In the world of Saros, the concept of God has been obfuscated. Wandering the planet of Carcosa as Soltari enforcer Arjun Devraj (played by Rahul Kohli), you chart alien and shapeshifting plains that transform with a devastating solar eclipse.
With this change, evil forces are unleashed. Enemy aliens – long-limbed, floating and animal-like beings – grow more powerful and whispers of an all-seeing, alien God grow louder. Your companions turn to madness as devotion spreads like a plague, and the world grows ever-weirder with each new step.
In its opening moments, Saros is wildly compelling yet obtuse, in a way that encourages you to reach further for the truth within each of its combat loops.
Saros preview – quick links
Eldritch horror and winding lore
Thanks to Sony, ScreenHub was able to get hands-on with the first few hours of Saros, coming up against ever-more-powerful alien forces and getting a taste of a meaty, roguelike progression system.
Right from the opening, Saros holds its cards close. You’re introduced to Arjun Devraj in odd circumstances, set against a towering enemy that unleashes bullet hell attacks – streams of alien energy that must be blocked via shield, avoided by running or dashed through. Devraj has an arsenal of weapons to assist but even so, he quickly falls to this beast.
Death is but a doorway in this game, as he immediately comes back and encounters his former Soltari crew, who hint that he’s been gone for a long time and that everything’s changed. There are whispers of that aforementioned eldritch god, and an insanity that has infected some of the crew.
What the Soltari purpose is, and how Devraj is unable to die, remain key mysteries, teased out across multiple loops through Carcosa and beyond, as he encounters tough-as-nails bosses that must be conquered to advance.
The truth of Carcosa, and what exactly your purpose is, are both questions that must be answered with time, earned through challenging combat encounters and trying again and again in your quest for survival.
A unique roguelike with a neat progression system
Devraj grows stronger with each new foray across Carcosa, which is essential to the game’s sense of progression. You’ll die a lot in Saros but earn points for your effort, which then unlock an array of special abilities, such as a second life, a harder protective shell and greater attack strength.
Wandering through Carcosa for the first time, you won’t have a hope of survival. Enemies leap out from every corner and you’ll need to execute a ‘ballet’ to avoid their bullet hell attacks. It’s a complex dance that only becomes easier with time, as you figure out rhythms and movements, and how best to dodge, shoot and weave.
When you die, you’ll come back stronger. You’ll also find different terrains to traverse.
Carcosa itself shifts constantly, with new pathways and areas opening up every time you die. It’s aesthetically intriguing, but it also serves to shake up your journey and lend a sense of progress, even as you’re traversing the same areas again and again.
The more you repeat skirmishes, the more you’ll recognise how enemies attack – when they’re about to leap forward for a powerful smash, or hold back – and learn when to dash or block, to absorb energy and fire it back. Paths that seemed impossible eventually open up. Enemies with intimidating health bars grow smaller in your eyes.
It does require patience, and not everyone will have the spoons to invest. But focus on your task, and you’ll find your obstacles crumbling.
That is, only to find even more challenges lying ahead.
A compelling story keeps you forging onwards
Saros consistently presents new reasons to keep fighting the good fight. There’s a carrot dangling ahead of you at every turn, as you grasp at the mystery of Devraj’s survival, and the family loss that motivates him.
I’ll admit to not being so entranced by Saros prior to my preview. Sci-fi isn’t typically my jam, and I find most roguelikes frustrating by design, as repeating processes and dying again and again isn’t my favourite activity. It’s a good thing, then, that the story of Saros is so wildly compelling.
From its opening stanzas, I was hooked by the plot. You start off in Saros with rantings and ravings, and the death of a madman, and questions about God and science, and the nature of the world. You start off with so many questions.
There’s the mystery of Devraj’s existence, and what happened to his crew. There are also questions about Carcosa. Why are they there? Why does everyone keep dying under strange circumstances? And why are some haunted by ghosts?
Paired with a hybrid fantasy and sci-fi-infused aesthetic – twisted white towers to nowhere, glowing aliens with mysterious powers, and magical eclipses that may corrupt – Saros is one compelling little package.
I don’t know what’s going on at all. I have the barest hints of a story about lost crew and a dying world. But Saros has gripped me and I want to know more. It’s overcome my reservations about roguelikes and their repetition. It’s offered me hope, even in the face of ridiculously powerful bosses.
The path will wind from here, but my feet are firmly planted. Saros has cemented itself on my radar, and there will be much more to come from my experiences in this game.
