Mar 28, 2026
3 min read
Housemark's sequel to Returnal's highly acclaimed 2021 third-person looper shooter turns it into an all-new space horror game that aims to outdo its predecessor.And judging by three hours of gameplay alone, I think it does just that.
Risk and reward.These two words control every aspect of Saros.Whether you're diving into bullets, choosing between two types of weapons, or stepping into the role of Arjun Devraj and searching for the secrets of an arduous story, there's a risk involved in unlocking each Saros reward.Housemarque's Payback to Return takes what made the third-person shooter looper from 2021 so popular and turns it into something new, a terrifying space bullet that aims to outdo its predecessor.And after playing for three hours myself, I think it does just that.
Carcosa is an alien world controlled by the Soltari megacorporation thanks to its most valuable resource, Luceniit.It's been a sci-fi setting for a long time, from Alien to Avatar, and if you've seen some of those movies, you know things don't go well.made.But this is not an old search and rescue mission because Carcosa is not an old planet.It moves and changes its territories every time you go to an unknown destination.
“It's almost exciting, considering the chaos it provides,” says Gregory Louden, Saros' creative director.
In gaming terms, it's the perfect definition of a roguelike, and that's essentially what Saros is, even if the team at Housemark prefers the term "shapeshifter."It's also much more narratively ambitious than any of the studio's games to date, further building on those foundations of The Return.This desire to tell meatier stories perhaps informs the slightly nicer approach Serros takes to player progression.From the chat with Lead Narrative Designer William Shaughnessy, it's clear that the team wanted more players to reach the end of Saros than people in Returnal, so Saros will launch with autosave and multiple save slots at launch, something many people found disappointing that Returnal ignored at launch.
The run is also shorter this time around, with the goal of finishing in under 30 minutes every time I enter Carcosa (most of my runs are around 20 minutes). Perhaps even more transformative is the ability to teleport directly from your base to the next unlocked biome, instead of repeatedly having to fight your way through an already cleared environment like so many other roguelikes. Then there are the Carxan modifiers, which can increase or decrease the challenges of each run, much like Hades'Punishment Pact. This is another example of making things more player-friendly without removing the core challenge for those looking for a challenge. It's encouraging that Housemarque is sticking with the ideas that made Returnal so good, but also embracing the feedback that kept more people from liking it.
"The opinion we get is that more and more players want to love Returnal and keep going," Louden said."So for us, it is about delivering that ability. That means we do not reduce the challenge. It is still a tough match there, but it is also an opportunity to change the challenge."
The challenge involves navigating each of Carcosa's many biomes, which are home to deadly enemies and lost paths, each of which you will have to overcome to reach its boss.Do that, and the next area will unlock and the story will continue, but die, and you'll be back in action, even sporting a new version of the threat you met before.
These threats vary dramatically in scale, speed, and scope.From what I have seen so far, they are monsters that love nothing more than to spit waves upon waves of projects at you and create a dance of death with every encounter.And dance is exactly the right word, because Sorrows is not a bullet hell game, but more of a bullet ballet in its way - forcing you to respect your enemies and turn their devices against them.emphasize.The Saros fight is "like a playground, not an obstacle course," Louden told me.Dodging will only get you so far;to thrive, you must dive in.Fortunately, Saros will give you the perfect tool for the job.
The Soltari Shield is a key tool in Arjun's arsenal and is different from Selene's abilities in Returnal.With the press of a button, you can encase yourself in a glowing blue circular shield that not only prevents damage, but also penetrates projects of the same color.When the aliens' weapons absorb, you can send a powerful blow that explodes on impact - turning your hand into a missile launcher.Of course, there's a chance this price will be affected because your shield can stay active for a long time, meaning you have to carefully time those flights into the line of fire so you don't end up too bold.It's the level of brutality I look for in games like this, and I remember Doom Eternal's previous shield recycling and health harvesting model introduced by Remedy, another Finnish studio in combat mana.
Carcosa stands still without anyone, leaving me feeling like a second waste every time I stand without it.This happened during the battle, using cover a little and bypassing open space to avoid another crisis.Mitja Roskaric, Housemarque's design director said: 'We made the movement useful, the movement is the motivation'.This is what appeared in Saros' opening speech, in which you take on the boss you almost died for, but who teaches you an important lesson about how to survive your next meeting.
"I don't think Returnal is that hard of a game, but it took some time to learn how to play it," Roscarek continued.“So we put a lot of emphasis on the riding experience."We wanted to make sure we were teaching the player how to play the game, not just through the text on the screen, but through the design of the space and other challenges."
Inevitably, though, no matter how fast you learn, you will eventually die.Fortunately, however, Saros still wants to make the next run feel a little less like hard work.Returning was difficult, and from what I saw, Saros is no different when it comes to the difficulty of his actions.But more importantly, it offers new ways to make things smoother.Chief among these are the permanent power-ups that strengthen Arjun, unlocked using the sweet Lucenite you picked up during the previous run.
These weapons can also be used.You start with a high-powered assault rifle, but later discover an assault rifle with a high rate of fire and a devastating shotgun that tests how close you are willing to get to your victim.Again, this risk comes with a high damage reward.Housemarque has been perfecting gunplay in 2D, top-down and 3D planes for decades, so it's no surprise that it all feels incredibly smooth and accurate no matter what.what weapon are you armed with?
I also like that each weapon has its own type of fire, although the left trigger on the DualSense is in the middle - nice to see someone using those adaptive buttons.Saros ahi, but if you want to restore your skills and put your money where your mouth is, choose someone who is more dangerous and dangerous than you are after.
I also spent a few hours in Carcosa, I started to find my loves and I started to load the tailor, knowing what threats frequent each biome.This is clearly illustrated in his first challenge boss, "Prophet", he opposed.For a great fight, the monster monster, the monster plants, the fiery growths that come out from both sides of this mockery, the cremation is concrete.Like, the auto-lock weapon helps to fight much lighter, especially if it is modded with a perk that allows its bullets to split between several targets at the same time and ricochet.This finally allowed me to focus on the back of my mind and focus all my focus on escaping projectiles, absorbing them and returning the explosions in the cracks of the beast.Recently covered in plant material, I was then free in the region of the next planet.
But let's back up a bit, because I haven't even mentioned the big, hot, shiny elephant in the room.See, Carcoza is a mysterious place.Sometimes beautiful, with criminal growth creeping along the sharp lines of Italy's futuristic architecture.But when the sun goes down, all the hidden wonder is replaced with an oppressive, dangerous environment full of new terrors.There is no moon escape at this early stage.Never.Calling Arjun is a must to get through the first two stories of Saros, even if you do nothing else.On the move, Carcoza's world takes on an almost demonic renaissance, as thunderous guitar chords play out against a fresh orange sky and increasingly dark shadows.The moon is not only a sight, it is a signal for every enemy that shines to go bat crazy.
The attack patterns are changed, mixing the newly damaged yellow bolts into the blue ones, which I will learn to hide with my shield.As you can imagine, this gets a bit confusing, seriously tipping the balance in favor of risk more than reward.Blocking and charging that powerful weapon is still the key to success, though;you'll just learn a new rhythm to the dance these enemies lead as the sun goes down.It's an exciting new challenge, and Housemarque is very smart to basically use the pre-covering parts of the level to train you for the horrors you'll have to eventually defeat.Traps are also affected, which come with greater rewards but risk damaging your stats.For example, you might find a much more powerful handball, but picking it up means you now suffer a fall.It's up to you to find the balance that works for your game.
The Sun and its eclipses also seem to play an important role in Saros's story—in fact, the title is the name of the recurring 18-year gap between eclipses.Much of this story remains a mystery to me, but what is clear is that the civilization that existed or existed on Carcosa worshiped this solar entity, either out of fear or love.Already on Arjuna.
"It's a story of determination, overcoming adversity and maintaining your drive and your strength in the face of temptation," says Shaughnessy."That motivation can be like putting down the controller in a sense. But really, the game is engaging and you're going to hold that controller in your hand and you want to see what happens next in each level."
It's too early to tell if the plot will come together in a satisfying way - this is Housemarque's most "story-driven" game yet, so hopefully - but early signs are very promising.Movie cutscenes offer glimpses into past lives and into the characters' psyches.the ethereal visual language and focus on psychological and physical combat remind me of more emotional human-centered space stories like Claire Denis' High Life or Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris.
This feeling is fixed in the nude sports done by Arjun like Rahul Kohli, confirmed by the election led by Jane Perry Returnal.Since many of the stories are told through cinematics, the option to dig deeper and talk to friends and read test reports while running around The Passage center in between.
"90% of your interactions with NPCs in the Passage are optional, and some may be missed along the way," Shaughnessy said."The only way to fully understand them is to participate in them all."
I still feel like I've seen so little, but I could feel the long and nuanced story between the crew members that mixed personal and professional tensions.I can't wait to spend more time with them and watch them gradually lose their minds.
There's a story telling Saros that he feels like Housemarque is moving forward with the PlayStation Studios family, which is already home to a number of movie franchises.Indeed, Louden said that he feels a "duty to show the PS5", and from a technical point of view, he feels that he is flawless in this regard.happily, we go in with the music, and we have a lot of messages there."
At first glance, Saros may not seem like much of a disaster compared to Returnal, but dig deeper and its new modes and strange characters will reveal themselves.Building on the solid foundation of 30 years of Housemarque production, smart challenges are being taken on rather than the big
Simon Cardy is a senior editor who is primarily interested in open-world games, fond of Korean cinema or disappointed by the state side Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets.Follow him on BlueSky at @cardy.bsky.social.
