You’ll know within the first five minutes of Saros, the highly anticipated new PlayStation 5 exclusive from developer Housemarque, that you are in for one hell of a ride. Following up their smash hit Returnal, the studio has doubled down on what they do best: gorgeous chaos, punishing combat, and an unforgiving roguelite loop. But does Saros actually hit the mark? We took a deep dive into the cosmic horrors of Carcosa to find out.
A Visual Masterpiece That Will Mesmerise You
Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately: Saros is absolutely stunning. Built on Unreal Engine 5, the world of Carcosa is a dark, twisting marvel. The planet is caught in a perpetual solar eclipse that constantly reshapes the terrain, meaning no two runs look exactly the same. Housemarque leans heavily into a sci-fi cosmic horror aesthetic, blending chilling alien environments with sprawling, ancient structures.
But where the visuals truly shine is in the heat of battle. The screen fills with an absurd amount of glowing particle effects, colourful energy beams, and explosions that will genuinely test your reflexes and mesmerise your eyes. It is a true bullet-hell ballet running at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second, proving once again that the PS5 can handle spectacular amounts of on-screen action without breaking a sweat.
Gameplay Mechanics: Die, Upgrade, and Conquer
If you played Returnal, you will feel right at home with the core loop of Saros. It is a roguelite, meaning that death is not just an option, it is a mandatory part of the learning curve. However, the combat mechanics have been refined to offer a slightly more forgiving, yet incredibly deep, tactical experience.
To survive the onslaught, you use the Soltari Shield. As enemies bombard you with glowing orbs and lasers, you can use your shield to absorb specific energy types. This absorbed power is then channelled directly into your right arm, allowing you to unleash devastating Power Weapons against hostile alien forces. It transforms every encounter into a high-stakes dance of risk and reward. You are not just dodging; you are actively weaving through danger to fuel your own offence.
Combined with perfectly tuned haptic feedback on the DualSense controller, every trigger pull and parry feels weighty and satisfying. In fact, I’d go as far as saying this is the best DualSense experience on the system to date and that includes AstroBot.
A Brilliant Protagonist to Anchor the Chaos
A high-concept sci-fi narrative needs a strong anchor, and Saros delivers precisely that. The main protagonist, Soltari Enforcer Arjun Devraj, is brilliantly portrayed by actor Rahul Kohli. Kohli brings an incredible amount of grit, vulnerability, and humanity to a space enforcer pushed to his absolute limits.
As Arjun slowly unravels the mysteries of the lost off-world colony and battles the psychological toll of the shifting planet, Kohli’s performance keeps you entirely invested. While the roguelite structure means the story is delivered in fragments between your inevitable deaths, his voice acting provides the emotional weight necessary to make you care about the overarching narrative. It is a massive step up for the studio in terms of character development.
The Final Verdict
Saros is a tremendous achievement that takes the brilliant foundation Housemarque built and expands upon it with a richer narrative and tighter mechanics. Yes, the punishing difficulty will test your patience, and the fragmented storytelling might not appeal to everyone. However, the sheer thrill of its combat, the jaw-dropping visuals, and Kohli’s stellar performance make it a journey worth taking.
We give Saros a very solid 8.5 out of 10. If you have a PlayStation 5 and a high tolerance for alien-induced stress, this is one title you simply cannot afford to miss.
