(Photo Credit: Sony) Finnish studio Housemarque had its biggest hit with 2021’s Returnal, which was a third-person shooter that was much more in-depth than its previous arcade-style offerings. Its most unique quality was that it incorporated a time loop into gameplay and story, which helped blend its bullet hell gameplay with roguelike elements. Now, five years later, many of these same ideas are back with Saros, which plays quite similarly but offers some new gameplay elements and its own mystery to unravel.
For the most part, Saros plays a lot like Returnal. It’s a third-person bullet hell shooter that will have you dodging through energy beams and unloading bullets into everything that moves. However, there are a few important distinctions, as your character Arjun (played by the charming Rahul Kohli) can surround himself with a shield and even parry projectiles back at enemies if timed correctly.
While there is a learning curve — I essentially played the game just like Returnal for a few hours and used my meter for an explosive shot instead — it becomes really fun and rewarding to really use your shield to make the most out of combat encounters, as it can help you survive some really intense attacks. One other advantage the game has over Returnal is that its world is more immediately engaging. The enemy designs are top-notch, and Saros does a phenomenal job of making the planet of Carcosa feel like the game’s most important character.
The world and its settings continue to shift as you get deeper into the game, allowing both the mystery and the great art direction to really shine as you get closer to the end. I was regularly wowed by the game, which looks and runs flawlessly on PlayStation 5 Pro and has one of the best scores I’ve heard in recent memory from composer Sam Slater. However, to get to the end, you’re going to have to die … a lot.
At the end of each run, you can use a percentage of the materials you’ve picked up from slain enemies to buy perks from a skill tree. These are incredibly helpful as you can add power to your weaponry, give yourself more health (you can even get a second chance at life), and get helpful boosts to your inventory and how many resources you retain after death. It’s a solid system in that you feel like you’re always making lasting progress, but it’s one that will frustrate those seeking a wholly skill-based experience.
The main reason why you’ll need to upgrade your character is for Saros’ ferocious boss fights. There were times when I got to several of the end-area boss fights, and I could barely do any damage to them. This wasn’t due to a lack of strategy but just a lack of sheer power and stats.
However, after a few helpful runs, I was able to fully handle these great encounters, which will really test your ability to stay on top of the action and recognize patterns. While I was sometimes annoyed with the progression system, one thing never changed: I was having a ton of fun going through the levels and trying to survive tense encounters. From a gameplay perspective, Housemarque has never been better, as Saros’ combat is constantly thrilling.
Saros Review: Final Verdict Saros doesn’t fully build on Returnal, as its structure is sometimes frustrating, but it plays like a dream from a combat perspective. Housemarque has once again made one of the best-playing PS5 games and a shooter that handles wonderfully as you find upgrades and create a build to take on difficult bosses. While I wouldn’t mind seeing the studio do a more traditional, linear experience, as Saros’ grinding and random levels aren’t what make it special, I’ll gladly explore Carcosa many times in the interim.
SCORE: 9/10 As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach. Disclosure: The publisher provided a PlayStation 5 copy for our Saros review. Reviewed on version 1.002.004.