Saros Review: A Captivating Bullet Ballet That Draws You Back

Housemarque Studios took a bold step away from its arcade roots and made a strong comeback with the AAA game Returnal, which blends bullet hell and roguelite genres. The result? Both critics and players praised Returnal, but the game wasn't to everyone's taste. When I first got my PS5, I tried Returnal, but at that time, I wasn't ready to commit to it in my life.

Now, Housemarque has returned with Saros, building on everything they learned from Returnal. The promotional videos and previews clearly showed that Housemarque made Saros more accessible than Returnal, embracing everyone. This was truly my call!

Unlike Returnal, I was eager to try Housemarque's latest AAA game. When I launched the game on my PS5 Pro, I stepped into the shoes of Soltari Enforcer Arjun Devraj and walked the fine line between life and death for over 25 hours, battling otherworldly monsters in the mind-bending lands of Carcosa. This is why I'm sharing my review of Saros and my opinion on whether the game is worth getting.

A Terrifying Sci-Fi Narrative in a Relentlessly Changing World

In line with Returnal, Saros begins with an officer named Arjun Devraj descending to Carcosa. This mysterious planet is home to a valuable resource and alien enemies. However, this time, Arjun has the help of a colonist team to investigate the missing previous colonists. Therefore, he needs to explore this dangerous realm affected by a protective solar eclipse; dangers are lurking at every corner.

Unlike others, he is equipped with the ability (or curse) to respawn in a safe area every time he dies. Thus, every time Arjun gets back up, we set out to uncover the secrets of this alien planet. Additionally, Arjun has his own goals and is seeking answers to personal questions no matter what.

As you progress, you collect holographic texts and audio recordings that deepen the story; this provides you with some insights. Piecing together the narrative is entirely in the player's hands by interacting with NPCs and reading every piece of information found during a run. However, cinematic cutscenes keep you updated on the major revelations and discoveries you encounter.

While Saros offers a solid foundation with some clever twists, I felt that the storytelling could sometimes be better managed. The complexity of the story required a clearer narrative, and I felt this deficiency here.

Since I thought the ending felt a bit rushed, I wished it wouldn't get tangled towards the end of the story; something that could have been a magnificent conclusion was presented a bit hastily. Therefore, the open-ended nature of the story may not capture everyone's interest, but it's enough to keep players deeply engaged, pushing them forward and encouraging them to solve the puzzles.

Rahul Kohli Grounds the Story with a Calm Intensity

Rahul Kohli delivers an impressive performance as Arjun Devraj; a Soltari officer determined to never bow to the mind-altering solar eclipse and to achieve his goals. He truly is the heart of the game. I have always appreciated Rahul Kohli's fantastic performances in Mike Flanagan's projects. It was finally time for him to take the lead in a video game like Saros, and he does so with effortless excellence.

While Arjun's story is at the center of the game, Housemarque has tried to introduce NPCs with their own goals. However, not all supporting characters are as memorable as the lead actors because they haven't been developed deeply enough. Only Nitya, Stack, and Kayla stuck in my mind alongside Arjun.

The realistic portrayals of characters in the cinematic cutscenes are brought to life with advanced facial scanning and motion capture technology. Last year, Kojima's Death Stranding 2: On the Beach impressed me greatly and raised the bar. This year, Saros offers great visual fidelity in its cutscenes.

Carcosa Comes to Life with Its Terrifying and Variable Realms

The magnificent visuals of Saros deserve all kinds of praise. Housemarque developers have fundamentally created many distinct biomes for the ever-changing world of Carcosa. Each biome evokes a sense of mystery and fear as you delve deeper into these space colonies.

As you embark on your exploration journey in the mountainous Shattered Rise, the subsequent biomes such as underground mining areas, swamps, and castles will captivate you.

And we must not forget that all environments become much more terrifying under the solar eclipse. Housemarque's excellent art direction shines in every aspect of Saros. Experiencing these bullet fireworks and extraordinary Dune-style visuals on my PS5 Pro and 4K OLED monitor combination (HDR enabled) was a visual feast.

Saros Gameplay Hits Hard with Bullet Hell Chaos and Roguelite Bets

If you've played Returnal, you may find the gameplay of Saros very familiar on the surface. The gameplay has evolved significantly, making it much more enjoyable to play Saros with many new features.

Roguelite/Similar Gameplay Reaches New Heights

When you sign up for a roguelite (or roguelike) game, you know that the path will be shuffled every time you start a new run (modular procedural generation). However, the developers have added a new teleportation feature in Saros that makes each run shorter and more intense. Fortunately, this hasn't disrupted the gaming experience; each run still feels fresh and lasts about 30 minutes.

You need to memorize and recognize each level because you are on a continuous run. And if you get lost and wonder where to go, the minimap and scanning feature guide you to your destination. However, for those who prefer the old-fashioned way of starting from scratch for each run, you can do that here, and each will feel different.

I thought I preferred the traditional level design of roguelites, but Saros's approach to making each run shorter works wonderfully. The tension, challenge, and elements of each run continue to stay in place thanks to the unique level design Housemarque offers here. When the eclipse begins, runs become even more challenging, enemies become more aggressive, but you can gather a significant amount of Lucenite under the solar eclipse.

Weapon Mechanics

Returnal not only popularized the idea of bullet hell in 3D spaces but also did it correctly. Now, Saros takes this to the next level with a simple yet extraordinary change. You can absorb enemy bullets with your new Soltari shield to charge your power weapon and use it against your enemies.

However, be careful during absorption, as you might break your shield. Parrying bullets is now a reality, and accomplishing this gives you extra advantages like staggering the enemy and bonus damage. Therefore, bullet ballet performance is no longer limited to just dodging and diving away from bullets.

Defeating enemies will be quite enjoyable with new primary weapons like various rifles, shotguns, bows, along with Carcosa-based power weapons like Prominence (rocket launcher) and Illumine (melting beam thrower), and dodging bullets is just the icing on the cake.

You have the freedom to choose the artifact that suits your play style from the many artifacts scattered along the way. Essentially, you have the chance to determine the rhythm of the dance you want to perform. Therefore, you no longer need to fear surviving in a bullet hell. You can now use the bullets and charge your power weapon to use against your enemies.

At first, seeing a series of orbs, lasers, etc. raining down on me was overwhelming. However, as I got better at combat, I realized I was getting into the flow of perfect escapes, dives, parries, absorbing, and firing bullets while hitting enemies. That's why I call Saros the best bullet ballet experience.

Skill Tree

While players continue to debate whether Returnal is still a roguelite or a roguelike, Saros leans more towards the latter because it offers meta progression. The artifacts you encounter during a run offer only temporary advantages and enhancements for Arjun. However, there is a special skill tree that you can use to start upgrading your character. As you begin to collect Lucenite and Halcyon (resources), you can spend them to unlock the permanent upgrades offered by this great skill tree.

The meticulously crafted skill tree not only increases your chances of survival in a run but also ensures that you are strong enough to tackle the challenges in future levels. For example, you can enhance your overall proficiency or unlock the 'Second Chance' ability to revive once when you die during a run.

If you find yourself becoming overpowered as you unlock many skills and upgrades, don't worry, there is a separate difficulty modifier available, which we discussed in the next section.

Difficulty and Boss Battles

In Saros, there are various common enemies, including monstrous life forms, alien mechanical beings, alfs, etc. These enemies will never leave you alone during battles with their intelligent AI behaviors. Then come Saros's divine bosses; this will turn your experience into a hell. The boss battles in Saros are some of the most enjoyable boss encounters I've had in a game.

Additionally, Eclipse makes enemies more hostile towards you, and then the unforgiving Nightmare Strand bonus mode comes in. When you enter the Nightmare Strand gate, you are taken to a place filled with enemies, and a bonus difficulty is added. However, if you are skilled enough to complete one, you can enjoy lucrative rewards by refreshing your Second Chance revival along with extra resources, advantages, etc.

So, if you are someone who loves a challenge, get ready for a feast in Saros. However, if you want a less challenging experience, you can adjust the difficulty as you wish. Saros does not include traditional difficulty modes at the beginning of the game. Instead, the developers created a new feature called Carcosan Modifiers, which allows you to fine-tune the game's difficulty.

This will be unlocked in the early chapters, and all you need to do is choose permanent enhancements and debuffs. If this sounds complicated, let me explain. When you unlock the Carcosan Modifier, you can choose enhancements like increased damage dealt, reducing all incoming damage, and debuffs you might experience, such as aggressive enemies or disabling revives.

By selecting the right enhancements and debuffs, you can balance the difficulty and push it to the extreme as you like. This is a nice feature that allows players to determine the difficulty in the game. If you still find the game too difficult, you can make it easier by enabling the Unlimited Protection Modifier in the game settings.

Dual Sense Features

Finally, Housemarque has made the best use of the features of the DualSense controller. While you can fire your main weapon with the R2 button, you can access a special Alt-Fire mode by holding the L2 button halfway down. However, when you press the button fully, you can access the Power Weapon. This change is noticeable and distinguishable with your fingers.

Fortunately, Sony sent me a new HyperPop Remix Green DualSense controller. While I had the new controller in hand, I fully felt the effect of the Adaptive Triggers while switching between Alt-Fire and Power Weapon usage. This is not only fun but also adds another layer to the overall battles in the game.

A Heart-Pounding Music That Elevates the Action

In addition to stunning visuals, another key element that takes the intense gameplay a step further is the impressive music composed by Sam Slater for Saros. The dark electronic music reminds me of Doom's adrenaline-pumping background music, which is vital for entering a flow state in every encounter with enemy hordes and boss fights. I knew I was ready for a feast while listening to an energetic piece for the first boss fight, Prophet.

Additionally, Housemarque's sound design team did an excellent job with 3D soundscapes that truly immerse you in Carcosa's atmospheric world. Since you'll be constantly on the move during battles, you can hear every step, bullet, etc. around you. Therefore, don't forget to put on your best headset while playing Saros on your PS5!

Performance: Saros Glides as if Putting on a Show on PS5 Pro

As I mentioned earlier, Saros truly brings next-gen visuals to the screen. However, if you're worried about performance, there's no need to be. Saros is a technical marvel that showcases Housemarque's technical wizardry. Whether wandering through the different biomes of Carcosa or battling deadly alien foes, Saros runs flawlessly.

It's astonishing to see so much happening on screen (bullets and explosions everywhere during battles), yet the game never stutters in performance. Keep in mind that Saros is built on Unreal Engine 5. Interestingly, I couldn't find the traditional graphic modes in the settings that come with PlayStation's first-party games.

Thanks to the new PSSR 2.0, the game ran smoothly in sharp 4K resolution optimized for PS5 Pro. It's only been a few months since I switched to PS5 Pro. First Ghost of Yotei, now Saros made me feel "I'm glad I made the upgrade decision." As someone who experienced Saros's visuals in all their glory on PS5 Pro, I consider it a visual feast that everyone should experience.

Throughout the game, I noticed that in some places the lighting and textures were occasionally blurry. However, this is not something to worry about. We hope Housemarque polishes the game further and addresses this issue in the final version.

Review: Housemarque's Most Complete and Forward-Thinking Game

When you go back to the time when Returnal was released, some members of the community appreciated the challenge the game offered. However, this was not the case for most players who couldn't overcome the difficulty of Returnal. By now, Housemarque has thoroughly researched the challenges they faced in Returnal and successfully addressed all of them in Saros.

In many ways, Saros is the perfect spiritual successor to Returnal. Housemarque's commitments and ingenious approach have made the latest action titles accessible to everyone. And they have achieved this without compromising the defining qualities of the genre. In this way, both casual players and loyal fans of the genre can experience Saros without sacrificing anything.

In addition to the accessibility features, the developers have elevated the gameplay by adding shields, parries, and other exciting mechanics. While there may be a few rough edges in Saros's story, the game excels in every other department.

In short, Saros is a fantastic action game that effectively combines roguelite and bullet hell elements; it offers exhilarating and high-intensity bullet ballet gameplay that should not be missed.

After experiencing Saros, it is currently the game I have chosen for Game of the Year in the Best Action Game category. So do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Saros to experience one of the best action games of our time.