Returnal

Housemarque has provided a first look at Saros, it’s next game and PS5 follow-up to Returnal.

It’s set for release on 20th March on PS5, and will be enhanced for PS5 Pro.

While the initial reveal was purely cinematic, now we’ve got a look at the game’s gameplay. Check it out for yourself in the trailer below.

Saros – Gameplay Reveal Trailer | PS5 GamesWatch on YouTube

At first glance, this is more of the same intense bullet hell action we know and love from Returnal, but there are some subtle tweaks too.

Creative director Gregory Louden introduced the video, stating the game will explore the emotional and haunting story of protagonist Arjun Devraj (Rahul Kohli) on a shapeshifting planet. Later he mentioned an ensemble of NPCs, suggesting this could be more story focused than Returnal was.

As for gameplay, Devraj wields a shield used to absorb projectiles and then hit back with a powerful weapon – almost like a delayed parry. Louden also hinted at the progression system with a permanent ability: Second Chance, which revives Devraj on death. The trailer ended with a wild-looking boss, of course.

Further details have been provided on the PlayStation Blog. Saros takes place on the hostile alien planet of Carcosa, with the first biome shown being that of a lost civilisation. Devraj will begin each run by choosing a loadout, mixing Soltari human weaponry and Carcosan alien weaponry, plus he’ll have access to a wide variety of tools.

Saros was first announced earlier this year at Sony’s February State of Play and will be the first game from Housemarque as a first party studio, after being bought by Sony in 2021 after Returnal’s release.

Sony announced Saros will release on X 2026, exclusive on PS5. It’s unknown if a PC release will follow, as with Returnal.

Returnal has received plenty of praise from players, critics, and award-givers alike, and is considered one of the key games to truly make use of the PS5 hardware. As such, expectations are high for Saros to follow suit.

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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.

Watch on YouTube

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.

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Here’s a first look at Housemarque’s Returnal follow-up Saros, out next March

First gameplay trailer for Returnal follow-up Saros reveals a gentler roguelike that’s no less abundant in bullets