Developer: Housemarque
Platform: PS5
Genre: Shooter
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Saros is the newest roguelike bullet storm action shooter from Housemarque. Housemarque released Returnal back in 2021, and Saros is the logical follow-up. If you aren’t familiar with Returnal, it’s a roguelike action platformer (very similar to Saros) which was widely acclaimed as a fantastic game. Saros, while not strictly a sequel, leans heavily into Returnal and looks to improve it and make this game even more enjoyable.
Saros takes you into this dark sci-fi world where you and an expedition explore Carcosa, with limited detail of why you are there, but this unfolds as you play the game. Saros does remind me of Alien in part with its haunting and eerie sci-fi vibes. The game really plays into the sci-fi aspects of this Carcosa world with tons of unexplained events. However, the main unexplained event, the ability of the protagonist to respawn after death, seems to be glossed over by your team, who are willing to accept it!
Arjun, voiced by Rahul Kohli, is the enforcer and is entrusted to explore the planet and find out what’s going on and who is on this planet. The 3rd person view gives the player a prime view of the world, the player and the surroundings. This is particularly vital in this fast-paced shooter, where dodging, dashing, using a shield, and using the game mechanics to avoid the onslaught of “bullets” that come from all angles. It’s hectic from start to finish, and as you progress through the game, the enemies get more ferocious and harder to avoid. The game does have a steep learning curve, and if you aren’t a fan of roguelike games, you will find this a struggle, as it’s challenging and is deeply entrenched in the world of roguelike shooters. The skill tree is massive, and each play-through will help you build up shields, HP, and weapons with higher stats to help you progress.
The game requires the player to understand the patterns of attacks of enemies while using the shield, dashing and an array of weapons to take them down. If you don’t learn the attack patterns and how the enemies should be approached, you will die constantly and more than necessary. This can be a frustrating experience, and one many people won’t enjoy. However, if you like roguelike, the gameplay is excellent, tight, and you feel in full control. The in-game options to switch weapons, power up certain stats, or take a hit on stats to buff others mean each play-through is unique, and no run is like another. As you battle through hordes of enemies, you will end up in huge, stunning boss fights that are epic in nature and difficult to overcome.
The game uses cinematics and the narrative of the expedition to drive the player to discover more about Carcosa and persist in spite of the enemies. Like any good action story, the lore is explored, picked up from voice notes, logs, characters’ interactions and strangers throughout the world. Saros really delivers a cinematic experience throughout the mixture of cutscenes, amazing landscapes, flashbacks, and brilliantly acted dialogue. The use of light, darkness and the eclipse helps to change the tone of the game and the impending doom. The cinematic and scary transitions in the eclipse help ratchet up the suspense. The voice acting and unveiling of the story are superb, and the super-immersive nature adds to the player experience. Music helps to further make this a cinematic masterpiece with the right amount of eeriness and unsettling music throughout to complement the frenetic gameplay and the dark, sinister world.
Saros borrows heavily from Returnal and improves on it; it feels more refined, more cinematic and just a better overall gaming experience. The inclusion of the team on Carcosa helps to move from Returnal’s more isolationist feel. The game is immersive with stunning landscapes, amazing music and sound effects. Gameplay is highly addictive, and it’s hard to put down at times. It’s a real feast for the eyes. The game is tough and doesn’t take it easy on you; becoming good at Saros is earned. While Saros isn’t perfect and won’t appeal to everyone, it’s one of my favourite games of the year, and I found it hard to put down once I got the hang of the controls. It’s breathtaking at times, scary and unsettling at other times, but always fun and difficult. It’s a crazy mix that works so well.
Overall: 9/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
