Saros Is Too Easy, And It’s Returnal’s Fault

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The popular game Returnal was known for being very challenging, especially because of its fast-paced, bullet-filled action. Fans expected a similar level of difficulty in the new game Saros. However, Saros turned out to be more forgiving, with several features to help players who were struggling. Now, the developers at Housemarque have explained this design choice, revealing what they learned from the impact Returnal had on players almost five years ago.

I was reading a Polygon interview with the folks at Housemarque – Gregory Louden, the creative director, and Matti Häkli, an associate designer. They talked about how they really wanted Returnal‘s difficulty, which they call ‘Saros’, to be something players could tackle however they wanted. They also built the roguelike elements to be a bit more forgiving, especially over many runs, so you’d stay hooked for the long haul. It’s cool to hear they were thinking about keeping things engaging over time!

Saros Has A Far Lower Difficulty Compared To Returnal To Help Players Complete The Game

Many players expressed wanting to enjoy Returnal, but struggled with its initial difficulty. The game’s early levels often felt punishing, preventing them from experiencing the praised story, environments, and gameplay found later on. Steam data shows that only about 38% of players made it through the first section of the game, and a mere 6.4% completed the entire story.

Even though Returnal has become a fan favorite, Housemarque aimed to make Saros more accessible to a wider audience. They did this by making the game easier to pick up and play, letting players tailor the difficulty to their liking with options to adjust the experience. Compared to Returnal, Saros includes more in-depth tutorials and explanations, and simplifies some of the challenging roguelike elements to make it easier for newcomers to learn and enjoy.

Saros features extensive skill trees that give players powerful buffs, making some gameplay sessions much easier. While these systems are largely optional, allowing players who enjoyed Returnal’s difficulty to still find a challenge, Saros fundamentally changes how the game plays compared to the original.

Returnal’s Low Finish Rates Inspired Saros To Make Its Gameplay Loop Appealing Faster

While Returnal gradually increased its difficulty, often overwhelming players, Saros quickly introduces new features, making the initial challenge less of a focus. Many players stopped playing Returnal because of its steep learning curve and the frustration of losing all their progress upon death. Saros solves this by letting you restart from the last biome you completed, making failures less discouraging and rewarding effort.

While removing a strong feature found in many recent roguelike games, this design choice makes sense when you consider how much larger the areas in Saros are compared to Returnal. Because each area in Saros takes significantly longer to explore, dying still carries consequences – you’ll have to re-discover a lot of it. Players can even return to the very beginning if they die, meaning Saros offers more assistance to help players progress without getting stuck in repetitive grinding.

Players Might Be Divided On How Saros’ Systems Don’t Provide As Much Of A Challenge

As a big fan, I’ve been following the changes they made with Saros, and it’s interesting to see the reaction. It seems like the developers really wanted to broaden the game’s appeal and reach more players, hoping to move beyond the more hardcore audience Returnal had. But honestly, a lot of us who loved the original’s challenge aren’t thrilled. It feels like Saros almost pushes you towards making the game easier. The massive skill tree, all the upgrades you can grab at the hub, and those Carcosan Modifiers… they all seem designed to encourage you to power up and simplify things, and it’s hard to resist! It’s a bit of a divide, for sure.

Saros includes features meant to help players progress, but sometimes these make the game feel too easy. These adjustments can reduce the challenge typically found in roguelike games, leading to a more straightforward experience instead of the engaging gameplay loop that made Returnal so popular. However, making Saros more accessible could also prevent players from getting discouraged by high difficulty and potentially losing interest.

It’s possible that making Saros more accessible will actually broaden Housemarque’s fanbase and encourage players to check out their other games, like Returnal. By offering an easier experience, more people might finish the game and then be motivated to tackle a greater challenge – either by revisiting the original, highly-regarded game, or by intentionally making their next playthrough more difficult.

How does the difficulty in Saros stack up against Returnal? Share your thoughts in the comments or discuss it with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-05-04 20:12