Mace007 Saros Review

Really wanted to enjoy this. When the game developer said they wanted to make a more accessible version of Returnal with a better story and more characters in a cosmic horror setting, I was sold. Day one purchase. No questions asked. Walking away slightly disappointed after the true ending at 20-25 hrs. The developers promised a more accessible version of Returnal, which they technically delivered. There are modifiers you can add before each run that can make the game harder or easier, but I personally couldn’t find the sweet spot. The biomes/levels outside of the bosses were typically too easy and the bosses were as well if I had a second life active which is on by default. However, if you turn off the second life, there’s no way to fight the boss from the beginning with the similar load out unless you do a lengthy, 30 min, boss run back and get lucky. I’ve never enjoyed boss run backs in any of my souls like and their presence here really hurt my enjoyment with increasing the difficulty to match my preferred play style. I’d prefer a harder game with no boss run backs. Regarding the narrative, it’s a mess in both structure and writing. The structure of the story is so cryptic in Act 1 you don’t understand the characters or their motivations. Tragedies occur, but since you don’t understand or know the characters, it feels empty. By the end of Act 3 with the secrets revealed, I strongly disliked most of the remaining characters including the protagonist. Without sympathetic characters, I found it difficult to emotionally connect with anyone here. Visuals and gameplay are the biggest strengths here. If you don’t mind boss run backs and cryptic cosmic horror story with unlikable characters, the visuals and gameplay are probably enough to carry you to the ending especially if you enjoyed Returnal.