Sharo Cycle Scores 88 Yet IGN Gives It a 7?

IGN scored PS5 exclusive Saro Cycle a 7/10, while the game sits at 88 on Metacritic—second-highest rated title of 2026 so far. That's a gap wide enough to raise eyebrows.

IGN's main gripe: the roguelite structure fails to balance repetition with progression. But here's the contradiction—they praise the combat's rhythm and visual punch, call boss fights challenging yet fun, then complain about repetition. Roguelites are built on repeated runs for incremental growth. Criticizing that core loop is like faulting a hot pot restaurant for making you cook your own food.

Players aren't buying it. "Criticizing repetition in a roguelite is absurd," one comment reads. Others suspect IGN is chasing controversy: "Everyone's giving 9s and 10s, you drop a 7—clearly fishing for clicks." Social media sentiment leans heavily toward the game deserving its high marks, with IGN's take looking like an outlier.

For weekend players, the 88 aggregate carries more weight—it reflects consensus across multiple outlets, not one editorial stance. IGN does note the studio put more effort into narrative this time compared to previous work, though some themes remain abstract. Fair warning if you're after pure hack-and-slash without story baggage.

An 88-rated PS5 exclusive with solid combat should deliver a satisfying weekend. IGN's 7 serves as a filter: if you hate repetitive loops, maybe skip it. But complaining about repetition in a roguelite suggests you're not the target audience to begin with.