Housemarque's upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive, Saros, will debut with auto-saves enabled and multiple save slots, addressing a key criticism of the studio's previous title, Returnal, which lacked these features at launch. The roguelike shooter, featuring Rahul Kohli as Arjun Devraj, is set to release on April 30. While it maintains a similar level of intense action and difficulty as its predecessor, Saros incorporates several player-friendly adjustments based on feedback from Returnal.
Gregory Louden, creative director of Saros, explains, "The lesson from Returnal was that players loved our creation, but many wanted to progress further. Our goal with Saros is to provide that opportunity without diluting the challenge. It remains a tough game, but we've added ways to modify the difficulty." These enhancements include permanent upgrades, second-chance revive mechanics, and "Carcosan Modifiers"—toggleable options that can adjust the challenge level of the alien world.
A significant improvement is the ability to pause and resume runs, a feature that was missing in Returnal's initial release and later added via a patch. This change aims to accommodate players with busy schedules, allowing them to stop and pick up where they left off. Additionally, each run in Saros is designed to last around 30 minutes, with many sessions clocking in closer to 20 minutes during recent hands-on previews.
Mitja Roskaric, associate design director, notes, "We want every death to be a learning experience, and shorter runs help players absorb lessons more frequently. The 30-minute length is ideal for this type of game." The inclusion of multiple save slots is another key feature, as Roskaric adds, "With Returnal, I had to clear saves to restart. Now, having multiple slots from the start allows for concurrent runs, which is crucial given how busy lives can be."
Saros launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on April 30. Are you planning to play, and do these new features make you more excited to dive in? Share your thoughts in the comments!
