It’s fantastic to see a developer find a new craft and then take to it in a way we didn’t expect. When Housemarque released Returnal, we had plenty of reasons to be nervous about them diving into 3rd person shooters, but cynics were proven wrong. Well now, they have taken that formula and improved on it with Saros to make a good new version that feels Housemarque.
Saros has you play as Arjun. Arjun and his crew need to go to the planet Carcosa to find out what happened to previous expeditions that seemed to disappear. See, this world is filled with old-school-looking alien buildings and constructs that feel somewhere between a Lord of the Rings-style of architecture smashed in with some alien-like imagery. So naturally the disappearance of previous expeditions is a touch suspicious.
Never to fear, Arjun is equipped with some pretty sweet guns. OK, maybe you should fear, as when the sun goes into an eclipse, the planet changes and you have a lot more enemies to deal with. As things change, Arjun winds up questioning what he is seeing, if it’s real, and so much more. Is he crazy, or what is going on? Well, like Returnal, Saros is a rogue-lite game, so every time Arjun dies, he comes back to life.
One of the game’s biggest strengths is the world that has been built, as it is detailed and filled with intrigue. The game’s biggest weakness is it feels like there are a lot of interesting aspects of the plot that are left unexplored.
But if you are here for the action, then you are absolutely in luck. The shooting feels bloody fantastic, and the levels are cleverly designed. Each time you have to play through it again, there are changes to sections, meaning some times are more run and gun, and others have more platforming. This slight variety allows you to feel like you are getting better while you still get some variety.
Saros is an absolute banger from Housemarque again. They could do some more work in the storytelling department, because they have got the gameplay and world design absolutely down. This is well worth a jam for shooting fans and freaky sci-fi fans alike.
