OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a lovely game, I’m always a fan of well crafted space operas and this really succeeds on three fronts. It manages a compelling sci-fi setting I was interested in learning more about, it has a unique style with beautiful music that lends itself well to its ethereal space faring atmosphere, and it also has a story that, while not very lengthy, felt genuinely touching by its end

OPUS is a franchise that has two prior standalone entries (The Day We Found Earth and Rocket of Whispers), and while they were well made for what they were, I didn’t think they were particularly noteworthy due to their limitations as smaller mobile games. Echo of Starsong in comparison is much more ambitious, set in the same universe of its predecessors but dramatically fleshing it out with an extensive amount of lore and descriptive text for every location, mural, artifact, and minor object that’s collected throughout. The result is a solar system that felt really well-realized, as you explore its numerous floating cities, abandoned stations, and mystical asteroid caves each with their own piece of worldbuilding to peer through. This is also greatly complicated by its wonderful aesthetics, with numerous detailed CG scenes and pleasing character art that really bring the setting to life

The story starts in medias res and follows a weary elder named Jun who’s searching for his lost love Eda, and his memories of their time together in his youth. Once a disgraced noble who traveled to the Thousand Peaks solar system in search of Lumen discoveries to claim under his name, he came to meet Eda and her pilot Remi and joined them as a member of their ship, gradually revealing the events that result in her disappearance in the present. For the time you spend with them I really enjoyed the characters, and the emotional core of the story is further enhanced by strong voice performances (of which is a new addition with Full Bloom Edition). I did have a gripe with how heavy it was on using flashbacks to flesh out the cast rather than developing them in the moment, but its general presentation and heartfelt tone made for effective storytelling

Now while this is a game focused on its narrative much like a visual novel, it does have gameplay elements to it. Its main focus is on resource management, as you explore a galaxy map of Thousand Peaks and search locations for supplies or fuel to upgrade your ship and venture further out into the system. In addition, you’ll encounter random events or obstacles that can have a positive or negative impact based on dice rolls and dialogue options. I actually really enjoyed this aspect of the game, as it was just relaxing to explore and visit whatever seemed interesting across the map. Finding new upgrades for the ship throughout was pretty fun too

There’s portions of the game where Jun leaves the ship and explores the caves on foot, and this is presented as a side-scroller with occasional puzzles to clear. The problem though is that it’s a bit repetitive, every cave more or less looks the same and each puzzle just consists of opening a door with a simple mini-game or activate other doors through connecting Lumen pipelines. Not a highlight, but the positives of the game more than made up for it and exploring each cave didn’t really last long enough to be grating