Why you need to be keeping an eye on Chorus Worldwide in 2024

We were recently invited to a hands-off preview event for some upcoming releases from Chorus Worldwide. Known for their strong narrative led games across different genres, there was plenty of that, but it came with a couple of curveballs thrown in for good measure. 

There was nothing new announced here, but it was good to get some updates on several games coming to Xbox. Read on to find out what we saw.

Last Time I Saw You

Firstly, we had Maraboshi Artworks and their 2D narrative adventure game, Last Time I Saw You. 

This hand-drawn tale is a coming of age fantasy set in 1980s Japan. You play as Ayumi, on a tale of self-discovery in some unfamiliar situations. Like, why is the literal girl of his dreams suddenly manifesting in the real world??

Last Time I Saw You will also be heavily inspired by Japanese folklore, so you can expect to see lots of yokai popping up all over. This magical realism tale sounds like if Harkuki Murakami wrote a coming of age tale, and we’re all for it.

We are currently without a release date for Last Time I Saw You, with only a period of Autumn 2024 being listed for Xbox consoles. There is currently a demo on Steam you can try though. 

Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open

Then we had Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open, the next game from Cellar Vault Games and the follow-up to Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM. 

Another coming of age tale, this one focuses on a young girl who has the ability to see spirits around her. After befriending one of them, Xiu, they team up to face challenges that will affect both the spirit and the real world.

Like the name suggests, Third Eye Open is presented in this gorgeous paper art style that echoes back to the likes of Paper Mario. This is a much more mature tale however, and even during the short presentation we saw, there were definitely some unsettling images.

Once again we are without a confirmed release date. But, again, there is a demo on Steam for you to try. Or you can pick up the first game, Paper Ghost Stories: 7PM on the Xbox Store for £3.49.

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver

Now we have a game that I played back at EGX in 2021 – Read Only Memories: Neurodiver. To see this still as an upcoming release was a bit of a surprise. And like the others, we still don’t have a concrete date, but we were told to stay tuned for news coming very shortly.

Following on from the world established in 2064: Read Only Memories, this time you take control of ES88. Armed with her bioengineered creature, known as the Neurodiver, she delves into the memories of individuals to drive out an entity called the Golden Butterfly. The Golden Butterfly has been hiding in the psyches of residents of Neo-San Francisco, and you need to discover how, why and what happens next.

If all that sounds a bit wacky, then it should. Neurodiver is heavily inspired by the works of 90’s Japanese adventure games, and particularly those of Hideo Kojima. We’re talking the likes of Snatcher, Policenauts and of course, the Metal Gear franchise.

Again, we wait patiently for a release date. But in the meantime, try out the demo on Steam or even pick up the first game on the Xbox Store.

Kriegsfront Tactics

Next up was Toge Productions. A developer very close to my heart, they are best known for their beloved Coffee Talk games and A Space for the Unbound, which was recently nominated in The Game Awards. With a pedigree and history of creating narrative driven games, their next release, a tactical RPG set during an alternate Vietnam war. With mechs.

What separates Kriegsfront Tactics from other tactical games is that the bullets fired by your mechs are all physically simulated. That means that in other turn-based games like XCOM that gives you a percentage change of your shot hitting, Kriegsfront allows you to select individual areas to target. Then, the bullets fired are produced in real-time, so you won’t know the hit percentage until after you take the shot. It takes everything you thought you knew about tactical warfare, and throws it out of the window.

Again, we don’t have a release date for Kriegsfront Tactics. But, when the likes of Front Mission, Final Fantasy Tactics and XCOM are being thrown about as inspirations, plus the fact that it is being made by Toge Productions, you can be sure I have my next day one purchase right here.

UNDEFEATED: Genesis

Finally, we have a game that is not yet confirmed for the Xbox, but one we hope will be soon. UNDEFEATED: Genesis is its name, and superheroes is the order of the day. Unlike the others here though, this is without even a release window, so could be a while away yet.

You are living a perfectly normal life as a college student when a meteor flies down from space and strikes you. When you awaken, not only do you have superhuman abilities, but you find yourself on a strange alien planet. This unknown planet is far more technologically advanced than Earth, but it is also home to a hostile alien race. And guess what: you have just signed up to be the one to rid the planet of them.

UNDEFEATED: Genesis is going to be an open-world superhero game that sounds like it is taking inspiration from all corners of the superhero world; comics, manga, films, TV and more. You can bet this will be a real love letter to all things super.

Chorus Worldwide – on a roll

Chorus Worldwide are known for games with strong, emotional stories, but this latest round of upcoming releases are showing an additional side to them. Sure, their bread and butter publishing titles are still present, with games expanding universes for existing indie hits, but the newer titles show off exciting prospects. A tactical RPG in the form of Kriegsfront Tactics and even an open-world adventure in UNDEFEATED: Genesis ensure we have an interesting upcoming suite of releases. 

If you weren’t familiar with Chorus Worldwide until now, why not? With releases as diverse as these, the future appears to be looking very bright for Chorus and their development partners.

Huge thanks go out to Chorus for allowing us the chance to sit in on their briefing. Expect us to follow with further news of these games very soon.