HomeFeaturesOPUS: Echo Of Starsong
There were a lot of games I played last year that could have been on ourBest Games You Missedlist at the end of 2021. I ended up going with Studio Pixel Punk’sUnsightedin the end, but it was very nearlyOPUS: Echo Of Starsong, a stunning visual novel adventure game from Taiwanese studio Sigono Inc. I’d seen a few other games journalists raving about it when it came out on Steam last September, and hey, over 3000 overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews can’t be wrong either, so I took the plunge, and golly, it sure is something special.
It’s loosely connected to Sigono’s other two OPUS games,The Day We Found EarthandRocket Of Whispers, but only in the sense it’s vaguely set in the same universe rather than being a direct sequel. I played it without any knowledge of the other two OPUS games and got on absolutely fine with it, so you needn’t swat up on the rest of the series before playing - although I’ve since bought both of them on the strength of how much I loved Starsong.
OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Launch Trailer - Available Now on SteamWatch on YouTube
OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Launch Trailer - Available Now on Steam
This article was originally exclusively available to RPS supporters, but we’ve brought it backFrom The Archivefor all to read. It was first published on January 24th 2022.
At its core, OPUS: Echo Of Starsong is very much a story-driven visual novel, but it’s also a story-driven visual novel with light, 2.5D side-scrolling puzzle sections, space exploration, ship resource management, an upgrade tree, and a giant, almost80 Days-style star map full of asteroids, abandoned pirate outposts and sprawling cities to visit as you make your way around The Thousand Peaks.
Each point on Starsong’s map just has the most gorgeous artwork.
Fortunately for Jun, he stumbles across Eda during one of his botched lumen runs, a young woman who can imitate the starsongs with her voice to help track them down in her ship. Together they join forces to try and restore Jun’s honour with his clan, but Eda and her pilot Remi have their own reasons for seeking out these caves, and it culminates in a big emotional finale that I won’t spoil here.
If anything, that pace and mix of genres is needed to help break up Starsong’s often dense tracts of space lore - a bit like howZero Escape’s escape room puzzles are there to give your brain a nice workout in between its finger-clicking story sections. There’s a lot of backstory to absorb here, and I’m not gonna lie, even I found it difficult to parse and remember all the various gods and factions Jun and Eda talk about over the course of the game.
Look at this game. Look at it!
Still, it’s hard to stay mad when every single frame is so damn bloody gorgeous, from the imposing asteroids you visit on its sprawling star map to the inner chambers of the lumen caves you explore on foot. If Japanese film maker Makoto “Your Name” Shinkai ever made a video game, I don’t think Starsong would be far off it - especially with that Triodust piano score in tow (oooff, my heart!).
So, if you like your hybrid visual novels or even just light, sci-fi management games that are heavy on story, OPUS: Echo Of Starsong is well worth checking out this year. It’s certainly one of my personal favourites from 2021, and you can currently grab it onSteamfor £14/€15/$18.
