PS5 players are eating pretty well this year, with so many great exclusives and third-party games being added to their library in just a few short months. Among them is Saros, the long-awaited next game from Housemarque, the studio behind Returnal, which introduced a new kind of roguelike that centered on environmental details and coming to terms with the loop itself. The two games are obviously very similar, having the same kind of gameplay and narrative ideas, but the conversation about which one is better is bound to happen, and considering how great both of them are, picking a winner is anything but easy.

On the one hand, there's a dark and psychological narrative about loss and regret, and on the other, a more communal story related to a larger group, and it is clear that the emotional element exists within both games, despite the focus being slightly different. Then, of course, there is the gunplay, which forces players to make quick decisions and really leans into the challenging side of things, testing even the best of players to their limits. It's a close race and one that will be won by a hair, yet as always, there is only a single slot available on the throne.

Cryptic And Strange Narratives

Unraveling The Mystery Over Time

Details:

• Looping narrative that becomes clearer as players progress
• One focuses on individual trauma, the other on a larger group

Returnal's story is far from straightforward, and part of why is due to how the narrative details unfold. Players will be exploring a run and encounter an audio log or stumble across the house, and be thrown into a weird and mindbending sequence that is very clearly from Selene's past, yet with some details missing or different from the actual reality.

Saros takes a very different approach to its storytelling, being more explicit and introducing an additional cast of characters rather than focusing on one central protagonist. The narrative framework is also a lot more linear overall, primarily due to the easier progression routes, but it means that even if players are struggling for a while, they can always learn more and uncover the truth behind the mysterious planet of Carcossa.

Straight Into Bullet Hell

One Mistake Is All It Takes

Details:

• Similar bullet-hell gameplay structure
• Different movement and defensive abilities

Bullet-hells have been around for a long time, and they have crossed over with shooters on several occasions. However, it wasn't until Returnal that the genre reached a new high, sending players into area after area full of powerful enemies that always have an array of attacks ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Saros is very similar in the style department, but where it diverges is in the ways that players can interact with enemy shots and dodge them in increasingly complex ways. The shield is one such example, which serves as a damage blocker and a follow-up creator, opening the door for some flashy combos and quick escapes, something that was far less common in the predecessor.

Challenge On Another Level

Reflexes To The Highest Degree

Details:

• Complex fights with several factors to avoid
• Punishing difficulty that only gets harder

Returnal certainly wasn't afraid to show its difficult side, forcing players into countless situations where mistakes could end the run in no time and pushing them further every single time they entered a new biome. Because the third-person shooting is fused to a roguelike loop, that meant the difficulty could be elevated, thanks to the constant retry potential, and as a result, more bullets, lasers, and projectiles of all kinds end up filling the screen pretty much the second the game starts.

Saros does have a high difficulty ceiling that only seems to get higher as players progress, but the difference here is that there is much more control over how hard things are. Players can unlock different nodes, upgrade weapons, and gain access to powerful abilities in between runs, which will make the subsequent ones significantly easier, making the progression curve much more linear rather than having walls in the way.

Progression That Means Something

Old Areas Become New

Details:

• Roguelite progression that ensures small steps in death
• A sense of advancement always

The way that progression works in Returnal is fairly straightforward, as the only real path forward is to keep on shooting. Once players reach the end of a biome, they will have to take on a tricky boss that will then let them reach the next location or give them a new ability to unlock certain areas that were previously inaccessible.

The issue comes from the nature of the roguelike space, as while there are minor weapon masteries and currencies that save between runs, if players are struggling in a certain section, then there is no real way to farm or spam runs to get out of it. In Saros, that issue is all but removed, as the mechanics that are learned and unlocked across runs feel far more impactful, changing how fights play out and giving players a real incentive to get back up and keep going.

The King Of The Third-Person Shooters

Housemarque Showing Their Stock

Details:

• Saros feels like a logical evolution from Returnal
• Mechanically more satisfying and rewarding

At the end of the day, Returnal remains a landmark title, defining Housemarque’s transition into large-scale third-person shooters through its tight combat, atmospheric design, and cohesive structure that all set a high bar for the genre. Yet, as is the way with progress, successors often find a way of refining and innovating ideas in a unique direction to create a more well-rounded and polished product overall.

Saros ultimately surpasses it by building on every major system, retaining the intensity and identity of Returnal while introducing greater flexibility, deeper progression, and broader narrative ambition that keeps players invested all the way until the end. Rather than replacing its predecessor, it evolves it, taking an existing concept and set of ideas and showing that they are more than capable of shooting for the moon and sticking the landing.