The first game from Dragon Age writer David Gaider's new studio is closer to becoming a reality. The crowdfunding campaign for Chorus: An Adventure Musical has now reached 90 percent of its goal.
At press time, the campaign on Fig has raised $541,374 of its $600,000 goal. The campaign ends on November 10, so there is just under a week to go before it wraps up.
Chorus is a musical adventure game where the key moments play out in song. It's a new concept for a game, and the team at Summerfall Studios bypassed the traditional publisher relationship to bring it to life.
Despite not having the funding of a big publisher, the company has secured top talent to work on it. Prolific voice actress Laura Bailey (Gears of War, Halo, Uncharted) is voicing the main character, Grace, while another veteran voice actor, Troy Baker (Uncharted, Far Cry, Batman) is the voice director. Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory (Journey) is also working on the music.
The story follows Grace in a sweeping narrative involving gods, music, and other-worldly creatures. "In Chorus, we follow Grace's story as she finds herself thrust into a high-stakes world of weary gods and fantastical creatures after her new bandmate dies bleeding in her apartment--but not before granting Grace the divine power of song," reads a line from the game's description. "When the gods accuse her of murdering Calliope, the 'fair-voiced' muse, Grace must discover the truth... before the gods take her life in exchange."
Chorus takes its inspiration from a number of different sources, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode, "Once More With Feeling," the dialogue and companions of Dragon Age, and the quirkiness of Dream Daddy.
In a post to the Chorus Fig page, Summerfall teased that it is preparing "something cool" to wrap up the campaign later this month. While that remains a mystery, the company did release a new song (embedded below) and announced more details on the game's romance options.
Gaider explained that romance in Chorus will work similarly to Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate 2, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In Chorus, the romance choices give players the opportunity to experience a "independent story arc" based on the particular romance. This story arc will culminate in a distinct song.
"You don't have to romance anyone if you don’t want to, but if you do, know that the romance arcs are tied directly into the main story," Gaider wrote. "They're not a side feature, but rather have a direct impact on how the main story unfolds and particularly how it ends. Grace needs allies to win the day, and nothing would improve her chances more than being able to make her stand at the very end with someone she loves at her side!"
Gaider also confirmed the extent of Chorus's romance options--there will be at least two different romance arcs in the game, including the characters Apollo and Persephone. If funding reaches $650,000, Summerfall will add two more romance options: Pan and Freddie.
You can read excerpts from the Apollo and Persephone romance options by following these links: Apollo, Persephone.
Grace and Persephone
Summerfall also announced new stretch goals for Chorus. At $700,000, the studio will add more songs and voiceover, including one song for each romance. If funding reaches $725,000, the studio will create a "Making Of" documentary that chronicles the development of the game, including interviews with the developers. Should funding reach $750,000, Summerfall will add additional voiceover, while Gaider will play a game of D&D and stream it live. Finally, at $900,000, the studio will add "full voiceover" for the entire game.
Finally, Summerfall told hopeful fans to stay patient. The studio has not yet begun the writing process--instead, the team is "still in the preparing, planning, and brainstorming stage." The studio said it takes writing very seriously, and as such, it is taking time to make sure it lays the right foundation.
"When the time comes, we’ll be seeking out professional consultation as needed and hiring on at least one additional writer to help with the workload," Summerfall said.
