Saros Reviews
While Saros tries to offer its protagonist, who seeks to rewrite the past, “a new tomorrow,” it unfortunately traps the player in the same cycle. Although the player-friendly features added following feedback from Returnal create a much smoother experience, the balance of difficulty can occasionally spiral out of control. As a result, Saros ends up being a game that addresses the shortcomings of the genres Housemarque knows best, while also dulling some of the studio’s greatest strengths.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Given the recent price hike of the PlayStation 5 console, is it really worth buying a toned-down positive feedback-filled version of Returnal, albeit with a shinier coat of paint? Especially with less expensive roguelite and shmup fares out there? [...] What is on tap right now is decent, not remarkable given the studio's pedigree. Unless this is your first Housemarque roguelite bullet hell experience, wait for a discount.
I will never dislike a game that looks this good and plays this well. But the lessons that Housemarque learned from Returnal resulted in a game that is less than the sum of its parts.
"Saros is a game where it dances on the line of head-scratching design decisions along with intriguing ideas. Its influences from The King in Yellow are wonderful and its core gunplay is excellent, yet it fails to coherently bind together its gameplay along with narrative in a way which makes it enjoyable at length."
Even with these comparisons, Saros’ story remains an overall disappointment and is another reason why the game is an unsatisfactory follow-up to Returnal.
Saros is a game I'll be chewing on for the rest of the year. It's a game that has a lot of flaws, but makes up for them in showcasing the complicated and messy dynamics that humans find themselves in. An easy recommendation for those looking for a bullet hell with a deep mythos around it. A game that isn't perfect, and is messy, much like all of us.
The game is as spectacular and gripping as Returnal, but with a much greater emphasis on story and less varied gameplay. It feels like in an attempt to correct its mistakes, Housemarque considered the wrong components of Returnal to be its shortcomings.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Saros is a good game, and I need to be clear about that. The sheer speed and kinetic energy of the combat, the visual design, and the moreish nature of the roguelike loop come together to make something that is, by any objective measure, well-made and something that consumers clearly like to play. But on the other side of the coin, I really can’t stand Saros because I look at it and all I see is the cynical Sony studio formula slapped over the top of what was, a half-decade ago, a pretty fine game. In fact, I think I’ll dust Returnal off for a replay.
A refinement over their last game, trying to make a roguelite that is approachable, and this game largely succeeds if only slightly.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Saros tries at an interesting and ambitious story it isn't always able to effectively tell, but Housemarque has once again proved that its bullet-hell sensibilities mesh incredibly well with fluid and challenging action.
Saros is a satisfying iteration on Returnal, but its narrative can’t live up to its predecessor’s brilliance.
Saros is a high-caliber visual and sensory spectacle. If you’re here for a beautiful, fluid, and intense combat experience, you’ll have a great time. But its confusing story, shallow characters, reliance on collectibles, and mechanics like the Eclipse system — which promise more than they actually deliver — keep it from being the masterpiece so many people praise it to be.
Review in French | Read full review
Saros is a visually stunning technical experience that puts you in the heart of an addictive, relentless combat chaos. The game excels in providing gameplay that is among the best in its class, making full use of the PS5's capabilities to give you a real feeling of every shot and every explosion. Despite the fun of combat, the game falls into the trap of repetition due to the limited enemy types and the weakness of the Roguelite systems, which do not offer strong incentives for replayability as in competing games. Additionally, the story—which began with an ambitious scope—falters at its end. In short, if you are looking for a game to showcase your console's power and enjoy a solid and fun gameplay experience for hours, Saros is an excellent choice. However, if you expect more from the story or variety in enemies and Roguelite elements, you may feel some disappointment halfway through.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Saros is certainly an enjoyable experience, but it remains completely overshadowed by Returnal. I would have preferred the team to have explored more innovative ideas within the game, but that didn't happen. However, if you haven't played Returnal, Saros will undoubtedly be a fantastic experience with plenty of challenging and fun moments.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Speaking as a fan of Returnal, Saros brought me hours and hours of fantastic fun; I couldn’t get enough of the beauty of this dark world. The game’s biggest problem is its simplified and safe approach; there isn’t enough originality or confidence in its own design vision. If you’ve played the previous game, you’ll get more of the same.
Review in Polish | Read full review
SAROS delivers Housemarque’s best-in-class gameplay, backed by a genuinely intriguing narrative and a unique world. But it’s lacking polish, with performance and optimisation issues that are impossible to ignore for a game so reliant on precision.
Saros, while not without some notable flaws, is still an engaging, intricately crafted, and intriguing roguelike action game that sets a new bar for Housemarque as an upgrade to Returnal in many ways.
Saros, like the lead protagonist Arjun, is flawed. It’s a lot of ways; it’s partially because of the team’s success. Somehow, Returnal remains largely uncopied, if at all, which is an absolute shame but means I can really only weigh this experience against its predecessor. In this vein, it falls short in plenty of ways. The moment when Selene escapes from her hell, only to be lowered into the ground and return on the other side, gives chills just thinking about it.
The experience of Saros is not necessarily perfect, as it repeats the same mistakes we've seen in recent PlayStation games by delivering a weaker story than its predecessor, in addition to some issues in the implementation of the roguelite system. Despite that, it is still an excellent action game, whether because of its new ideas and enemy encounters, or the great game feel due to the visual aspects and its relatively high production value.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Saros delivers an excellent mix of 3D action and bullet hell combat, with fast, tense, and satisfying battles supported by a strong cosmic horror atmosphere and Arjun’s growing paranoia. Its permanent progression system reduces frustration without removing the challenge, but the experience becomes repetitive over time due to limited build variety, simplistic regions, and shallow progression. While still a great action game for fans of intense and difficult experiences, the lack of diversity keeps it from reaching its full potential.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review