Housemarque and Sony have finally unveiled more extensive new gameplay of Saros, the former’s upcoming bullet-hell roguelite shooter and spiritual successor to Returnal. IGN has a full run of the first biome, Shattered Rise, running in 4K/60 FPS on a base PS5, where protagonist Arjun Devraj embarks to investigate the fate of Echelon Colony.
From the outset, Saros features many of the same tenets as Returnal. You can upgrade the starting weapon and find new options like the Tactical Rifle and Smart Rifle, each with unique perks. Different Artifacts also abound, like Fatal Drain 1, where kills restore Integrity (aka health). They also provide passive stat points to boost Lucenite Gain or max Integrity.
And as before, taking no hits while slaying foes will increase Adrenaline, which boosts melee damage and provides other benefits. The key difference is that Arjun has a barrier for absorbing blue bullets to fuel his Power Weapon, Prominence. When you trigger the Eclipse, Carcosa is warped, and enemies send out corrupted projectiles, which reduce max Integrity. Dealing damage with Prominence will clear that corruption, but won’t restore Integrity, so better hope your healing abilities can compensate.
Facing off against the first boss also offers a chance to showcase Second Chance. Arjun will come back to life after suffering a fatal blow. It’s not a full heal, but it provides enough to help finish off a boss.
Saros takes place on Carcosa, which is under the threat of a terrifying Eclipse that’s mutated the planet’s creatures when it’s not triggering a world-ending flare. Of course, like Returnal, death isn’t the end, and as players embark on multiple runs, they’ll find out more about the fate of its colonists. It’s available on April 30th for PS5.
