Saros
This is the follow-up to Returnal, a game very near and dear to my heart, one of my favorite games of all time despite some obvious flaws. In a lot of ways, Saros solves those flaws, and is also a better game in a lot of ways. It's faster, more frantic, and a little deeper mechanically. It also has more of a story and introduces some characters whereas Returnal is a one-woman show. I loved playing Saros, and yet I can't help but feel that the ways they solved Returnal's issues created more issues of its own.
First I'll start off with the few minor-ish negatives. In terms of presentation, I never connected with this game the same way I did Returnal. I loved the deep-space, dark aesthetic of that one. The minimal story suited it well, and moreover never takes you out of the gameplay. You discover the history as you go along, and it has some pretty great moments of overwhelming dread. This game is a bit different, telling a fuller story with cutscenes and several characters. The story is pretty compelling, especially towards the end, and you get a sense of that madness that starts to creep in. I just didn't connect with it in the same way and often wanted to skip the cutscenes and get back to blasting, and I found the acting to be overwrought, especially that of the lead character. People love him because he's kinda a gamer himself, but I feel all of his performances are over-earnest and too intense. The same kinda holds true of the art direction. The intense and constant reds and oranges were effective in telling it's story, I just didn't love it like I liked Returnal's.
The other major issue was the balance. This game wanted to be more approachable as Returnal was very difficult, but they solved it in weird ways. You can either do the intended level which I found very difficult, or else grind through levels making each run absurdly long and too easy. I will also say that really only the bosses provided the real challenge, so again in lots of roguelikes, it feels like 40 minute run-backs to the boss which is not feasible. I think I'd prefer harder levels and easier bosses, which I think Returnal did better. Still, overcoming some of those challenges felt amazing, especially the final boss where there is no easier alternative and you really have to git gud (though again, the 50 minute run-backs just to learn his patterns were infuriating).
But I don't want to blur the message, because this game is simply amazing. It is so much fun to play, probably more fun that Returnal moment to moment. The guns all feel beautiful and tangible, the bullet-hell formula is wonderfully unique and so much more logical than your standard shooters. It has that same feeling of constantly wanting to start up new runs, and when you finish it's all you can think about. Like Returnal, there isn't a ton that differentiates runs besides the guns you get, so it really is a process of learning and getting better which feels super rewarding.
It is also a beautiful game, even if the aesthetic differs. There are tons of different biomes which both look amazing and fill in the lore, adding depth to the story. The music and sound design will blow you away, especially with a good set of headphones. Those moments where you are in an epic boss fight surrounded by bullets shot in beautiful ways is still amazing, and maybe would have been more impressive if this was the first game by them I played. That grand operatic feeling I got in Returnal is maybe even enhanced here, moments that leave you stunned when they are over.
So yeah, an amazing game and a worthy follow-up to one of my all-timers, but it falls just short of that one in my opinion. Would love to see some DLC come out for it.
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