Abdelrahman
The major highlight of today’s PlayStation State of Play event was the unveiling of the latest production from Housemarque, the studio behind the hit game Returnal. Named Saros, this new title is not a direct continuation of Returnal’s story; however, the developers assure fans that it will build upon the engaging action that made the original a favorite.
“We are excited to reveal our newest creation, Saros, which will be available next year for PS5 and optimized for PS5 Pro,” stated Gregory Louden, the game’s creative director, during the State of Play presentation. “Saros represents the next step in the Housemarque philosophy of prioritizing gameplay. This is an entirely new single-player intellectual property inspired by the acclaimed third-person action of Returnal.”
The cinematic announcement trailer provides our first glimpse of the game’s protagonist, Arjun Devraj, brought to life by actor Rahul Kohli. The narrative unfolds on a “dangerous, ever-changing planet shrouded in a mysterious eclipse.” While it shares some features typical of roguelikes, Saros also introduces more extensive progression mechanics, which may lead some to classify it as a roguelite instead.
According to a PlayStation blog post, a significant gameplay difference between Saros and Returnal lies in the implementation of permanent resources and progress, which renders each defeat meaningful. “With every demise, players will encounter an altered world, but in Saros, you’ll have the opportunity to select and consistently enhance your loadout by utilizing a dynamic array of weapons and suit upgrades to ‘return stronger’ and tackle the challenges posed by Carcosa.”
While Housemarque is keeping additional gameplay details under wraps for now, a comprehensive gameplay reveal is set to occur later this year as we approach the game’s scheduled launch in 2026.
If Saros manages to capture even a fraction of what made Returnal special, it could very well secure a spot on our list of the top roguelike games.
