Saros: Housemarque’s Returnal Successor Gets New Gameplay Details

Saros appears to be the true next evolution for Housemarque’s upcoming title, offering a beautiful and intense sci-fi action game set on the alien world of Carcosa. Today, we are able to get a fresh look at what fans can expect when the game releases next month.

Players will become Enforcer Arjun, tasked with rescuing his crew as death lurks around every corner. Content Manager Gillen McAllister of SIE spoke with Creative Director Gregory Louden and Art Director Simone Silvestri from Housemarque on the PlayStation Blog.

Saros builds upon the familiar controls of Returnal. Primary fire, as in most titles, is mapped to R2, while activating a weapon’s alternate fire uses the adaptive feedback of L2.

“We wanted to make projectiles opportunities,” explains Louden, describing this as a shift away from the “obstacle course” of the studio’s previous title, Returnal, to something more akin to “a playground.”

Gaining the use of a multi-armed device will help sustain the barrage of incoming firepower, which looks reminiscent of Returnal. Players will once again be tasked with learning each new boss encounter’s pattern to overcome the obstacles ahead.

Every death is a new run. Silvestri states that everything is handcrafted yet will feel fresh with each new attempt.

“We have handcrafted levels, handcrafted art, handcrafted design, handcrafted combat encounters, and then we connect them in a procedural manner,” says Silvestri.

The world will encourage players to explore and discover the fallen people Arjun intends to save. Exploration will reward those brave enough to branch off the golden path, learn the lore behind Carcosa, and solve the mystery at hand.

“We immediately knew we wanted more viewpoints,” says Louden, aiming to escape the loneliness of Returnal’s experience. Building relationships with Arjun’s crew is important and helps build motivation, making Arjun their savior. “It creates this pressure cooker of an experience, with multiple perspectives,” finishes Louden.

What do you think of Saros? Let us know in the comments below.