Saros reviews praise a more accessible Returnal, but not everyone agrees

Critics are split on whether Housemarque has retained what made its last game special in the process of making it friendlier Reviews are in for Saros, Housemarque's follow-up to its fearsome PlayStation 5 roguelite shooter Returnal. The consensus is that Saros is considerably more welcoming than its infamously difficult predecessor, without necessarily being an easy game. But critics are somewhat split on whether that works in its favor, or whether Housemarque has succeeded in preserving what made Returnal special. Most reviewers seem to think it has, with reviews netting out at a strong 88 on Metacritic at time of writing. That's a couple of points higher than Returnal, which sits at 86 five years after its launch. It also puts Saros among the best-reviewed games of 2026 so far, albeit still short of the magical 90 Metascore barrier that no game this year has managed to break through. GameSpot's Richard Wakeling was among the many critics who felt that Saros "improves upon its spiritual predecessor in every conceivable way." In his 9/10 review, Wakeling said Housemarque's design choices "address every issue I had with Returnal… Its structure is surprisingly malleable, combat is de