![]() ![]() When I checked out the steam page for Opus: Echo of Starsong after it was put up for review amongst the writers, I took an immediate interest. As if by magic, which is still up for debate mind you, the door slides open, inviting you further inwards. ![]() As you raise your can upwards, a whispy melody emanates from it, reverberating off the wall throughout the cave. In your heyday, you would have easily fit in between the large cracks in the wall, but there is no need. Soon, you find yourself in front of an enormous door. As you go deeper into the ruins you read the Myrian inscriptions, speaking of a past from when this place might have been contemporary. You remind them of who you are, and why you are there. The nobles on your comms are begging you to get back to the ship and let one of them handle this. As you leave your ship further behind, you stumble. Nature has peacefully taken up residency in the cave, as flowers sway to a slight breeze flowing through the ruins. ![]() “By Taiyang’s Mercy” Cane in hand, you move slowly towards the entrance. All of the sound design is wonderful, in fact the sparse piano keys played when booting up the game immediately sparked overwhelmingly positive memories of Nier Automata in my mind.LifeisXbox’s OPUS: Echo of Starsong review | As your ship lands safely at the edge of an ancient ruin left adrift throughout the aeons, you disembark against the wishes of the nobles aboard your ship. Hearing the notes spring forth as she locates the next asteroid produces some of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies I’ve heard in a long while. It’s through these starsongs, and Eda’s voice in particular, where the veil drops in it’s entirety. Simultaneously, the collection and use of different starsongs in the 2D sections binds you to our protagonist and the crew. ![]() None of it is all that strenuous – managing armour, fuel and exploration kits while upgrading your ship over time gives a sense of progression alongside Jun and Eda’s growth. These light interactive elements keep this journey from being just a straight A to B story that you are clicking through, transforming it into a vehicle for connection to the characters through interactivity. This is broken up by a few different modes of gameplay a few bespoke side scrolling sections involving puzzles, along with some space exploration – moving point to point on a map, with some light resource management thrown into the mix. Much of the game is focused more on the relatively linear narrative, doled out through visual novel style segments, item descriptions and evocative location descriptors. Not only is this emotionally resonant tale incredibly strong on its own, but it’s also backed up by some excellently paced and immersive world-building. There’s an entire history behind not only the characters you’ll be accompanying but the entire system of Thousand Peaks, that fleshes out these cool ideas and the impact they have had on the inhabitants of this world.įor a game so full of proper nouns, such an original premise and rich history and mythology, it never leaves you confused and disoriented. Early on, Jun crosses paths with Eda, a mysterious woman with the ability to locate these asteroids through the power of her voice – i.e. This premise is the driving force for the events of Starsong, but more importantly, the focus is more on character work and the growth of its cast. To do so, he must seek out and find undiscovered asteroids filled with an invaluable resource to be mined and sold, bringing honour and prosperity back once more. It’s a journey that doesn’t just stand on its own two feet, but a story that rivals the sci-fi classics of you already know and love.įormed from a wholly original spacefaring adventure infused with feudalist ideals, Starsong focuses on the story of Jun, the exiled 8th son of a noble on a quest to restore his family’s status within the clan. There is no pre-requisite for jumping straight into Starsong. OPUS: Echo of Starsong is the third in a line of games in the same expansive OPUS universe, each of which is an entirely standalone story. ![]()
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