Saros is a pretty difficult game to explain, but if you love gorgeous visuals, a challenging gameplay system, and ‘try and die’ rogue-like mechanic, this PS5 shooter should be on your radar.
Coming from the makers of 2021’s Returnal, Saros takes a pretty similar approach, being part third-person shooter and part bullet-hell dodge-a-thon, requiring the player to take on some crazy-looking aliens in some spectacular battles. However, you’ve got to continually be on the move, balancing delivering accurate shots while also avoiding some pretty elaborate projectiles. It’s fast, frantic, and that’s what people love about it.
Of course, the real twist here is that the game is a rogue-like, and what that essentially means is that the game won’t hold your hand and has a mechanic where you become more powerful each time you die. Due to this, you’re able to keep the spendable ability resources you earn in a run even after death. This is a huge help, as when you die and restart the level, you feel like you have a bit of a boost to help you take down what killed you last time.
Story-wise is where Saros is a mixed-bag. You play as Arjun, part of a team that is sent to the planet Carcosa to investigate the disappearance of the previous exploration team. Arjun soon learns that Carcosa not only houses some monstrous entities to deal with, but also a timeloop phenomenon associated with Carcosa’s eclipsing sun. The story heavily focuses on his clearly-strained relationship with his wife and what he did in his past, as opposed to explaining the intriguing phenomena on the alien planet, which was a missed opportunity.
Saros is not everyone’s cup of tea, despite looking like a very straightforward and appealing game. The difficulty and long runs in between checkpoints may be something to consider before buying, but, if you’re an old-school gamer or want a bit more of a challenge in the modern era, this is a must-play.
Saros is available on PS5.
