Compare Saros vs GreedFall: The Dying World Review

DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers were a standout, repeatedly praised as tactile, innovative, and deeply integrated.

The PS5 release does not use DualSense haptics or adaptive triggers, a conspicuous omission for a full-price console game.

Movement feel was praised as smooth, nimble, precise, and joyful across several reviews.

Character movement can look and feel awkward, with running animations described as stiff and unnatural.

Platform-specific support was praised through PS5 showcase features, Pro upscaling, DualSense use, and 3D audio.

On PS5, the absence of DualSense-specific features makes the console implementation feel less complete than expected.

Tutorial quality had limited but positive evidence, with reviewers noting trial-and-error teaching and encounter design that prepares players for bosses.

Tutorials are a major weak point for a system-heavy RPG, often explaining only the basics while leaving players to untangle complex combat, UI, talents, and party mechanics themselves.

Polish was praised frequently, with reviewers calling Saros smooth, refined, and consistently excellent.

The launch feels under-polished to many reviewers, with bugs, crashes, typos, awkward UI, animation problems, and unfinished-feeling content recurring throughout otherwise ambitious work.

Aiming was generally considered forgiving and readable thanks to auto-aim and tracking, though some no-auto-aim weapons were harder to master.

Targeting can be frustratingly unreliable, with attacks or selected targets sometimes shifting in ways that make combat feel imprecise.

World interactivity had limited evidence, mostly around movement-reactive effects and environmental destruction.

The world can look busy without behaving convincingly. Looting in plain sight, passive NPCs, and scripted interactions often make inhabitants feel more like scenery than participants.

Enemy variety was praised for diverse, escalating, and biome-changing threats that keep combat fresh.

Enemy variety is thin for a long RPG. Human factions dominate many encounters, and repeated animals or similar combat roles make battles feel familiar well before the campaign ends.

Camera controls were specifically praised as quick enough for combat without becoming disorienting.

Camera problems frequently get in the way, including lockups, awkward tactical framing, motion blur, and moments where positioning becomes hard to read.

Value for money had limited but explicit support from one reviewer who said they would pay full price.

Several reviewers think the full launch price is hard to justify in such a buggy, unfinished state and recommend waiting for a sale. More positive takes point to the large RPG scope and long playtime.

Frame rate was generally strong, with most reviewers reporting near-locked or rock-solid 60fps and only occasional dips.

Performance varies sharply by platform and mode. Some runs stay mostly steady, while others report visible slowdowns, frame drops, or major compromises between resolution and smoothness.

Load times had limited but strong evidence, with Digital Foundry praising nearly instant transitions.

Loading is excellent in some runs and painfully slow in others. Fast travel can be nearly instant, yet late-game or console transitions can stretch long enough to disrupt the experience.

Performance optimization was praised overall, especially on PS5/PS5 Pro, with only minor dips or loading-related hitches noted.

Technical performance is inconsistent across platforms and modes. Some systems run the game cleanly, while others suffer blur, stutter, frame drops, texture problems, or poor resolution tradeoffs.

Combat was the strongest consensus point, described as thrilling, precise, tactile, and among Housemarque’s best work.

Combat is the game’s biggest dividing line. Some enjoy the deeper real-time-with-pause tactics and party control, while many others find fights slow, clunky, repetitive, or less satisfying than the first game’s action combat.

User interface design had limited mixed evidence, with one reviewer finding it good enough but imperfect.

The interface struggles under the weight of the game’s systems. Cluttered combat screens, weak comparison tools, and awkward skill or inventory layouts make information harder to manage than it should be.

Pacing drew mixed responses, from tighter run pacing to complaints that story, repetition, or traversal could drag.

Pacing is one of the most common complaints. Long prologues, slow tactical fights, exposition, and stop-start quest progression can make the game feel far more sluggish than its best moments deserve.

Save/run continuation quality was praised via suspend, leave-and-return, and day-one roguelite quality-of-life comments.

Autosaves can be generous and protective, but some players still encountered save-related or progression problems that make manual saving feel important.

Immersion was praised through tactile feedback, 3D audio, and audiovisual design that pulled reviewers into Carcosa.

The setting, language, atmosphere, and world detail can be absorbing, but bugs, passive NPCs, companion oddities, and technical hiccups repeatedly break the illusion.

Menu usability had limited negative evidence, focused on hidden information and unclear equipment-screen navigation.

Menus are a consistent source of frustration. Inventory comparison, sorting, skill management, and party upgrades can be clunky enough to make routine maintenance tedious.

Difficulty balance split reviewers: many called it tough but fair and customizable, while some felt ganks, repetition, or modifiers could undermine balance.

Difficulty is highly uneven. Flexible settings help, but reviewers repeatedly describe punishing spikes, spongey enemies, and encounters that can feel mismatched with nearby fights.

Fun factor was very high, with reviewers repeatedly describing the act of playing, replaying, and mastering Saros as joyful or addictive.

Enjoyment depends heavily on tolerance for the new combat and technical roughness. Players who click with the world and RPG systems can have a great time, while others find the friction exhausting.

The learning curve was approachable for some but still initially demanding, with trial-and-error teaching and a tough early adjustment.

There are many overlapping systems to absorb, and the opening can feel overwhelming or clunky. Once the mechanics click, the flexibility becomes easier to appreciate.

Emotional impact was mixed, with some reviewers admiring ideas but others saying the narrative and characters did not fully move them.

The strongest companion stories and late-game narrative beats can land with real emotion, especially when the game focuses on displacement, loyalty, and personal consequences.

Facial animations were a repeated weakness, especially outside cutscenes where faces could not match the vocal performances.

Faces often struggle to sell emotion, with rigid expressions and weak lip-sync making dramatic scenes look oddly lifeless.

The cast received mixed reactions, with some reviews praising performances while others wanted more depth beyond Arjun.

The large, varied companion roster stands out for its different personalities, faction ties, and roles, even if individual characters are not equally developed.

Side character depth was a common weakness, with reviewers describing the supporting cast as shallow, disposable, or stock.

Companions are often one of the game’s best features, with faction-specific perspectives and personal quests that add texture to the world. The roster is uneven, however, and a few characters feel rushed or unfinished.

Progression was usually praised for meaningful permanent upgrades, though one reviewer felt it overemphasized numbers over skill.

Build progression offers meaningful stat, talent, skill, and gear choices, but uneven XP rewards and lots of manual party management can make leveling feel inconsistent or tedious.

Fast travel and biome teleporting were widely praised as major quality-of-life improvements that reduce tedium.

Fast travel can be quick and useful once points are unlocked, but late-game backtracking, ship transitions, and long loads on some platforms can turn routine travel into a chore.

Bosses were widely admired for spectacle, challenge, and memorability, though a few reviewers found some fights long or uneven.

Guardian encounters can be striking and tactically demanding, but human bosses are often much less memorable and can feel easier than ordinary mobs.

Reviewers generally felt Saros honors Housemarque and Returnal’s lineage while refining or expanding the studio’s formula.

The world, lore, companions, and role-playing DNA still feel recognizably GreedFall, but the combat overhaul is a major break from the first game and remains a point of contention for returning fans.

Weapon balance was mostly positive for variety and viability, though some weapons or no-autohit variants frustrated reviewers.

The broad weapon roster encourages experimentation, though certain weapon types or builds feel more useful and smoother than others.

Onboarding was mixed: some reviewers said mechanics ramped up well, while one felt the many systems were poorly communicated.

Several players find the opening effective at establishing culture, mechanics, and stakes, while others think it runs far too long. As an introduction to the world it is rich, but patience is required.

Animation comments were mostly negative, focused on stiff dialogue animation and odd or weak face animation outside stronger cinematic moments.

Animations are a recurring weak point. Movement and combat often look stiff or dated, undercutting otherwise stronger environments and character models.

Level design was strongly praised for handcrafted chunks, biome structure, combat spaces, and a balance between freshness and mastery.

Cities and regions are larger and more distinctive than before, and some quest spaces reward alternate routes. Other areas feel linear, repetitive, or visually under-varied.

Sound design and 3D audio were praised for intensity, dread, positional clarity, and haunting effects.

Ambient effects and general audio work help sell the world, though the soundscape is praised less consistently than the music or voice cast.

Resource balance drew limited but mixed evidence, with one review noting balance concerns and another criticizing excess currency gains.

Looted materials feed directly into crafting and upgrades, giving resource gathering a useful purpose rather than making it feel purely collectible.

Grind and repetition drew mixed-to-negative comments, especially around repeated boss attempts and artifact droughts.

Progression can force extra fighting or leveling before difficult encounters, and that grind becomes especially frustrating when combat itself is not clicking.

Navigation drew criticism from one reviewer who found objective direction poor despite liking the map.

Navigation tools are undercooked, with limited markers and quest-location issues making it harder than necessary to manage a large world.

Voice acting was widely praised, especially Rahul Kohli’s performance, with the broader cast also receiving positive notes.

The core cast is generally strong and helps sell the setting’s languages and political drama. Secondary performances and accent consistency are more uneven.

Graphics quality was praised across reviews for visual flair, PS5 showcase value, and striking Unreal Engine 5 presentation.

The environments, lighting, costumes, and overall visual upgrade can look impressive, but texture issues, dated character work, and uneven performance keep the presentation from feeling consistently modern.

Controls were heavily praised for responsiveness, tactile feel, and precise movement/shooting, with only rare complaints about input conflicts.

Controller mapping can make a complex tactical system surprisingly manageable, but unresponsive skills and awkward inputs show up often enough to keep controls from feeling uniformly polished.

Replay value was strong, with reviewers saying they wanted to dive back in or keep running even after credits.

Branching approaches, faction outcomes, relationships, and build choices create reasons to replay, although technical friction may make some players reluctant to start over.

Art direction was a clear strength, with reviewers highlighting Carcosa’s strong, alien visual identity and memorable environmental design.

The 17th-century-inspired look, architecture, lighting, and regional styling give the game a distinctive visual identity, even when its brown-heavy palette wears thin.

Lore depth was praised where reviewers enjoyed logs, mysteries, and hidden material that encouraged deeper digging.

Lore remains a major strength, with factions, cultures, history, languages, and political tensions giving the world a depth that keeps players invested even when other systems falter.

Writing quality was mixed, with praise for logs and media-literate storytelling but criticism of hollow or unclear themes.

Writing swings from thoughtful, mature political and companion material to blunt exposition, simplistic villains, and awkward thematic handling. Its ambitions are strong, but execution is uneven.

Dialogue quality was mixed to weak, with several reviewers noting stilted conversations, unnatural backlog delivery, or long quiet stretches.

Dialogue ranges from strong character moments to exposition-heavy or overly simple exchanges. The best conversations deepen companions and politics, while weaker scenes can feel blunt or underwritten.

Exploration was praised for hidden paths, secrets, and optional areas that reward revisiting biomes.

Exploration is generally rewarding, with larger regions, distinctive cities, side paths, loot, and multiple quest routes. Backtracking, sparse stretches, or scripted paths can make traversal drag in weaker sections.

Protagonist appeal was mixed: several reviewers found Arjun compelling or well-acted, while one found him unpleasant by design.

Playing a Teer Fradeean native gives the story a fresh point of view, and the protagonist can be a compelling vehicle for the game’s themes and role-playing choices.

The core loop was usually seen as compelling and satisfying, though Polygon felt progression systems weakened the roguelike loop.

Outside combat, the semi-open loop of exploration, investigation, conversations, and quest-solving is solid and gives the RPG a stronger rhythm.

Saros’ checkpoint-like structure and biome restart options were praised for reducing repetition and respecting time.

Generous autosaves soften the impact of technical problems by keeping forced reloads from costing much progress.

Optional challenge-space design was praised as brutal but rewarding.

Talents and role-playing skills can open genuinely different ways through missions, rewarding diplomacy, stealth, mechanics, or direct confrontation.

World-building was praised through Carcosa’s mysteries, logs, lore, and thematic environmental storytelling.

World-building is the clearest consensus strength. Distinct factions, cities, cultures, political tensions, languages, and historical parallels give Gacane and Teer Fradee a rich identity.

The upgrade system was praised for making attempts feel worthwhile and improving approachability.

Gear upgrades are satisfying because they visibly and statistically strengthen the party, adding another useful layer to equipment customization.

Reviewers repeatedly praised the unnerving, dread-soaked atmosphere, even when they disagreed about the story itself.

Cities, forests, tribal spaces, ambient audio, and dense environmental detail create a strong sense of place. The setting is often more compelling than the systems layered on top of it.

Innovation centered on the shield, bullet-as-resource design, haptic implementation, and a more flexible challenge structure.

The perspective shift and willingness to build an entire RPG around colonialism, displacement, and tactical party play make the game feel unusually ambitious and distinctive.

Arjun’s arc drew praise where reviewers felt his development became darker, more complex, and captivating.

Companion questlines can give party members full character arcs, making relationship-building one of the more rewarding parts of the adventure.

Originality was mixed, with praise for bold changes and criticism that Saros repeats Returnal-like beats with minimal variation.

Its character-focused political RPG structure occupies an uncommon niche, pairing old-school role-playing with a setting and thematic focus that feel different from most fantasy games.

Gameplay mechanics, especially the shield, parry, eclipse, and modifier systems, were praised, though one review felt the systems could overprotect players.

The deeper mix of talents, attributes, tactical profiles, party roles, and build options gives mechanically minded players a lot to experiment with.

Loot drew mixed feedback: some liked risky artifacts and weapon discovery, while others disliked artifact droughts or limited replacement control.

Gear drops are satisfying when they feed customization and visible outfit changes, but poor level matching and inventory friction can make much of the loot feel useless.

Endgame content was a limited concern, with one reviewer specifically wishing for a dedicated post-game activity.

The final act responds to faction and companion choices, but its momentum can sag just before the credits, leaving the ending more mixed than the build-up suggests.

Reviewers praised Saros for broad accessibility and difficulty-tuning options, including modifiers, visual recoloring, remapping, and ways to soften or intensify challenge.

Difficulty sliders, combat profiles, and even invincibility earn broad praise for letting players reshape the experience. A few limitations remain, but this is one of the game’s most consistently liked systems.

The soundtrack was praised for oppressive, unnerving, and complex music that supports Carcosa’s tone.

The orchestral score is a standout, repeatedly praised for atmosphere, emotional weight, and its fit with the 17th-century-inspired setting.

Environmental detail was a frequent highlight, with reviewers praising Carcosa’s biomes, architecture, and alien spaces.

Towns, forests, architecture, lighting, and distant vistas are frequently praised for density and detail. Environments are often the strongest part of the presentation.

Visual effects were a major highlight, especially the particle-heavy combat fireworks and colorful VFX.

Lighting and effects can be striking, adding polish to environments and combat even when the broader presentation has rough edges.

Skill-tree depth was mixed, from exhaustive and satisfying to more of a limited trunk than a deep build system.

There is substantial build freedom across weapons, roles, attributes, talents, and companion trees. That depth is rewarding for tinkerers but can become confusing or overly specialized for others.

Narrative quality was the most mixed major attribute, ranging from gripping and coherent to underdeveloped, opaque, or overambitious.

The story has strong ideas, a compelling perspective shift, and memorable companion material, but opinions split on execution. Slow pacing, simplistic villains, constrained agency, and uneven follow-through keep the narrative from matching its ambition for everyone.

Several reviews found the game rich in sections, weapons, collectibles, and sights, though the content variety was usually discussed through exploration and spectacle.

There is plenty to do across exploration, side quests, faction work, party management, and combat, although some areas and activity types feel more repetitive than the overall scope suggests.

Enemy groups can create useful tactical pressure by having melee units rush the party while ranged foes take positions behind them.

The different combat profiles make tactical complexity adjustable, letting players decide how much direct party management they want.

Bugs are one of the clearest problems at launch, ranging from missing prompts and broken quests to combat glitches, visual errors, and characters behaving incorrectly.

Character creation and build freedom are much improved and can support very different play styles. Cosmetic options are less consistent, with some reviewers finding faces, hair, or beard choices too limited.

Faction standing, companion loyalty, quest resolutions, and the ending can respond meaningfully to decisions. The freedom is not absolute, though, and some major narrative situations feel more constrained than the game initially suggests.

The class framework supports tanks, damage dealers, healers, ranged builds, magic, and hybrids with useful flexibility. Some builds are more awkward or less rewarding than others.

Party automation is inconsistent: some players found allies sensible about healing and skill use, while others saw companions lag behind, pick bad targets, or fail to attack.

Crafting can meaningfully improve armor, gear, potions, and builds, and several players enjoyed its depth. Others found it overly complicated, mandatory, or burdensome when paired with weak inventory tools.

Crashes appear across PC and console experiences, sometimes only occasionally and sometimes often enough to interrupt progress. A few players had relatively stable runs, but launch stability is clearly uneven.

Handheld or remote play suitability had limited evidence, but one reviewer said it looked and played beautifully on PlayStation Portal.

Horror tension was supported through praise for dread, anxiety, cosmic horror, and the unsettling eclipse-driven world.

HUD/readability comments were positive but limited, emphasizing that the intense spectacle remained coherent and not visually confusing.

The scope is large, but side missions can become scarce or formulaic after the opening, leaving parts of the world feeling less populated with meaningful diversions.

The semi-open structure has appealing regions and freedom once it opens up, but some reviewers find the world too scripted, sparse, or restrictive to fully deliver on its open-ended promise.

Platforming precision had limited but positive evidence around precise jumping, dodging, and reduced geometry snagging.

A few environmental riddles and dungeons provide welcome variety, but some puzzles are so heavily signposted that they barely require deduction.

Quests are frequently at their best when multiple talents, companions, or approaches can solve the same problem. Some companion and side quests are excellent, though repetitive errands and obvious solutions weaken the overall consistency.

Romance is one of the more uneven relationship systems: one take praises fully fleshed-out paths, while several others call the arcs thin, formulaic, or lacking meaningful follow-up.

The strongest role-playing moments let players combine talents, companions, dialogue, stealth, and combat to forge their own route through a problem.

Stealth can open alternate quest routes, but it is underdeveloped and inconsistent. Limited tools, weak feedback, and odd companion behavior make sneaking less satisfying than diplomacy or direct combat.