Sony and Housemarque’s sci-fantasy shooter Saros got its first proper gameplay trailer at PlayStation’s latest State of Play this evening. If you were hoping for more Returnal, then pour yourself a huge brimming flagon of victory mead, for this is basically Returnal plus a gruff male lead, a sunnier shape-shifting wasteland, and a force shield that converts attacks into juice for your biggest guns.
Do people drink victory mead in the world of Saros? This is not a question answered by the trailer. Instead, we’re treated to a series of agile bangfights with enemies of all shapes and sizes. Some are robotic. Some are skull-themed. Some have more arms than seems strictly necessary. Some are large enough to give Kratos the cold sweats. See that Sony? Did you a cheeky bit of license cross-pollination there.
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As in Returnal – a game that took Housemarque’s shmup pedigree and applied it to a third-person roguelike shooter – most of these creatures are partial to spewing the most fantastically patterned fusillades of energy projectiles. It’s as though somebody had sneezed while downing their victory mead, and skilfully angled their lips and nostrils to produce a crowd-pleasing firework effect, rather than an excruciating faux pas. If you dislike being sneezed on by cosmic goblins, the game’s horizontal dash looks very effective providing you manage its cooldown.
The trailer blurb recaps the story premise. In Saros you play Arjun Devraj, voiced by Rajul Kohli. He’s a Soltari enforcer exploring the lost colony of Carcosa in the face of an eclipse that causes the landscape to shapeshift. I don’t find Devraj that compelling as a character so far, but he’s got a cool coat so we’ll call it even Stevens. There are also some sad holographic people you can query about Carcosa’s plight.
The key differences I can see over Returnal are 1) that energy shield, which also comes in handy up against laser beam traps and the like, and 2) a Second Chance revive mechanic, which sees Devraj slamming his fist into the ground and resurrecting in sheer petulance at having accidentally taken 400 bullets to the jaw. Housemarque have been keen to emphasise that this is a gentler roguelike than Returnal, with “permanent resources and progression making every death valuable”. See also the tagline, “Come back stronger”.
All we need now is a PC release date. The thing I’d most like to hear about next is the bestiary. I adored Returnal’s lore writing. I thought the 3D bullet hell stuff was bonkers, too, but mostly I’m here for knotty descriptions of exceedingly odd fauna.
Disclosure: RPS co-founder Alec Meer wrote for Returnal and is the lead writer on Saros.