The big closing announcement for today's PlayStation State of Play broadcast was the next game from Returnal developer Housemarque. Titled Saros, the new game is not a sequel to the studio's beloved roguelike, but the team says it's directly following up on the action that made Returnal so beloved.
"We are thrilled to announce that our latest game, Saros, is launching next year on PS5 and enhanced for PS5 Pro," creative director Gregory Louden said during today's State of Play broadcast. "Saros is the ultimate evolution of the Housemarque gameplay-first experience. It's a new single-player IP that builds on Returnal's award-winning third-person action.“
The cinematic announce trailer gives us our first look at protagonist Arjun Devraj, portrayed by Rahul Kohli. The game takes place on a "hostile, shape-shifting planet haunted by an ominous eclipse." If that sounds like a roguelike to you, you're not far off - but Saros offers more long-term progression systems, so the pendatic among you might want to call it a roguelite instead.
"A key gameplay distinction between Saros and Returnal is permanent resources and progression making every death valuable," according to a post on the PlayStation blog. "After every death you will face a changed world, but in Saros you will be able to choose and permanently upgrade your loadout from an evolving set of weapons and suit upgrades to 'come back stronger' to overcome the challenges you face on Carcosa."
That's all Housemarque is revealing about the gameplay in Saros for now, but a proper look at gameplay is coming later this year, ahead of the game's actual launch in 2026.
If Saros even comes close to Returnal, it'll be a strong candidate for our list of the best roguelike games.
