A Personal Story Wrapped Me in its Eclipse: Saros Review

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED OR WATCH A   PLAYTHROUGH OF SAROS.

Saros is one of those once-in-a-lifetime games that show us how impactful storytelling is. Twisting, weaving, coursing through the veins of what makes the human experience what it is.  Housemarque not only delivers a powerful story in Saros, but they also built upon what worked so well in Returnal and expanded on that.  Saros added new things that brought the game to life, like Carcosan modifiers, and other characters in a hub called The Passage. It’s not like Returnal where we’re left alone in an unknown palace, this time we have people experiencing the horrors of a terrifying new world alongside Arjun. Saros took what we knew with Returnal and added to not just the mechanics and the world, but made the story into a throbbing ache in my soul. Returnal focused more on the bosses, with the story left up to interpretation in a lot of places. With Saros, the narrative design was the most important part. This was a story that, for the first time while playing a game, I felt a genuine connection with it. This game was a reminder of the things I experienced, fought through, and survived. Saros does a beautiful job of showing both perspectives—one of the person who's been hurt, and the one who’s done the hurting.

A New Journey, a New Story to Tell: Diving  into Saros I wasn't sure what to expect since this game isn’t a direct sequel to Returnal. Seeing that we now have a hub that we come back to each time, alongside a new implementation called Carcosan Modifiers which allows you to fine tune your journey, making it as easy or as difficult as you want.  Saros right off the bat seemed like a more approachable experience than Returnal with how customizable it can be. in the beginning you don’t see all of its intensity unless you die a lot. I know that sounds weird but if you’ve played Returnal, then you know the story makes itself more apparent after you’ve died multiple times. Each time you die in Saros you access new text and audio logs on top of hologram logs as well, making the story intensely rich, and setting up the game's success. Mind you, the game already gets intense in only just an hour of play time when I started my journey.  As I got further into the game I started to understand more of Arjun, Nitya, the characters in the Passage. Much like Silent Hill, Saros is comparable to a Pyramid Head of sorts. He cheated on his wife, killed his friend, and refuses to take accountability. Throughout the game we are playing through his hell, to get to his desire. Unrealistic, self indulgent, and escaping reality through a bottle, Arjun is so caught up in making sure that he keeps Natiya, while completely dismissing what she may want.  He’s searching for her, and throughout the game I realised he’s searching for the version of her that he wants. He loves the idea of her, but doesn’t love her. The story of this game was heartbreaking, going against all the bosses, then learning they were once humans, now shattered, morphed, and corrupted.  This was also a very personal story and experience I had playing Saros.

As of May 16th 2026, I am ten years sober from alcohol. Seeing how Arjun's alcoholism was put on display, and how he handled arguments reminded me of something that feels like a lifetime ago. It’s strange how we can associate with the villain but also the victim. I associated with Arjun drinking problem, and not wanting to face his demons head on, but also associated with Nitya and experienced what she did in terms of her partner cheating her, seeing only what they wanted to see instead of what was actually there. Returnal had houses, Saros had Banyan trees. These hallucinations serve as the characters wake up call bit by bit allowing them to get a glimpse of reality, and hopefully choose that over an unattainable dream. Saros’s Mechanics are a seamless ballet: Much like Returnal, Saros has incredible mechanics, and buttery movements that make playing this game an absolute joy.  Fighting the bosses was the main thing I fell in love with. I was hoping that Saros’s bosses would hold the same chaotic beauty as Returnal’s bosses did, and they did not disappoint. From the Prophet, the Architect, to fighting the King, it was a beautiful cacophony of movements that created intrigue and was fun to experience. Were these bosses difficult, for the majority no. Keep in mind I had some modifiers on, but even with them turned off there wasn't a difficult spike until I got to Architect. I will say, I did find it unexpected with the bosses, instead of getting a weapon reward or a key to a new biome like we did in Returnal, it was mainly about building on a story. It’s a different approach that I wasn’t sure if it would work or not but with how this game flowed, but it woked in the game's benefit.  Do I think that it could have been more interesting if there was a permanent weapons upgrade with some of the bossed faced, absolutely. But the approach to this was it’s own thing, separate from Returnal. I use Returnal as a basis for comparison because it obviously shares immense amounts of similarities, even though they are separate IP’s.When it comes to the Carcosan modifiers, that was a unique and pleasant surprise. The Carcosan modifiers allowed me to have the upper hand in each biome, while still maintaining the difficulty of what the nature of these games provide. The only catch is, you can’t just have things that benefit you, you also need to equal it out by taking away something. Whether that be not seeing Halcyon in your runs, or deactivating your second chance. With the Carcosan modifiers, you can’t have one without the other. You can’t only have the good, without having the struggle. When it came to the weapons and artifacts that you come across on your run, there were so many amazing ones to choose from. No, you don't get a Katana again, but you do get to build upon a skill tree, in addition to several artifact perks in each run you’re on. The Smart Rifle was my personal favorite of the bunch. Depending on the boss you fight, will depend on the weapon you need to get the job done. This game breathed more soul into the gaming industry: “The mask of self-deception was no longer a mask for me, it was a part of me.“ Robert W. Chambers, The King in Yellow The soul of this game was inspired by a book from Robert W. Chambers, The King in Yellow, a set of supernatural horror short stories. Driving the reader to madness, now utilizing the cursed city of Carcosa in Saros created a connective beauty that linked both the book and the game together. While the book was merely a tool in how the story of Saros was expressed, it’s still so powerful to have these multiple narrative pieces interlocking so well.  When literature and gaming combine it's a beautiful thing. I would highly recommend playing Saros, it’s a beautiful reminder of what kind of worlds, stories, and audio design can be accomplished. Saros embedded gunplay that reminded me of DOOM 2016, and a soundtrack that made me both emotional and pumped for the next area. Saros not only delivers on more than what we experienced in Returnal, but it tells an important story that resonated with me deeply. Saros also did a brilliant job at incorporating Indian philosophy of both Hindusim and Buddhisim where a selfish desire or craving can be seen as the root of human suffering and the cause for the cycle of rebirth. Learning until you get it right. There is a difference, however between craving something that is healthy for you, and craving something out of the desire to have it, not out of a healthy benefit.  When Arjun becomes King, he has power, but there’s no substance or merit to that power, just emptiness. Saros is the kind of game that will make you think, and ponder on the little details. The name Saros at its core is used to predict eclipses, while in reality the sun may not be forever, it shines brightly on this game.