Housemarque’s upcoming roguelike shooter Saros aims to tackle a specific issue: the punishing death loop that made Returnal — despite its impressive 86 Metacritic score — a turnoff for many players. According to Beebom’s analysis, Housemarque has carefully examined the friction points in their 2021 PS5 release. They’re crafting Saros to resolve these issues while keeping the challenge that fans of the genre expect.
Returnal debuted at $59.99 and received high praise from critics. However, its performance on Steam tells a different story. With just 81% positive reviews from 7,120 ratings — much lower than the critical acclaim would suggest — the game’s steep difficulty clearly turned off a significant number of players. Right now, only 290 players are active on Steam, which is a small figure for a full-price first-party Sony title.
The core challenge in tough games lies in balancing earned difficulty with frustrating punishment. Returnal sent players back to the very start of its biome structure upon death, wiping consumables and forcing them to repeat content that became less engaging over time. For those who couldn’t devote long stretches of time to play, the game felt nearly impossible to enjoy. Housemarque seems to have learned from this as they develop Saros.
What Housemarque appears to be aiming for is a form of progression that persists even after death. The roguelike genre has evolved considerably since Returnal‘s release in April 2021. Games like Hades II show that you can have both tough challenges and player-friendly progression systems. If Saros can strike that balance, it could attract players who admired Returnal‘s ambition but found its retry system too punishing.
The platform aspect adds more complexity to the situation. Currently, Saros is announced as a PlayStation exclusive, meaning the PC audience that has kept Returnal alive on Steam — albeit modestly — won’t have access at launch. Sony has been gradually bringing its exclusives to PC over the past four years, so while there’s no confirmed timeline, the window for a potential PC release may eventually open.
| Returnal Metacritic Score | 86 |
| Steam Review Score | 81% positive |
| Total Steam Reviews | 7,120 |
| Current Steam Players | 290 |
| Steam Price | $59.99 |
Frustration is mounting in the community from both sides. One Steam reviewer, a fan of Returnal, expressed it clearly: “I don’t dislike the game — I dislike the idea that we will never get Saros on PC.” This sentiment has popped up repeatedly in recent reviews, indicating that the PC player base is keenly following Saros news and feeling the pain of its exclusivity.
What To Watch
- Whether Housemarque reveals specific progression mechanics in Saros that allow for growth after death — these details will reveal if they’ve genuinely tackled the accessibility issue or just made superficial changes.
- Sony’s timeline for a PC port of Saros: considering the publisher’s history of releasing exclusives on Steam within 12-24 months, an announcement seems likely to be a matter of when, not if.
- How Returnal‘s Steam player count and review trends shift as Saros marketing heats up — renewed interest in the original game is a reliable sign of franchise momentum.
Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen is the Reviews and Guides Editor at Explosion.com. With a background in game design studies and 6 years of gaming journalism, Sarah brings technical insight to her reviews and creates comprehensive guides that help players get the most out of their games. She has reviewed over 200 titles across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. Her current obsessions include FromSoftware titles and indie roguelikes.
