Returnal is one of the best games on the PS5, but it could at times be unforgiving.
You had to really buy into its roguelite gameplay in order to extract the most enjoyment from it, but pseudo-sequel Saros will be shaving off some of those rough edges in order to make the experience universally appealing.
Among the improvements are new ‘Come Back Stronger’ mechanics, which mean with each run you’ll edge forward.
Progress will take place in The Passage, a hub area where you’ll be able to interact with other characters and upgrade your capabilities using resources you collect during each run.
Chief among these is the Armour Matrix which adds permanent buffs to your arsenal, although it’s branching so you’ll need to think carefully about which areas you want to improve. Do you want to withstand more damage? Or do you want to extract more resources per run? The choice is yours.
Another new feature is the Carcosan Modifier which will enable you to stack tweaks to your game, some making the experience easier and others making it harder.
The crux here is that you’ll need to keep everything in balance, so you might make it easier to reload your weapon but remove your Second Chance ability entirely. It’s up to you.
And one other quality of life feature pertains to fast travel. While you will be able to play through all of the biomes in one go if you want to, you’ll also be able to teleport directly to the area you last failed, making the game that little less punishing.
Obviously, this is a tough balancing act for Housemarque, because the beauty of Returnal was its high-stakes gameplay. But we think by sanding off the rough edges, this game is going to appeal to a lot more people, without isolating those who enjoyed the original experience.