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[SlimySnake]

Just defeated the architect on the first try. Started from the first biome, got a repeater crossbow early on and it was cake after that. Got lucky and got a level 45 repeater and that made that insanely hard boss somewhat manageable.

So I'm sure this has been asked and answered, I did try to look through the thread.. How is the difficulty really compared to Returnal?

I love love Returnal but could never get past the first boss, if it wasn't a Roguelike, I would just keep trying but after 30+ times, I bailed out, I almost get him but then get slaughtered. So I want to try Saros and hoping its slightly more accessible. Anyone struggled with Returnal but found Saros to be more forgiving?

its not more forgiving. Its just as hard. But you do get stronger unlike in returnal where your base stats remained the same. Here you can unlock a revive ability after a failed run or two. No need to hope for an rng at the shop. You can increase your health after every failed run. Increase your weapon level after every failed run. The shield is tough to master but definitely makes runs easier by letting you tank all the bullet hell. At least early on.

 

[bender]

So I'm sure this has been asked and answered, I did try to look through the thread.. How is the difficulty really compared to Returnal?

I love love Returnal but could never get past the first boss, if it wasn't a Roguelike, I would just keep trying but after 30+ times, I bailed out, I almost get him but then get slaughtered. So I want to try Saros and hoping its slightly more accessible. Anyone struggled with Returnal but found Saros to be more forgiving?

Saros is much easier thanks to the meta progression, Carcason Modifiers, weapons like the Smart Rifle and Repeater Crossbow that allow you to hold down the fire trigger and focus on dodging, and the shield/parry mechanics. I only had one or two runs where I thought the rogue elements put me behind the difficulty curve and most of the rest has me far ahead of it.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

I know Smart Rifle is all the rage (and it is a cool gun) but real mfs know Onslaught Rifle is where it's at if you want to smoke everything that moves in quick fashion. Legion melted in under a minute with barely a scratch taken, it didn't even get to initiate it's parry phase (yes, Overdrive helped at the end, wouldn't have made much of a difference):



Unlike many weapons it doesn't have auto-aim so you actually need to know what you're doing, love this gun

 

[adamsapple]

Finished it earlier today, some screens from the base PS5 version:

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Took out King on my first attempt while having the debuff that hides enemy health bars, exciting stuff Now for the *true* ending and trophy clean up to plat

 

[GymWolf]

Ripsaw chakram with the right perks are completely busted, repeater crossbow who?

 

[adamsapple]

Ripsaw chakram with the right perks are completely busted, repeater crossbow who?

eh .. maybe I didn't have the aptitude to master them but I thought the chakram's were a massive downgrade when I first got them and was forced to do an entire biome with them cause the game didn't fucking drop any other weapon.

My top spot is a tie between smart rifle and repeater crossbow.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

257k and that was with me skipping the entire section near Shepherd, just went straight for him:

Also redownloaded Returnal as I wanted a clear back-to-back comparison and man, like I said, Returnal is on the GOTG shortlist, it's a very special game.

 

[Luipadre]

257k and that was with me skipping the entire section near Shepherd, just went straight for him:

Also redownloaded Returnal as I wanted a clear back-to-back comparison and man, like I said, Returnal is on the GOTG shortlist, it's a very special game.

Im thinking about playing returnal again at some point. Most likely on pc this time

 

[GymWolf]

eh .. maybe I didn't have the aptitude to master them but I thought the chakram's were a massive downgrade when I first got them and was forced to do an entire biome with them cause the game didn't fucking drop any other weapon.

My top spot is a tie between smart rifle and repeater crossbow.

That's because it was low level and without good perks.

The automatic chakram is even more broken if possible...

 

[darthkarki]

Also redownloaded Returnal as I wanted a clear back-to-back comparison and man, like I said, Returnal is on the GOTG shortlist, it's a very special game.

Haven't finished Saros yet, only just got past Legion, but yeah while it's really good, so far I definitely think Returnal is better overall. I'm surprised coming off of the reviews, I thought Saros was going to be an improvement in most areas. It has the graphics for sure, but Returnal has the mood and atmosphere, the story, the weapons... Why does Returnal have so many more awesome weapons? The weapons in Saros are just kinda boring in comparison. Why did no one talk about this? Also, I feel like there was more synergy or better overall design in a lot of the mechanics in Returnal that are somehow missing in Saros. For one example, active reload - so far in Saros it seems pretty inconsequential. It allows you to reload slightly faster, and that's it. Most of the weapons reload so fast anyway that it doesn't really matter. I think a couple weapons make the next shot do a little more damage or something, but I've never noticed a difference. Whereas in Returnal, a lot of other mechanics tied into it - depending on the weapon or what items you've picked up, it might do more damage, or shoot faster, or reload your alt fire faster, or all kinds of things that were actually noticable. I feel like so many little mechanics like this were so tightly woven together in Returnal and gave you so many more options and benefits if you payed attention and utilized them together, and that feels missing in Saros.

 

[GymWolf]

Some things are better in returnal, some are better in saros, overall i think returnal is the slightly better experience but saros is the slightly better game if that make sense.

I still have 2 biomes left in saros so i could change my mind but i dont think so.

 

[bender]

Some things are better in returnal, some are better in saros, overall i think returnal is the slightly better experience but saros is the slightly better game if that make sense.

I still have 2 biomes left in saros so i could change my mind but i dont think so.

I can kind of understand that as the moment-to-moment combat in Saros is an upgrade to Returnal, but I still think it carries forward a lot of the same issues (room layouts become repetitious too quickly, hard breaks in initial runs for the purpose of story beats which kind of defeats the purpose of being a rogue, limited amount of itemization which again hurts the rogue nature), is weaker in other elements (boss encounters, narrative), or introduces new problems of its' own like meta progression removing the difficulty level's teeth. I'm not the biggest Returnal fan in the first place, but I think it's a much more consistent experience.

 

[Valonquar]

They really peaked with the church organ boss in Returnal didn't they?

 

[Luipadre]

They really peaked with the church organ boss in Returnal didn't they?

Yeah seems like it. They kinda wanted to replicate that with the 5th boss but it wasnt even close

 

[The artful mincer]

Getting a good run going Returnal vs Saros.

Returnal

Biome 1

1.Hope you get a good weapon. ( Arguably more annoying the more weapons you have unlocked)
2.Get half-way.
3.Decide weather to buy a Med kit or upgrade your health you won't have enough currency for both.
4. Hope the Astronaut is available to buy at the half-way point.
5. Finish the rest of the Biome.
6. Teleport back to half-way point and buy what couldn't afford.
7. Beat Biome 1 boss

Start Biome 2
8. Hope you get a good weapon
9. Get half-way
10. Decide weather to buy Med Kit or Upgrade Health.
11. Finish the rest of the Biome.....

Ok by here finishing the rest of run should be a cake walk in 150+ hours I've only died to Nemesis twice and I've never died against Ophon. However I've died easily the most in Biome 1 it is somewhat hard but not particularly fun.

Your farting about with shitty level 1 weapons which sucks after experiencing the end-game god tier weapons. It's almost as hard at hour 1 or hour 150 as some of the late weapon unlocks fucking SUUUCCCKK at level 1. ( Level 1 Dreadbound or Coilspine anyone????)

Right now Saros

Biome 1

1. Start the Run. Destroy Everything.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

I have been hard stuck on the 5th biome with the Architect(great boss) for like 3 days. I am using modifiers, so I start each run at zero and gain practically nothing when I fail. Also no second chance. I am loving the ability to make it as difficult as you want. You can engineer challenge runs, which gives it a lot of replayability

 

[Mr. PlayStation]

Ripsaw chakram with the right perks are completely busted, repeater crossbow who?

That weapon melted a certain boss that reminded me of Umi Bozu fight in Nioh.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Stuck on The King for the third day now. It's the boss that I've had to replay most of any in the game so far. The melee dash attack gets me, along with his yellow laser beams attack. The rest I can see coming and avoid for the most part, but I need to get the hang of those tells. Haven't even gotten to Phase Three yet.

Seems that The King has identified my playstyle's weakness, and I don't quite know what that is yet.

Edit: I switched from the Smart Rifle back to the Repeater Crossbow, alt-fired him non-stop, and managed to figure out the timing on his yellow laser move to beat him. I completely whiffed an Overdrive when he was on his last quarter health in phase 3, and could only take maybe one or two more hits, but I got 'im. That'll get the blood flowing.

 

[MudoSkills]

I only played the Yellow Shore twice, first time died to some shit mob and second time to the boss.

Was going to try and mop up some trophies (looking at you biome with no damage) but think I just need to man up and face it.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I played Saros for about an hour after playing mainly D4 for a while. The level design in Saros makes me miss Returnal. For whatever reason it doesn't grab me. Some things are better, but I'm not getting that same feeling right away.

 

[Rockman33]

Loved and got the platinum in Returnal. Enjoyed Saros but overall it didn't have nearly the same pull to make me want to keep playing as returnal did.

I don't think Saros does anything better than Returnal from a gameplay perspective. Less interesting weapons. Enemies are either extremely similar or less interesting. Boss battles are a slight step down. Stakes feel way lower overall. New shield and parry feels inconsequential. I've beaten the game and barely used those mechanics and have died 5-10 times.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Got this out of the way, should be able to wrap up and plat this evening:

Decided to start a new save file from scratch in Returnal and do it all over again, the game is so good. Will make a longer post on my overall thoughts on Saros and why Returnal is the superior game too

 

[Gitaroo]

does this game not have 3D audio or atmos? I only see 5.1 in my sound setting

 

[Cyborg]

Got this out of the way, should be able to wrap up and plat this evening:

Decided to start a new save file from scratch in Returnal and do it all over again, the game is so good. Will make a longer post on my overall thoughts on Saros and why Returnal is the superior game too

Did you do it in Biome 1? I assume you cant be hit by the boss either?

 

[Bartski]

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Did you do it in Biome 1? I assume you cant be hit by the boss either?

Yeah, Biome 1, can't be hit by anything. I melted the boss quick so it wasn't much of a fight, it's more the knowledge that one small mistake can screw everything up. Take advantage of DMG boost modifiers, balance them with no revive + reduced lumecite gain + enemies do more DMG, that's what I did

 

[GymWolf]

Fundamentally, this game is another top tier shooter but once again, a shit roguelite, even with the added metaprogression between runs.

Hopefully they make a normal tps next time.

 

[Hohenheim]

What a great game!
Finished it a couple of days ago (gonna get to the "real" ending now), and had a absolute blast. Love it.
Returnal is one of my all time favourite games, and this is very close. Saros is a bit too easy (I beat most bosses on first try in this one, but struggled quite a bit with some Returnal bosses).
And since it's very similar to Returnal, it doesn't have the same "wow" factor as Returnal had back in 2021, but it 's everything I hoped. Up there with Resident Evil 9 as my favourite so far i 2026.

 

[Luipadre]

Fundamentally, this game is another top tier shooter but once again, a shit roguelite, even with the added metaprogression between runs.

Hopefully they make a normal tps next time.

The roguelite elements in this game are just as bas as returnal. The corrupted artifacts are uninteresting, i barely pick them up and every run is all about the weapon you have. They made 1 progress regarding this since returnal. Every run feels the same, because the artifact system is bad and have little variety

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

These sequences are so cool:

 

[Physiognomonics]

Getting a good run going Returnal vs Saros.

Returnal

Biome 1

1.Hope you get a good weapon. ( Arguably more annoying the more weapons you have unlocked)
2.Get half-way.
3.Decide weather to buy a Med kit or upgrade your health you won't have enough currency for both.
4. Hope the Astronaut is available to buy at the half-way point.
5. Finish the rest of the Biome.
6. Teleport back to half-way point and buy what couldn't afford.
7. Beat Biome 1 boss

Start Biome 2
8. Hope you get a good weapon
9. Get half-way
10. Decide weather to buy Med Kit or Upgrade Health.
11. Finish the rest of the Biome.....

Ok by here finishing the rest of run should be a cake walk in 150+ hours I've only died to Nemesis twice and I've never died against Ophon. However I've died easily the most in Biome 1 it is somewhat hard but not particularly fun.

Your farting about with shitty level 1 weapons which sucks after experiencing the end-game god tier weapons. It's almost as hard at hour 1 or hour 150 as some of the late weapon unlocks fucking SUUUCCCKK at level 1. ( Level 1 Dreadbound or Coilspine anyone????)

Right now Saros

Biome 1

1. Start the Run. Destroy Everything.

Returnal...Hope you get a good weapon

When I didn't have the best weapon, I knew the run was going to be much harder than the previous one and the best way to go on would be to die and restart. Such a random and frustrating experience. I mean even in Nex Machina you could still get the best last weapon you previously had. I know I am not as good as before, but I still platinumed Resogun and a few others "hard" games like Bloodborne. But when it's random like this, I am pissed, and I am not motivated to finish the game.

I am happy with the progression changes they did in Saros.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

There it is:

Definitely on my GOTY shortlist though Marathon still holds the top spot for now. Don't know if I put this above RE9, Hades 2, only halfway through Pragmata which is up there too. What I can say is that Saros is a god-tier action game/TPS, more often than not the best I've ever played but it's not a classic and it's no Returnal, will expand upon that later. For now I'll just say Housemarque delivered once again, despite some bizarre narrative choices...lol.

 

[The artful mincer]

Fundamentally, this game is another top tier shooter but once again, a shit roguelite, even with the added metaprogression between runs.

Hopefully they make a normal tps next time.

What do you mean by Normal TPS? One with checkpoints like RE4 or Uncharted?

I think some of the late game OP weapons would be hard to balance in a traditional TPS but can work here because your not always guaranteed them.

I personally appreciate the roguelike elements even if there not the best. It encourages you to try different weapons and the tension builds towards the end of the run.

 

[SlimySnake]

The roguelite elements in this game are just as bas as returnal. The corrupted artifacts are uninteresting, i barely pick them up and every run is all about the weapon you have. They made 1 progress regarding this since returnal. Every run feels the same, because the artifact system is bad and have little variety

use the modifier to remove corruption effects from artifacts. makes the runs much more interesting because you can finally play around with perks instead of leaving half of the good artifacts because of negative effects.

i have to balance it out by use a modifier that removes a random artifact after every biome, but honestly thats not too bad.

my favorite modifiers are immunity after a kill, health regen after a kill, auto regen at low health and power regen on orb collection. its basically an unkillable build especially in mob rooms. not so much for bosses but level 40+ weapons mostly melt bosses in seconds anyway.

i do agree that we dont have any OP artifacts like we did in returnal. I remember some hilarious runs that would just kill everything in seconds and while i still have that here, its rarer and relies mostly on weapons instead of artifacts. im just happy i can melt bosses and easily destroy rooms just 15 hours in. In returnal, that happened well after i finished the game around 40-50 hours.

 

[GymWolf]

What do you mean by Normal TPS? One with checkpoints like RE4 or Uncharted?

I think some of the late game OP weapons would be hard to balance in a traditional TPS but can work here because your not always guaranteed them.

I personally appreciate the roguelike elements even if there not the best. It encourages you to try different weapons and the tension builds towards the end of the run.

Just not a roguelite, anything else would be better.

 

[GymWolf]

use the modifier to remove corruption effects from artifacts. makes the runs much more interesting because you can finally play around with perks instead of leaving half of the good artifacts because of negative effects.

i have to balance it out by use a modifier that removes a random artifact after every biome, but honestly thats not too bad.

my favorite modifiers are immunity after a kill, health regen after a kill, auto regen at low health and power regen on orb collection. its basically an unkillable build especially in mob rooms. not so much for bosses but level 40+ weapons mostly melt bosses in seconds anyway.

i do agree that we dont have any OP artifacts like we did in returnal. I remember some hilarious runs that would just kill everything in seconds and while i still have that here, its rarer and relies mostly on weapons instead of artifacts. im just happy i can melt bosses and easily destroy rooms just 15 hours in. In returnal, that happened well after i finished the game around 40-50 hours.

Corruption is almost a non factor, you clean the artifacts by beating the boss of that biome and i can only think about one negative effect that has any impact whatsoever, the prolonged dodge time...

 

[Luipadre]

Who had the bright idea of putting a boss right before the last boss of the game. My opinion hasnt changed, this is a great game, but returnal was better in almost every way for me. This is another sony sequel that tries to "fix" a lot of problems, but at the end, its not having the same impact as the first game.

 

[dok1or]

Got it yesterday

I loved Returnal! One of best games for me.
Saros is also great but Returnal had bigger impact on me.
I love Carcosan modifiers tab to play with...

Five times to kill Prophet and after that, Ancient Depths was easy; zero deaths and Bastion done in first try.

Overall fantastic game but for me Returnal is my pick.

PS5 PRO

 

[Luipadre]

What does corrupted weapons do btw? Is there any downside?

 

[Cyborg]

Question about follow

Spoiler

Nitya, follow the Beacon

I defeated the Architect and was transported to new biome but I felt onderpowered so started from Biome 1. Im now at the bridge. Do I go straight towards Architect again or right trough the swamp? There are two main paths apparently… what do I follow?

Edit: do not take the bridge, just wasted 2h of progress. You will fight a boss and then nothing. Take right, trough the swamp.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Question about follow

Spoiler

Nitya, follow the Beacon

I defeated the Architect and was transported to new biome but I felt onderpowered so started from Biome 1. Im now at the bridge. Do I go straight towards Architect again or right trough the swamp? There are two main paths apparently… what do I follow?

Check out Bender's post one page back. Looks like you take the bridge if you want to fight the Architect

Post in thread 'Saros |OT| The King in Yellow'

May 4, 2026

Ah, two that I know of. You can't cross acts, and you can't cross into Yellow Shore. I'm going to look into the modifiers.

There are story beats that force you to return to Passage, but you can get to any other boss on repeat runs from the beginning.

I only know this because I started from the beginning after each death or forced reset which demolished the difficulty curve of the game. No matter what itemization I...

• bender

• 

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Hard agree with R Rockman33 's post above. Mirrors my sentiment near-exactly. Not to mention that other than the first biome, the underground foundry biome, and the "indoors" biome, the rest don't feel very distinct from each other. And the first biome is memorable mainly because it was, well, the first.

Don't have much to say about the story because halfway through I started skipping/browsing my phone for all but the boss intro cutscenes.

Highest praise I can give it is that at times it made me instinctively bob and weave in real life trying to dodge like I was a kid all over again. The moment-to-moment gameplay is great, but so was Returnal's.

I think I'd give it a 7. If it weren't for the fact that there's really only one other game like it on the market (Returnal), it might be lower than that.

Hope Saros is a huge seller and inspires another developer or Housemarque themselves to make a game in this style that improves the roguelite/like elements.

 

[Rockman33]

This is another sony sequel that tries to "fix" a lot of problems, but at the end, its not having the same impact as the first game

I feel this way about every Sony sequel during ps5. God of war, horizon, ghost, Spiderman and now Saros all feel less substantial than their first entries.

 

[Biff]

Beat the game including the "true ending". Worse vs. Returnal in every way including gameplay as the shield mechanic is a massive blunder that completely ruins the otherwise fast flow of the game. I literally played the entire game without shield. You can dodge virtually all enemy attacks just as effectively once you learn the timing.

Easily the biggest downgrade though is the story. Good god, legitimately one of the worst stories I've suffered through in the entire PS5 generation. It's like some edgelord watched Sunshine after just getting friendzoned by his work colleague. Honestly an embarrassment and I can't believe this is the story that got greenlit, wtf.

By the end of it I heard Nitya so many times I had flashbacks to Heavy Rain. "Nitya?" ...... "Nitya!" ........... "NITYA!" ............ "NITYA?" ........... why couldn't she have gotten hit by a car in the first hour and a new game would start from there instead.

6/10. I can't believe I'm saying this but: IGN was right and everyone else was wrong. Fuck this timeline are we living in.

 

[Three]

It's like some edgelord watched Sunshine after just getting friendzoned by his work colleague.

Have you read the book The King in Yellow? It's inspired by that book and designed to be vague and drive the reader insane. It's not based on whatever Sunshine is.

 

[Luipadre]

I feel this way about every Sony sequel during ps5. God of war, horizon, ghost, Spiderman and now Saros all feel less substantial than their first entries.

Yep, same here

 

[photogaz]

I'm so bad at this game, but I keep trying and I'm looking forward to my next failed attempt when I'm not playing it. It must be my age!

 

[sncvsrtoip]

I feel this way about every Sony sequel during ps5. God of war, horizon, ghost, Spiderman and now Saros all feel less substantial than their first entries.

For me most sequels were better but just safe and the formula started to get tiring

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

It can be real pretty though:

I think people will be surprised at how good Returnal looks all these years later, Saros doesn't really look much better. The recent Pro update probably helped but it was a stunner to begin with.

Just beat Hyperion - if you know you know - one of the greatest boss battles in gaming history. Biome 1 boss took two tries, Biome 2/3/4 all done first attempt lol. I say *again*, to those who haven't played Returnal or gave up on it, Saros has primed you, go dig in, you can do it, the game is a masterpiece