Offering a unique bullet hell (dubbed Bullet Ballet by the devs) formula in a third-person shooter format, Returnal was a hit among fans, although it did feature a rather steep learning curve with its immense difficulty and the lack of meaningful progression in between runs. For Saros, the next Bullet Ballet evolution from Housemarque, the approach was two-pronged this time around – expand upon the core concepts of Returnal, while offering meaningful permanent progression to make players feel more powerful with every run. The result?

A spiritual successor that improves upon the gameplay of the original in almost every way, while also being a far more accessible title in the process. Set on yet another mysterious far-off planet, Carcosa, players follow the journey of Arjun Devraj, an enforcer for the mega-corporation Soltari. Tempted by the allure of Lucenite, a previously unknown compound found only on Carcose, Soltari sends its Echelon teams to the uncharted planet, but after communications are lost with the first three teams, it’s up to Arjun’s Echelon IV to figure out what went wrong.

For Arjun, however, the mission also holds a personal stake, as he is not just searching for the missing team but someone close to him as well. And with a mysterious phenomenon afflicting the planet known as the eclipse, which slowly drives people insane, his rescue mission quickly spirals into a race against the clock and a fight for survival. Perhaps the biggest difference between the narratives of Saros and Returnal is that while the latter featured an intentionally intricate storyline filled with metaphors and largely open to player interpretation, Saros’ is comparatively straightforward and easier to follow.

That said, Returnal’s narrative has more depth, such that it’s still being discussed by players til this day, and unfortunately, the worldbuilding of Saros just can’t match its predecessor, with many of its twists falling into modern gaming writing cliches and being quite the letdown considering the efforts made to build up intrigue. Thankfully, Saros’ narrative is perhaps its only sore point, as when it comes to gameplay, the title far exceeds the heights of its predecessor, thanks to its reactive gameplay loop, an actual sense of progression, and most importantly, a much more flexible approach to difficulty that’s sure to attract a wider range of players who might not have agreed with Returnal’s punishing nature.

While most of what Saros has to offer in terms of its core gameplay systems will be familiar to those coming from Returnal, the title now shakes up its combat loop thanks to the addition of its energy shield system. Players will still face a barrage of multi-coloured projectiles with every enemy encounter, but now, they can turn the enemy’s attacks against them, thanks to Arjun’s shield, which can absorb projectiles of a certain colour. This isn’t just a tool for defence, however, as each absorbed bullet also generates energy, which he can then expend via a devastating power attack.

The addition of this system encourages players to take a more aggressive approach this time around, as, rather than simply dodging or kiting enemies around the battlefield, they can now choose to charge headfirst in a satisfying risk-and-reward-styled system. This isn’t to say that the shield is overpowered in any way, as the game still throws numerous curveballs at a player, such as red lasers or projectiles that instantly break Arjun’s shield, leading to a lengthy cool-down period before he can use it again. More notably, however, is Saros’ Eclipse feature, where at set points in every level, Arjun has to interact with a mysterious pedestal in order to proceed.

This triggers an Eclipse, which shrouds the level in a red haze and buffs all enemies. That’s not all, as apart from being more aggressive, foes will now fire yellow projectiles, which, when hit, reduce Arjun’s maximum armour in addition to dealing damage. The only way to regain said max armour is to use his power attack, making encounters a true test of a player’s reaction times, having to balance shooting, dodging some bullets while absorbing others, and firing off a well-timed power attack all at once. The Eclipse also lasts permanently until the end of the level, meaning players will need to tackle the game’s puni