Saros Review: The PS5 Sci-Fi Roguelite That Fixes Returnal's Biggest Flaw

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TL; DR - The Short Version

Verdict: A masterful, high-octane PS5 roguelite that successfully bridges the gap between punishing difficulty and rewarding progression, earning a stellar 5/5.
Strength: Flawless, responsive combat mechanics mixed with a brilliant Soltari Shield system that rewards aggressive, defensive play styles.
Trade-off: A deeply cryptic and fragmented narrative that actively pushes players away, leading to skipped dialogue and cutscenes.
Reliability: Performance is incredibly stable on the PlayStation 5, delivering smooth frame rates even during chaotic, bullet-hell boss encounters.
Connectivity: A strictly single-player experience with zero co-op multiplayer support at launch.
Value Prop: It completely fixes the punishing, time-wasting fatigue of Returnal by introducing shorter 20-30 minute runs and meaningful permanent upgrades. Saros isn't just a game, it's an experience. Which I know is cliche to say but it's the best way to describe such an epic bullet hell of chaos that demands precision, aggression, and quick reflexes.

Saros isn't just a game, it's an experience. Which I know is cliche to say but it's the best way to describe such an epic bullet hell of chaos that demands precision, aggression, and quick reflexes.

When you go down (which you will), it's usually because you got swarmed, caught slipping, or walked into a fight a bit too confident without the right setup, not because the game pulled something cheap.

And that's what makes it addictive. Wins don't feel handed to you, they feel earned.

Stick with it long enough and something funny happens, you stop thinking so much and just start reacting. Dodging, shooting, reading enemies, it all becomes instinct. You're not really "learning" anymore, you're just locked in, flowing through fights like you've finally stopped thinking and started seeing everything at once.

It's like that moment in The Matrix when Neo says, "I can dodge bullets," and Morpheus replies, "When you're ready, you won't have to."

Saros One Paragraph Review

Saros blends mystery, fast-paced combat, and rewarding progression into an addictive roguelite experience that kept me coming back for one more run. You play as Arjun Devraj, a soldier trapped in a cycle of death and resurrection on the hostile world of Carcosa. While the narrative raises plenty of interesting questions, it was the gameplay that kept me hooked. Tight controls, satisfying gunplay, challenging boss fights. A persistent progression system ensures that even failed runs contribute to your long-term growth. By collecting resources and investing in permanent upgrades, you'll steadily become stronger as you push deeper into Carcosa, uncover its secrets, and take on increasingly powerful Overlords.

5 / 5

Pros

New progression system
Focus on playing short 20-30 minute runs
New Shield mechanic/ Power weapons

Cons

Useful Gun selection could have been better
No Co-op multiplayer
Story was confusing but I guess that was on purpose

Welcome to Carcosa

Saros wastes no time throwing you into the chaos. The game opens with Arjun Devraj fighting for his life on the hostile world of Carcosa, only to be killed and mysteriously awakened back at his crew's base. You're left with more questions than answers: Why are these creatures attacking? What happened to the lost colony? And why didn't you stay dead?

Geeking Out Editor Drew Kozub Interviews Saros Creative Director Gregory Louden

The story is drip fed through conversations with your crew, audio logs, data records, and Soltari Holograms scattered throughout the game's biomes. Piece by piece, they reveal the colony's final days, the secrets buried beneath Carcosa's surface, and the forces that continue to haunt the world long after its fall. By the end, I had a much better understanding of what was going on, but I still found myself jumping on YouTube afterward to see if someone else could make sense of what I had just spent 20 hours playing through.

For me the story didn't take a backseat to the gameplay because it was locked in the trunk. Fast-paced combat, tight controls, satisfying gunplay (as long as you stick to anything named Tactical Rifle or Smart Rifle), and of course the boss fights. Surviving by the skin of your teeth and coming out victorious is the kind of high I'm looking for.

Rewards and Progression in Saros

Saros Tutorial — The game's tutorial quickly trains you for what's to come to help you confidentaly master the basics.

Every defeat in Saros brings meaningful progress. Unlike Returnal, where a failed run could mean losing an hour of hard-earned upgrades and resources, Saros introduces a persistent progression system that ensures each attempt leaves you stronger than before.

As you explore Carcosa, you'll collect Lucenite and other resources that can be invested into permanent upgrades, from increasing your health pool to enhancing the devastating power of your special attacks. Even when a run ends in failure, you're always working toward something.

This change addresses one of the biggest frustrations I had with Returnal. Dying to a boss moments after reaching it could feel like a major setback, often forcing you to repeat lengthy sections just to get another chance, praying for a spaceman to show up in the store. In Saros, every run contributes to your long-term growth, making each defeat feel less like lost time and more like another step toward overcoming the challenges ahead.

The Weapons of Saros

Armor Matrix Saros Playstation — Because you keep items upon each respawn, this roguelite isn't overly punishing.

Arjun's greatest weapon is the Soltari Shield, an advanced piece of technology capable of turning defense into destruction. Incoming attacks can be absorbed and redirected, charging devastating Carcosan Power Weapons that transform his arm into a lethal force capable of tearing through entire enemy formations.

At first, I questioned why I would ever use the shield. Activating it meant I couldn't shoot, which felt counterproductive in a game built around fast-paced combat. It didn't take long to realize how important it was to survival, though. Learning when to absorb attacks and unleash that stored energy became just as important as landing shots, turning the shield from a gimmick into one of the most valuable tools in your arsenal.

Saros Shield — Don't sleep on your shield. It's a powerful advantage in Saros.

Returnal Comparison

It's hard not to compare Saros to Returnal. They're made by the same studio and both excellent examples of what a title built for PlayStation 5 should look, sound, and feel like. Each game absolutely has its own identity. But if after the punishing fury that was Returnal you're holding out on jumping into Saros, that would be a mistake.

Saros takes many of the frustrations I had with Returnal and smooths them out, focusing on shorter, more rewarding runs and a progression system that ensures every attempt feels worthwhile. If you enjoyed Returnal's gameplay but never made it to the end, Saros might be the game you've been waiting for.

Fight. Die. Evolve. Repeat. Remember the sun is forever.

Saros Improves on what Returnal was lacking

New Progress System: This is what keeps you coming back for one more run. Instead of thinking, "This is the run where I beat the game," you're thinking, "This is the run that gets me one step closer." Every attempt feels meaningful, even when it ends in failure.
Shorter Run times: Playability, only have 20-30? Hop on and get a run in, if you die so what? At least you pick up enough Lucenite for that next upgrade.
Shield and Power Weapons: This adds another layer to the gameplay that Returnal didn't have. Dodging out of tight situations with the shield or deleting a chunk of an Overlord's health with a power attack just amplifies that constant "hell yeah" feeling the game nails.

Saros - What we liked most

Drew Gameplay Sros — Geekingout.ca editor, Drew Kozub, sits down for a Saros session.

Ultimately, the gameplay is what keeps you coming back. It's addictive in that classic roguelite way. You're always one run away from the next upgrade, and that one upgrade could be the difference between another failure and finally defeating an Overlord.

Saros - What we didn't like

The story didn't quite land for me. It leans heavily into cryptic storytelling, but instead of pulling me in, it pushed me away, leading me to skip crew chats and data entries. Even some of the slower, playable cutscenes felt like they dragged, to the point where I was just waiting for them to be over.

The Bottom Line Is Saros Worth It?

On gameplay alone, Saros feels like it has Game of the Year potential. Fans of Returnal will feel right at home, and anyone who liked the idea of Returnal but found it too punishing may finally have their entry point.

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Saros

Best Game

This Sci-Fi roguelite adventure is a refreshing escape in the 2026 gaming landscape. Playing as astronaut Arjun you'll search for clues related to missing crew members, ultimately uncovering a horror story throwing you into a bullet-dodging nightmare as you fight your way to a final showdown with the game's ultimate evil architecht, the Yellow King.

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You get these insane highs where everything clicks, followed by plenty of brutal "NO, NO, NO…not like this" moments. But it never feels pointless. Every run pushes you forward, letting you cash in on your progress, grab upgrades, and come back swinging harder next time.

The combat feels sharp. Gunplay hits hard, movement is crispy, (is that the right word?) It's hard to explain, the moving isn't about control, it's about a feeling you get.

So is Saros worth it? For me, yes, it absolutely is.

Now hit refresh and Face Tomorrow.

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