Housemarque, the Finnish studio responsible for giving PS5 owners stress-induced sweaty palms with Returnal, has apparently decided that wasn't enough punishment - and thank the gaming gods for that. Their follow-up, Saros, is drawing serious critical praise, with Video Games Chronicle calling it one of the PS5's most memorable first-party games.
According to VGC's review, the game delivers on two massive fronts: sublime gameplay (yes, they actually used the word 'sublime') and a stellar central performance that apparently hits different. If Returnal taught us anything, it's that Housemarque doesn't half-rep their mechanics, and Saros seems to be no exception.
A bold follow-up, not just a sequel
VGC frames Saros as a bold follow-up rather than a safe sequel, which in gamer speak translates to: Housemarque didn't just respawn the same game with a new skin. They went back to the drawing board, kept the DNA that made Returnal so addictively brutal, and apparently leveled up every single stat in the process.
The 'stronger' framing in VGC's headline is doing a lot of heavy lifting here - considering Returnal won multiple Game of the Year awards and basically put PS5 exclusives on the map as a serious creative force, coming back 'stronger' is a W of almost unquantifiable proportions.
PS5's exclusive library just got another reason to exist
Sony's first-party lineup has been taking some heat lately from fans questioning the value proposition of the PS5, but if Saros delivers on its early critical buzz, that argument is about to get a lot harder to make. One elite roguelite is a fluke. Two is a genre identity.
VGC's full review is live at their site, and if you're a fan of punishing-but-fair gameplay loops and atmospheric sci-fi storytelling, it sounds like Saros is mandatory content. Start stretching those controller thumbs now - you're going to need them.
