Opening the PlayStation State of Play Direct today, HouseMarque showcased the first gameplay look for their upcoming Spiritual successor to the PlayStation 5 game Returnal, entitled Saros. The game is the first title that they have developed since the release of Returnal in 2021, as well as since the acquisition of the studio by Sony in the same year.
While Saros is not a direct sequel to Returnal, the trailer gives a good sense that it will play extremely similarly. Main protagonist Arjun finds himself on the hostel and a shapeshifting planet of Carcosa, which seems to have some Egyptian influence in its design. The game retains the extremely fast-paced bullet hell combat that will see players quickly dodging attacks and countering with a roster of alien guns. In addition, the game’s key roguelike feature will return as well, making death a pretty core part of the learning process.
Saros was announced initially earlier this year during the Sony State of Play in February. Ilari Kuittinen, CEO and co-founder of Housemarque, has stated that he did not view the game as possible without the acquisition by Sony, with the game beginning development in 2022, with “tens of millions of euros” attached to the project.
Housemarque has stated that more information will be released over the coming months as we get closer to next year. At the end of the trailer, the Saros received a release date of March 20, 2026, for when players can start the cycle anew. Currently, it has been announced as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, with enhanced features on the PlayStation 5 Pro. While Returnal did eventually release on PC, Sony still tends to favor Exclusive release on their platform prior to porting titles.
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