Saros Review – Revolution of the Roguelike Genre

Housemarque’s Returnal was one of the first games to showcase what the PlayStation 5 was capable of. And it did so in the most unexpected genre for a first-party PlayStation game – the roguelike genre. 

Combining a mysterious narrative with hardcore shooter action was a genius move on Housemarque’s part, as it introduced gamers to a new kind of experience on the PS5. After porting the game to the PC, fans were eager to learn about the next game from the now-renowned PlayStation studio. 

In 2025, Housemarque revealed Saros, a spiritual successor to Returnal, featuring the same approach to gameplay design and storytelling, but with a fresh new twist. While some were hoping for a direct sequel, Saros gives the studio the freedom to stretch its proverbial wings in new and unexpected ways. 

After all, it’s what made Returnal so special when it launched in 2021. But does the new title do enough things differently to stand on its own?

TL;DR

Saros takes Housemarque’s roguelike formula to the next level with a brand-new story set on the alien world of Carcosa. And because it’s not as punishing as Returnal, it allows more players to enjoy its narrative and uncover all of its secrets without feeling like they’re missing out. With gorgeous visuals and stellar audio design, Saros is a worthy successor to the Housemarque signature genre.

Story – Pursuing the King in Yellow

Saros follows the story of Arjun Devraj, who is sent to the planet Carcosa along with his team, Echelon IV. They are the fourth team to be sent to Carcosa, a planet rich with minerals that his company is interested in exploiting. 

Their job is to find out what happened to the previous three expedition teams and secure Carcosa for the corporation’s interests. Saros, like Returnal, is a multilayered narrative experience that works on different levels. 

It is a story heavily inspired by The King in Yellow, a short story collection by the American author Robert W. Chambers. The collection follows a series of stories about the aforementioned book and the misfortunes it brings to those who read it. Saros’s visual identity, themes, and the planet Carcosa itself are layered in nods to the original work. 

While you don’t have to read The King in Yellow, fans of True Detective will find uncanny similarities between their favorite TV show and the latest game from PlayStation Studios. While Returnal was much more of a cosmic horror experience, Saros leans into those elements thematically but not as overtly as its predecessor.

Finding Meaning in Every Cycle

Saros is a roguelike. This means story progression has to be paced so that it’s meaningful. Otherwise, the player might feel frustrated if they don’t progress the narrative at a regular pace due to the game’s difficulty. Saros overcomes this on multiple fronts by ensuring you can always find bits and pieces of lore in every run, or cycle, as the game refers to them. 

The game features multiple biomes or environments you’ll explore as you progress through the story. Traditionally, roguelikes ask you to replay each level in succession before you reach the next roadblock on your journey. 

Here, you can easily skip around biomes and start wherever you want while still making meaningful progress. More than that, each biome has audio and text logs for you to discover and learn more about the previous Echelon expeditions. 

With every level taking about 30 minutes to fully complete, you’ll never feel like you’re stuck doing the same thing again and again without achieving anything. For a roguelike, that is an accomplishment in itself.

Gameplay – Approachable Bullet-Hell

Saros is a third-person bullet-hell roguelike. That sentence in itself can drive away casual players, even though they may be interested in the game’s narrative. As we briefly mentioned, however, Saros sidesteps many of the pitfalls associated with the roguelike genre. As a bullet-hell, it features dozens of projectiles and enemy attacks on the screen at any moment. 

But it gives players enough resources and capabilities to survive every encounter. For example, you can guard against any blue projectile and even absorb it for extra ammunition for your secondary attack. You can run through any yellow projectile or parry any red one. The secret is in intuitively doing A, B, or C in the heat of the moment. 

Saros gradually ramps up its difficulty and doesn’t punish you too harshly when you fail. There are so many abilities and items for you to find throughout Carcosa that you’ll quickly discover your favorites and build a playstyle around them.

Permanent Progression Systems

Another way this game differentiates itself from traditional roguelikes is in its permanent progression. Typical roguelikes take away most, if not all, of the items and currency you gain in your run, adding insult to injury when you die. In Saros, you’ll collect currency, which you can spend on passive abilities and statistical upgrades between runs. 

These upgrades will make you stronger the next time you explore Carcosa, gradually building your capabilities with every cycle. While other roguelikes have similar systems, it feels especially rewarding and fair in this game. 

Saros is much more approachable than a traditional roguelike, and it’s one of its biggest strengths because more people will be likely to pick it up and finish it. For those who feel like the game is too easy, it also introduces modifiers that can increase the difficulty while also exponentially increasing the rewards you gain from exploring Carcosa. 

It’s a win-win for both types of gamers, and Housemarque did an outstanding job balancing the best of both worlds.

Immersive Experience Powered by DualSense Controls

One of the defining characteristics of Returnal was its use of PlayStation 5 hardware beyond stunning visuals. What truly made that game memorable was how it utilized the DualSense controller to immerse the player in its world. 

Housemarque’s now-signature DualSense speaker and haptic feedback features feel better than ever in Saros, with each weapon and ability feeling unique in your hands. By default, the game is set to minimal DualSense features so that it doesn’t overwhelm the player (and preserve longer battery life). 

However, you should absolutely at least try playing Saros with the full spectrum of haptic and audio features made available through the DualSense controller. Hearing mysterious whispers through your controller or using various weapons with distinct trigger patterns feels truly next-gen, and it’s one of the things we wish more games did as well as Saros does.

Visuals – Alien Planet Comes to Life in Unreal Engine 5

Saros runs on the Unreal Engine 5, and it’s a marvel to look at. While this engine has been a hit or miss across the years, Housemarque did an outstanding job at utilizing its capabilities. 

As a single-player game with linear levels, Saros benefits from being able to increase its visual fidelity without sacrificing performance. We tested the game on the base PlayStation 5, where it always runs at a stable 60 FPS without any dips in performance. 

The game looks sharp and features rich, dense environments, which really sell you on the idea of an alien planet. Each character and enemy also feels distinct and moves organically across the environment, never taking you out of the experience. But it’s the combat where the game really looks phenomenal. 

When dozens of projectiles fly across the screen, and various sparks and particle effects pop off as you shoot down enemies, Saros comes into its own, unlike anything we’ve played recently.

Remarkable Technical Experience on Day One

Being an Unreal Engine 5 game, what’s truly remarkable about Saros is just how smooth the game feels to play. Loading times are extremely fast and similar to what we experienced with Death Stranding 2. Once you hit the game’s icon on your home screen, you’ll transition to gameplay within seconds. 

The game will remember the exact moment you left it and allow you to seamlessly continue exploring Carcosa. It’s little things like these that make Saros feel like a next-gen game even on a console that’s 5+ years old at this point.

Sound – 3D Audio Brings the World to Life

Although most players will experience Saros with their PlayStation 5 connected to the TV, they’ll be robbed of the full audio experience without a solid pair of headphones. Housemarque implemented 3D audio technology that expands on the gameplay experience with environmental sound design. 

This means you’ll organically pick up audio queues and sound effects from all around you, further enriching the game’s presentation. Similar to Returnal, the game features a sci-fi soundtrack that places ambient music front and center. 

It’s especially impressive during pivotal moments such as boss fights, where the music’s rhythm follows the flow of battle and lets you really feel in control of Arjun. Paired with its DualSense controls, there’s nothing quite like Saros on the market.

Stellar Acting from a Seasoned Cast

Saros is headlined by Rahul Kohli, who fans of Netflix’s Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Bly Manor will instantly recognize. Jane Perry, the face and voice of Returnal, is back as the main character’s commander and one of the main supporting characters. They’re joined by David DeSantos, Ben Prendergast, and Shunori Ramanathan, rounding out the cast of characters.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Returnal was the fact that Selene, its main character, was mostly isolated throughout the game. While it worked thematically, it also limited the game’s storytelling capabilities as Selene reflected on her own journey. Saros places a mirror in front of Arjun and lets him face his team between cycles, exchanging ideas and learning more about Carcosa with every passing run.

Conclusion – Should you Play Saros?

Saros feels like a natural extension of Housemarque’s formula. If you played Returnal, you know what to expect here, and you should absolutely pick it up on day one. But let’s talk about what it offers for those who haven’t played Returnal.

This is a bullet-hell (or bullet ballet, as Housemarque likes to call it). On top of that, it’s a roguelike where you’re expected to fail several times before you succeed. Despite that, it rarely feels punishing or unfair, which is an achievement in itself. 

Gamers who are not used to playing either genre may feel overwhelmed by what Saros is asking of them. When dozens of differently colored projectiles are flying around the environment, and you’re tasked with shooting enemies so the projectiles stop, it can become too much. 

This game gives you more tools and options to fine-tune your playstyle than any other modern roguelike on the market. Even if you’re not experienced in the genre, Saros will certainly meet you halfway and make the game enjoyable to play.

All you have to do is give it a chance and let its story pull you in. Once you complete your first run without dying and truly step into the world of Carcosa, everything will fall into place. At that point, the game will be hard to put down until the credits roll. 

Saros launches exclusively on the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro on April 30th, 2026.

Huge thanks to PlayStation Greece for the review copy.