Saros Review: Bullet ballet is the perfect description

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

What’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever done in a video game? Maybe you detonated a nuke in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, or mastered all the Time Trials in Mario Kart? I used to brag about finally beating Returnal. It was a really challenging game, and when it first came out, not many people even had a PlayStation 5 to play it, so finishing Selene’s story on Atropos felt like a real accomplishment.

Thankfully, I don’t think this will be the case with Saros.

After five years and almost 100 million PlayStation 5 consoles sold, Housemarque is back with another fantastic bullet hell shooter. This time, it’s designed to be enjoyed by everyone, from experienced gamers to those new to the genre.

Saros isn’t exactly a continuation of Returnal, but it’s also not completely separate. It borrows a lot of gameplay mechanics from Returnal, and the general premise is quite similar as well.

You are Arjun Devraj, a member of an enforcement team dispatched to the alien world of Carcosa by the Soltari Corporation. Your mission: establish a colony and extract the planet’s resources to fuel Earth’s energy needs. You are part of the fourth team sent, known as Echelon IV.

Something unexpected happened, as it often does. Echelon IV is the team dispatched to investigate the fate of the three missions that came before them.

In Saros, you crash-land on a strange alien world and battle a variety of creatures – both living and robotic – as you try to piece together the mystery of what happened there, and how it connects to the main character’s past. Expect to die… a lot, and then come back. If that sounds like Returnal, you’re onto something – it even features Jane Perry, who starred as Selene in that game.

Saros is a “Bullet Ballet” game, as described by its creators at Housemarque. It’s a fast-paced shooter, but emphasizes style and fluidity over chaotic intensity.

I was initially doubtful, considering how chaotic my experience with Returnal was, but Saros does introduce more options than just dodging. Now you have a shield – though it’s not a traditional one. It can’t block all damage, and you’ll still need to strategically take some hits, learning to manage incoming fire and confront enemies directly to survive.

This is just one of several new features added to the game’s already fantastic core gameplay, along with a variety of weapons, each offering unique abilities. Players will encounter bizarre and imaginative enemies – both creatures and machines – and face off against truly epic and over-the-top boss battles. The term ‘bullet ballet’ perfectly captures the experience.

Before Returnal launched, some dedicated fans worried it might be simplified to appeal to a wider audience, much like what I felt happened with Death Stranding 2.

Don’t worry, those who enjoy a challenge! Saros is still a difficult game, particularly when you start. Battles are tough but satisfying, and boss fights are still massive, intense struggles that demand your full concentration. Expect chaotic fights, limited health resources, and plenty of deaths.

A key principle behind Saros is the ability to improve after each attempt. This helps soften the blow of failure, because even when you lose, you still make progress with upgrades.

  • Read more: Essential Saros tips for beginners

Once you defeat some of the main bosses, you’ll gain access to Carcosan Modifiers. These let you adjust the game’s difficulty to find a sweet spot that suits you. Saros is flexible in what it considers ‘balanced’ – meaning small benefits, like dealing more damage, can be balanced by small drawbacks, like taking more damage. Ultimately, this system is great because it allows more players to fully enjoy the Saros experience.

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The gameplay was better than in Returnal, even if it was challenging, but the story wasn’t quite as strong. Returnal’s story, which centered on Selene discovering the secrets of Atrophos and her past, felt focused and well-developed because it stayed entirely on her perspective.

Saros went with a more conventional storytelling method by adding new characters. However, beyond Jane Perry’s strong portrayal of Sheridan, the story would have likely been just as effective if it had centered solely on Arjun.

The supporting characters, including the Echelon IV team, don’t quite measure up to the compelling story of Arjun and the Saros universe. Too often, conversations and story scenes interrupt the fun of actually playing the game.

The audio logs scattered throughout the game’s environments were excellent at slowly revealing what happened on the Echelon missions. If the story had focused entirely on these logs, the experience would have felt more streamlined and strengthened the intriguing mystery of Carcosa that Housemarque created.

Saros isn’t just visually striking; it also tells a complex and thought-provoking story that challenges your perception of the world you see Carcosa and Arjun in.

Learning the story of Carcosa – how things fell apart, what happened to the previous explorers, and why Arjun is so determined to find anyone who lived – will give you the motivation to keep playing, especially after repeatedly failing against a difficult boss.

Saros perfectly blends Housemarque’s distinctive gameplay and storytelling, solidifying their position as a top-tier PlayStation Studio – right up there with developers like Naughty Dog and Insomniac. Though the story wasn’t quite as strong this time, I’m already excited for their next game, which I imagine will be set on another planet with a compelling, character-driven narrative and, of course, their signature fast-paced, bullet-filled action against a variety of enemies.

Authors

Oliver Barsby
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2026-05-06 12:39