Saros First Impressions

It would be a bit of an understatement to say I was excited for Saros, the brand-new bullet hell from Housemarque. Returnal was by far my favourite PlayStation First Party release this generation, maybe even last gen too. I sunk countless hours into it, and it was some of the most fun I had at launch in 2021.

Hearing that Housemarque would be coming back with another game in this style, I was ready. I knew this would be a game I’d be considering as one of my favourites of the year. I was very confident it would be on that same level.

Well, now I’m sat with about 10 hours played, and Act 1 completed. I’ve definitely got a few things to say about the game.

Building upon previous foundations

Immediately, as you load up your first run of Saros, you know what you’re getting into. Housemarque didn’t try to create a completely new experience; they know you’re looking for more Returnal, and more Returnal you’ll get.

This isn’t a complaint by any means. Straight away, I knew what I was doing; despite needing to rebind a few buttons for muscle memory, I could get straight into the action without any worry. If you haven’t played Returnal, it shows you the basics and makes sure you stand a fighting chance on your first run.

Overall, the game is a lot like Returnal with more additions. You now have a shield you can use to block certain bullets. It sounds overpowered, and I had a lot of skepticism towards it. But they greatly manage it by having a range of bullets being shot at you, making this shield very useful in some, but not all, scenarios. For example, an enemy could shoot a barrage of blue bullets at you. These can all be absorbed by the shield. Someone else could shoot a yellow bullet; you can absorb this, but it’ll inflict corruption, temporarily lowering your max health. These can also be dashed through without problem. But then you’re met with red bullets, which you can’t absorb at all, and you can’t even dodge through them. So moving away is your best bet.

Shields aren’t all; you even have a power weapon you can use. By pushing the aim button all the way in, you can activate your power weapon for a devastating strike. This is charged by absorbing bullets with your shield, making synergy between mechanics a must to master.

Outside of that, you’re getting a very similar experience to Returnal with a lot of tweaks to improve the overall flow. New weapons, new rooms, new environments, new hub, new story. There’s a lot here to keep you playing and keep you learning. I’m having an absolute blast exploring these new environments and finding everything I possibly can.

A story worth dying for?

I did mention that Saros has a new story, and it has a completely different feel from Returnal. This is a more cinematic narrative, more akin to Sony’s typical releases, with you controlling Arjun, an enforcer trying to find lost teams on this planet you’ve found yourself on. There are a lot of twists and turns, and it’s an effective narrative so far, driving more gameplay.

The standout element so far is Rahul Kohli’s expert performance as Arju. He brings a level of emotion and raw anger to the character that seeps through in cutscenes and in the gameplay. I’m a huge fan of Kohli in films and TV. Knowing he was portraying Housemarque’s latest protagonist definitely helped my excitement for this game, and it seems to be paying off in spades so far.

I’m still evaluating the shift to a more cinematic style. I loved Returnal using the Roguelike style to tell its story, and Saros is doing similar things, but it could take it to another level. But I don’t want to fully judge this story until I’ve experienced it all, as we all know this can very quickly change for the better or worse.

Come back stronger

Saros is a roguelite. Your progress doesn’t end at death like Returnal. Where Returnal had some light metroidvania elements where you could keep key items for each run, Saros takes it a step further. You’re introduced to these elements after your first run, a large sprawling skill tree you can use to upgrade yourself in various ways. From improved maximum health, more currency on each run or even one guaranteed revival when you die in a run. This system makes you more powerful after every attempt.

This system might be controversial to some who want the game to remain a hard experience, but thankfully, it’s all completely optional, so you’re free not to take advantage of it.

The game also includes a modifier system. Essentially, this works on a scale; if you add too many positive modifiers, you won’t be able to lock them in, you’ll need to balance them out with negative modifiers. You are free to pile on the difficult modifiers for all those masochists out there.

These modifiers range from dealing more damage and reducing your damage taken to gaining more corruption on hit or greatly reducing the currency you retain on runs. You're welcome to turn on an accessibility option that disables the scale system so you can use the positive boosts freely.

Saros understand the satisfaction of Roguelikes, and these elements do an excellent job of making you feel improved each time you die, both through your own mental knowledge of how the game works and actual stat increases.

Just one more run

As I’ve mentioned, I’m only one act in. I’m sure there are more surprises and developments in store that could potentially change how I’m feeling, but right now I am having a blast. Saros builds upon the foundations laid by Returnal incredibly well, and Housemarque may have given me my favourite game of the year. I can’t wait to dive back into Carcosa and continue growing my power.