It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since Returnal! Now, Housemarque is back with Saros, another challenging third-person shooter set on a hostile alien world. Launching April 30th on PS5, the game delivers everything fans expect – complex bullet patterns to dodge, and huge boss battles against strange enemies. Here are 15 things to know before you play, starting with something a bit different for this developer.
Story
I’m really excited about Housemarque’s new game, Saros! From what I’ve heard, it’s their most story-driven title yet. You play as Arjun Devraj, a Soltari enforcer brilliantly voiced by Rahul Kohli, and you’re part of the crew of Echelon IV. They head to this planet called Carcosa looking for a resource called Lucenite, but everything goes wrong. Suddenly, the whole crew is stranded, and the planet itself is constantly changing, making escape seem impossible. It sounds intense!
Carcosa
Something strange is happening with the Eclipse – a solar eclipse that’s fundamentally breaking reality on the world of Carcosa. Arjun is trying to escape and uncover the fate of past exploration teams, all while fulfilling the requests of his boss, Soltari, and investigating a long-lost civilization. As he delves deeper into the Eclipse’s secrets, his own mental state begins to deteriorate.
Characters
He won’t face this challenge alone. His commander, Sheridan Bouchard, saves him from a dangerous crewmate, despite her doubts about his reliability. While other characters remain mysterious for now, expect them to react strongly as things get worse. As the story’s designer, William Shaughnessy, puts it, the more the characters discover, the more intense the fear becomes, and the crew’s disagreements will escalate, with everyone coping in their own way. The game will feature many dramatic cutscenes, but players who want to focus on exploring Carcosa can skip some of the conversations back on The Passage.
Spiritual Successor to Returnal
Saros features a repeating cycle of death and resurrection, and takes place on a constantly changing planet where players race to uncover its secrets. This will likely remind players of Returnal, Housemarque’s previous game. While it’s unclear if the stories are directly connected, the same actress, Jane Perry, returns as a new character named Bouchard, suggesting a deliberate link between the two titles.
Unreal Engine 5 and “Tentacle Tech”
Saros is built using Unreal Engine 5, which isn’t a surprise considering its previous game, Returnal, used Unreal Engine 4. Housemarque is building on their existing expertise, but they’re also adding significant upgrades. These include realistic particle effects for bullets, more detailed environmental damage, and their unique “tentacle technology.” This technology blends handcrafted animation with procedural systems to create more believable and unpredictable movement.
Rogue-Lite Gameplay and Returnal’s Influence
Saros feels like a follow-up to Returnal, building on many of the same core ideas. It features a similar feel, with mechanics like a partial hold for alternate firing, building up adrenaline by avoiding damage and gaining buffs, and red shields vulnerable to melee attacks. Though the story, characters, and world are all new, it delivers that same satisfyingly challenging gameplay experience.
Permanent Progression
What makes this version different? It now plays much more like a rogue-lite game. You can collect Lucenite and use it at the Soltari’s Primary in The Passage to unlock lasting improvements to Arjun’s abilities. These upgrades include health, shields, and the rate at which you earn Lucenite. This means Arjun will not only be more likely to survive each attempt, but will also get stronger over time.
Carcosan Modifiers
We don’t want to send you into the strange world of Carcosa unprepared, though! Before you start a playthrough, you can choose modifiers to customize your experience. Protections give you helpful boosts, like making it easier to reload perfectly or deal more damage to enemies. Trials, on the other hand, make things harder. Finding the right balance is important, but if you’re looking for a challenge, there are lots of ways to increase the difficulty, such as…
Second Chance
One of the biggest new additions to the game is the Second Chance perk. You unlock it relatively early on, and it allows Arjun to survive otherwise fatal attacks. Instead of starting the cycle over, he’ll regain most of his health and remove any accumulated Corruption (we’ll explain that later). It significantly changes how you play, but if you want a harder experience, you can disable it with a special Trial.
The Eclipse
The Eclipse isn’t just a dangerous cycle trying to defeat Arjun; it’s a gamble with big potential rewards. Activating it during a run dramatically alters the game world – expect a lot more red, unsettling sounds, and a feeling that Carcosa is about to collapse. While enemies become more aggressive and gain new abilities, you’ll also earn more Lucenite, letting you improve your character. And be prepared for a lot more tentacles!
Corrupted Weapons and Artifacts
Corrupted weapons and artifacts provide special advantages, but they always come with downsides. For example, a Corrupted Power Spike can boost your Command and Power, but it lowers your Drive. Using these items also builds up Pressure, which weakens your attacks when your health is low. You might also find items that increase your maximum health (Resilience), but you’ll lose Lucenite every time you’re hit.
Soltari Shield and Power Weapons
If you’re familiar with Returnal, you might be curious about “shields” in this game. Arjun has a Soltari Shield that does more than just protect him – it can absorb blue attacks and charge up his powerful weapon. We’ve discovered one so far, called Prominence, which causes explosive damage over an area and gets stronger as you gain power. This means you can absorb certain attacks instead of dodging them, sending that energy back at your enemies. Just remember the shield doesn’t last indefinitely.
Corrupted Projectiles
This game is a fast-paced shooter, and success doesn’t come without challenges. During an Eclipse, enemies fire yellow projectiles that cause Corruption. You can’t absorb these attacks, and Corruption lowers your maximum health. Thankfully, you can remove Corruption by using a Power Weapon. While this won’t instantly restore your health, it allows you to recover it later.
Runs in 4K/60 FPS on PS5
Early testing shows that Saros performs well on the standard PlayStation 5, consistently hitting 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, even during intense action with many visual effects. Housemarque hasn’t announced improvements for the PS5 Pro yet, but we expect it to offer an even better experience.
DualSense Features
The game’s adaptive triggers give great feedback, with a noticeable sound letting you know when your alternate fire is ready. You’ll also feel the action through the controller – when Arjun quickly dashes or absorbs attacks with his shield. Like in Returnal, the game loads incredibly fast thanks to the SSD. Finally, the 3D audio is highly recommended to fully immerse yourself in the terrifying atmosphere of the Eclipse.
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2026-04-01 16:24