Previews for Housemarque’s Saros have gone live, including a 15-minute run of the first biome, Shattered Rise, culminating in an encounter with the first major boss. However, there’s even more gameplay footage out there set in the Ancient Ruins, where players battle against the second big bad, Bastion. Check it out below, courtesy of Inside Games.
It’s here that we truly get to see the gameplay loop, which creative director Gregory Louden described to PlayStation Blog as more of a “playground” compared to Returnal’s “obstacle course.” “We wanted to make projectiles, opportunities.” Essentially, instead of simply dodging bullets from enemies, you’re actively seeking them out for Prominence, your Power Weapon.
Discovered by Arjun through a mysterious artifact, it ties directly into his Soltari Shield. By absorbing blue projectiles, you feed the Prominence, which launches an explosive projectile by holding down L2 fully (a partial hold activates your weapon’s alt-fire mode, as in Returnal). But your shield has a limited duration, which is directly affected by Power.
As a result, you’re having to quickly decide when to leap into the fray – because more absorption means more Prominence shots – and when to hang back, especially when an enemy fires other projectiles. Some enemies in Ancient Ruins also have dome shields, so you need to get inside to deal damage. Then there’s Bastion, who fires an orange laser with blue bullets around it, if you want to risk absorbing them.
Saros launches on April 30th for PS5, and it seems to improve on Returnal in every single way. Head here to learn more about its permanent progression.
