Review – SAROS – Gamerview

A hostile planet, shrouded in many mysteries, that changes all the time and even has a solar eclipse that ruins everyone’s mood here: that’s what we find at first glance in . Its structure and enigmas don’t hide where they come from and perhaps they don’t want to. In fact, this new story appears almost like a friendly invitation after the hellish challenges of .

From the first moment, Saros, Housemarque’s new game, presents itself as a direct evolution of what we saw in Selene Vassos’ journey. Fast-paced combat, a show of frenetic shootings, a roguelite structure (rather than a roguelike), revelations that emerge little by little and a world that insists on reinventing itself with each attempt. All this accompanied by jaw-dropping visuals and soundtrack.

The eternal sun of Saros

Saros presents a science fiction set on the planet Carcosa. There, Soltari, a mining company, maintains a base with teams responsible for carrying out the hard work. Arjun Devraj is an enforcer, member of the Echelon IV team. Your job is to ensure that nothing gets in the way of extractions, which means that no inhabitant of the planet should stop you from achieving your objective.

However, before this team arrived, other colonists were there and mysteriously disappeared, leaving traces that the place is not just home to hostile creatures. The land itself seems to undergo a kind of metamorphosis and, in addition, the sun exerts drastic effects on the planet. Even without guidance from Soltari, the team searches for answers to find the colonists. But this journey under the influence of the eclipse could bring more questions than answers and drive the entire expedition into true madness.

It is within this context that we follow Arjun, our protagonist trapped in cycles of death and return. The most interesting thing is to observe how confused he becomes when he notices these cycles repeating themselves. Little by little, his memories mix with his actions, complementing the enigma and highlighting how much he can lose himself in a kind of madness when searching for personal answers.

In practice, Saros takes us to a third-person shooter with bullet hell elements inside a roguelite that tries to be more inviting. Compared to Housemarque’s previous title, the main change is in the way the game deals with death. If before each failure represented an almost absolute restart, here it starts to function as continuity, forming part of the construction of the narrative and the mystery itself.

The planet Carcosa is grand. Right away, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the visuals and all the details. Honestly, it’s not something totally different, but at the same time it’s so new and full of symbolism that it’s surprising. Thanks to DualSense and its tactile vibrations, you can feel the terrain and Arjun’s movements, making the experience even more immersive and intriguing.

Although it is not divided exactly into phases, there is a separation into areas that, little by little, make its structure clear. Even though each play is different, some important moments remain. In the first area, for example, you need to progress to a mini-boss, activate the Eclipse, face another corrupted enemy and, finally, defeat the main boss. The other areas vary this script, but do not deviate too much from this logic.

What really transforms the experience are the changes in terrain. There are several puzzles, collectable in audio, text and holograms, as well as artifacts to improve attributes and weapons. Everything changes when the eclipse arrives: enemies become more aggressive and artifacts may appear corrupted. Even though they offer advantages, they also bring negative effects, sometimes even reducing your life bar. This requires constant strategy in preparing to move forward.

Carrying your best weapons

Arjun can only carry one weapon at a time. Although there are different options spread across the map, you need to choose carefully. There are models with smart shots, ricochets, lasers and other variations, which can still be improved with artifacts. The combats resemble the rhythm of Doom, while the projectiles recall the visual style of Nier.

In addition to the main weapon, there is the prominence, a power that appears as a beam of light on Arjun’s arm. It is a powerful, but limited, weapon that can be evolved. To carry it, you need to absorb enemy projectiles with your shield, an interesting mechanic that connects defense and attack.

Enemies are varied and require constant adaptation. Even when understanding its patterns, changes in the environment force the player to readjust. When corrupted by the eclipse, the fights become even more intense and clearly more fun. This is where dash and shield show their full potential.

Puzzles follow this same logic, often requiring precision and agility. Despite this, both combat and exploration are extremely satisfying. The runs are balanced, offering respite and reinforcing the feeling of progress, especially with the collectibles that expand the story.

The game requires strategy. Dodging is not always enough, it will often be necessary to defend to charge your powers. The colors of the projectiles help identify the right moment for each action. Some obstacles can also be destroyed with prominence, which adds another tactical layer. Furthermore, this power also allows you to eliminate corruptions caused to your attributes and even physically by the eclipse. In the end, Saros offers several ways to achieve good performance, and discovering each of these possibilities is part of the fun.

An inevitable death

When you die and yes, you will die. Arjun returns to base amid mystery. The positive side is that Lucenites (which are the resources mined for Soltari) and story collectibles are maintained. These logs help you advance through the mission and interact with other team members, even if you have failed multiple times in the same area.

This creates a constant feeling of progress, including some mysterious scenes appearing with each defeat, which also helps to reduce the frustration of loss. On the contrary: it makes you want to try again. The rhythm is engaging and addictive, that classic “just one more try”.

To evolve, Soltari offers rewards in exchange for Lucenites and other items you collect. There is a wide improvement system that strengthens the character. Thus, death becomes part of growth and lives up to the game’s catchphrases: you return stronger.

Upgrades include increased resistance, the possibility of better weapons and attributes, starting items and even a second chance, a feature that may bother more purist players, but works well as an option, without eliminating the challenge. It’s interesting that at a certain point you may be prevented from evolving until you defeat a boss, this is a requirement to unlock new improvements.

An even more accessible roguelite?

At a certain point, the game also allows you to customize the run experience, adjusting, for example, the number of enemies and variety of items. It’s a clear invitation to play your way. Accessibility options also include visual adjustments for enemy projectiles, making them easier to read in combat, as well as various assists such as aiming and takedown.

During runs, new areas are unlocked with abilities such as hooks, jumping platforms and lightning-shaped movement systems that even reminded me of Super Mario Odyssey. This ensures variety, new surprises and encourages replay.

A story full of symbolism

Saros builds his narrative far beyond the surface. Despite the mission on a hostile planet, there is a more intimate layer that gradually reveals itself, especially in contemplative moments, such as the scenes on the beach. They don’t just function as memories, but as fragments of something Arjun couldn’t leave behind.

There is a constant contrast between the chaos and these calmer moments and it is precisely in this that the game suggests that there is something unresolved, not only on the planet, but within the protagonist. Without direct answers, Saros works with repetition as a mechanic and also as a theme, this is one of his greatest successes. The journey seems driven by something beyond the mission: a silent search linked to guilt, loss and the difficulty of moving forward.

There is a tendency to directly compare Saros to Returnal, which makes sense at first glance. But, upon delving deeper, this reading proves to be limited. Saros is not a replica, he rearranges ideas. Its narrative is less fragmented and more emotionally driven, focusing less on mystery and more on the character’s internal conflict (which also ends up being somewhat mysterious).

Likewise, some more superficial readings end up reducing the story to isolated elements of the characters, ignoring what the game builds throughout the journey. Saros does not discuss relationships in a literal way, again, he explores themes such as loss, repetition and difficulty in moving on. When observed from this angle, what seems simple gains strength, revealing a narrative that depends more on the player’s sensitivity than on direct explanations.

Adding all this together: mechanics, exploration, narrative and bright combat that resembles a constant fireworks display, we see a game that very well balances extremely agile and exciting gameplay with a story that demands sensitivity. So, it’s hard to deny: experiencing this cycle in Saros is extremely fun and worth every try.