caught my attention the most are the special effects that take place during battles, being able to enjoy nicely recreated explosions and even spectacular at times. The sound is not out of tune either, with a pretty good dubbing (especially the one that brings Forsaken to life) and a soundtrack that adapts perfectly to what happens in each situation.