Beautiful, dangerous alien planet: "Saros" tested
24.4.2026
Translation: machine translated
"Saros" finally brings another exclusive action title to the Playstation 5. The space adventure on an alien planet is beautiful and damn good. But it takes a bit of perseverance at the beginning.
Something is rotten on the planet Carcosa. Enforcer Arjun Devraj is trapped in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over again. Arjun is part of the Echelon IV mission, which wants to find out what happened to the three previous missions on Carcosa. Because there is no trace of the three spaceships, the operating company Soltari thinks it would be a good idea to send a fourth mission to its doom. Because Carcosa has lucenite, a raw material that could solve Earth's energy problems in one fell swoop.
But Arjun is not only acting out of late capitalist conviction. His wife Nitya was part of the first mission. He wants to know if she is still alive and what happened to her. So I set off as Arjun and shoot my way through this inhospitable planet full of aliens who want to get into my pants. I die. Over and over again. And immediately wake up in the base to try again. «Cycle summary» is then there, as if it were an app for women's health.
Carcosa changes after every cycle. Where there was previously an abyss, there is suddenly a passageway. The levels of «Saros» are always rearranged. This provides variety in the time loop.
Death by marvelling
Carcosa plays the actual leading role. The planet is so impressively designed that I die several times from marvelling at the details of the individual biomes. The biomechanical worlds are reminiscent of H.R. Giger, the distant view of «Elden Ring» and sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in a light installation by James Turrell. On the PS5 Pro, this is razor-sharp and in 60 FPS thanks to PSSR. Never before has an Unreal Engine 5 game looked so good. Unlike most current titles, there is no quality or performance mode I could choose here.
Because nothing in life is certain except death, taxes and stutters in Unreal Engine 5 games, I have to mention that the developers at Housemarque have managed to keep the dropouts to a minimum. The only time I experienced short stutters was when switching from one section to the next. During battles, «Saros» runs smoothly even when the screen is brightly lit due to the hundreds of projectiles.
Two weapons, one fist
And there are many fights. On my way through catacombs, swamps and palaces, I shoot and smash everything to bits. The arsenal I carry with me is manageable: I can shoot with a firearm and an energy weapon, and my fists also fly. There is at least one alternative firing mode if I press the left adaptive trigger on the gamepad only lightly. If I press it down, I switch to my energy weapon, more on that later.
If I want to swap one of the weapons, I have to do so at one of the containers scattered throughout the levels and part with my current weapon. The further I progress in the level, the higher the level of the new weapon in the container.
Because they contain random weapons, I might swap my level 12 target-seeking assault rifle for a level 24 shotgun. Or not, because I don't like the shotgun.
What was adrenaline again?
Every run needs a bit of luck so that I get the right weapons that suit me personally. If I destroy an opponent, he drops Seelen / XP / Lucenite, which on the one hand makes me stronger during the run in the three categories of resilience (health), violence (attack strength) and drive (something like luck?). On the other hand, I can use the resource after the run in the base for permanent upgrades. A second, rarer resource lets me unlock special upgrades and artefacts give me additional bonuses, which expire after death.
Yes, all these mechanics are complicated and not always entirely logical at the beginning.
For example, I didn't realise what adrenaline was all about until the end. The adrenaline level increases until it reaches level 5. If I take damage, it drops to zero. Each level in turn gives me new bonuses.
Attack is the best defence
I take damage quickly. The game is teeming with projectiles in different colours, which I either deflect with the round shield around me, counter with a punch or dash through with a thrust. The developers call it «Ball Ballet». Loosely based on Muhammad Ali:
«Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee»
An important part of the dance is my shield, which sucks in the projectiles and converts them into energy, which I can then shoot out again with my energy weapon. Provided the sun is shining and there is no solar eclipse.
When it clicks, I don't want to go back
At certain points in the levels, I can only progress if I conjure up a solar eclipse from a bunch of flowers in my hands. This plunges the whole world into ruin.
Enemies are then more aggressive, artefacts are stronger, but have a penalty. In addition to red and blue projectiles, there are yellow ones that I can also convert into energy with the shield, but which reduce my maximum life energy for the moment. I get rid of this corruption as soon as I fire my energy weapon. I don't get the lost life energy back. I take the risk of having less life energy with the reward of being able to use the powerful energy weapon more quickly.
Once again: Yes, it's confusing and complicated. After a few hours, it clicks «» , partly because «Saros» explains all the mechanics to me bit by bit. Nevertheless, the first few hours are tough and filled with abstruse fantasy terms, supposedly complicated mechanics and various deaths. Why can't I climb up here? What's the deal with the portals? And where do I have to go anyway?
Difficult, but not unsolvable
I'm rewarded with one of the most varied and beautiful third-person shooters of recent years. Not to mention the boss battles, which can easily compete with «Elden Ring» in terms of staging. I have now beaten every boss twice because they are so great. To avoid spoilers, I won't go into any more detail.
Though «Saros» is challenging, it's not super difficult. As with its predecessor «Returnal», I have control over the difficulty level and can switch on more shield energy or more damage for my weapon. To maintain the balance, I have to select a malus on the other side, such as faster build-up of Corruption or less Lucenite.
And then there is the audio design, which seems to be from another planet. Synthesiser sounds that pick up speed as soon as hordes of enemies appear. Weapons that really pack a punch. Alien screeching that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It doesn't get more atmospheric than this.
Just a quick one ...
«Saros» has this «just one more quick play» factor. In the course of this review, I only wanted to «briefly record some gameplay». The result is an almost two-hour run in which I tried to really only record the weapon combos that I like the most. In the end, I shot my way through enemies like a warm knife cuts through butter.
While the story of Arjun, Nitya and the planet Carcosa didn't grab me as much, it's the beautifully designed levels, the ingenious system of attacking and defending and the crisp difficulty level that kept me immersed in the time warp of «Saros» over and over again.
In a nutshell
"Saros" shoots its way to the Playstation 5 Olympus
"Saros" is a blast. Visually, acoustically and in terms of gameplay, there are few action titles that can hold a candle to the adventure on Carcosa. Six years after its launch, the PS5 now has the first action shooter exclusive that justifies a purchase of the console.
The balanced gameplay between attack and defence, the breathtaking scenery and a solid, albeit somewhat clumsy story make this roguelite an absolute must-have, even if you don't actually like shooters.
Pro
- Beautiful, razor-sharp graphics
- Lots of variety thanks to various weapon combos
- Solid story
- "only a short run" factor
- Epic sound design
Contra
- Entry seems slow and cumbersome
- Jerks between the areas
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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