Saros’s Eclipse is “Always Looming,” Corrupted Bullets Serve as An “Escalation,” Says Housemarque

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A core part of playing Saros involves skillfully avoiding attacks – ducking, dodging, and even diving for cover. But players must also contend with the ever-present Eclipse, which constantly increases the game’s difficulty and makes exploring Carcosa more challenging. According to senior narrative designer Khalil Osaimi, who spoke with GamesRadar, the Eclipse is one of the game’s most compelling elements because it feels like a constant threat.

The Eclipse is one of the most compelling characters in the game, narratively speaking. Its unsettling presence is felt everywhere – both above and below ground. It’s more than just a tool for unlocking new areas or altering the game’s look; the ‘corruption bullets’ it uses also impact gameplay. Beyond that, it makes you wonder about the effects of this corruption on our character and everyone else in the game’s world.

The Eclipse begins when you touch a strange cluster of hands in a specific area, completely changing the environment around you. Everything takes on a reddish hue, enemies become more erratic and gain new abilities, and a strong sense of dread sets in – enhanced by immersive 3D sound effects.

I was really fascinated to hear about how the developers approached the ‘Eclipse’ in the game. It’s not just about making things look cool or telling a story – they really wanted it to feel different when it happened, like things were escalating. Lead designer Abebe Tinari explained they did a ton of testing to get that right. They always ask themselves if a change serves both the gameplay and the story, and with the Eclipse, the big question was: how do we make the enemies feel different and more dangerous to match?

We spent a lot of time trying to make enemies harder to defeat – things like giving them more health or increasing their damage. But those changes didn’t feel impactful enough, and we needed something that clearly signaled an increase in difficulty. We finally landed on the idea of ‘corrupted bullets.’ When the Eclipse begins, enemies start firing different types of bullets, and that was the most noticeable change we could make.

These special bullets will lower your health and can’t be blocked, unless you get an upgrade from the Soltari Primary. The Eclipse will also make things harder by bringing enemies back to life in the factory within the Ancient Depths. But, overcoming these challenges unlocks better rewards, including more Lucenite, powerful Corrupted weapons, and artifacts – though these items may have downsides you’ll need to manage.

Saros is set to release on April 30th and has already made a strong impression. You can now see a complete playthrough of the first area, Shattered Rise.

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2026-03-29 17:14