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SAROS Releases March 20, 2026

As the resident Returnal stan, I'm both delighted and kind of not that into some changes. First, I really dislike the MC and his outfit, it just does nothing for me and Selene Vassos was a fantastic character. Even the simple VA elements like pain sounds and all were very expressive. This dude is hyper generic to me.

Nitpick but the HUD is lame.

Biggest one for me is that the art direction and music shifted from the atmospheric as fuck Giger/Beksinski inspiration and incredible synth score to what reminds me slightly more of Nu Doom in some aspects?

Gameplay will be HM orgasm central no doubt but I was surprisingly not that into some of the changes. Day 1 of course but was expecting to fucking love the trailer.
I agree on almost everything, this temu dom from gears has everything to prove.

Returnal aesthetic looked far more interesting than this but tbf, they showed very little of the game.
 
That yellow filter nightmare from Deus Ex is here too, and I didn't really like it. The main character feels bland and not very interesting. The gameplay looks similar to Returnal, which means I'll definitely play it once it comes to pc. If I weren't too lazy, I'd replay Returnal as well, it was such a fantastic game.
 
I watched the video 3 times already. The more I watch it, the more like it. Im very excited about this game especially knowing how great was returnal and this one looks bigger and much better graphics.
 
My biggest problem was we were always stuck with the same shitty gun at each death. And except the beaten bosses, the rest of the "upgrades" were IMO trash.
Looks like Saros will be an improvement for you then. Housemarque mentioned choosing your loadout before a run, so I assume you can start with different weapons. I kinda liked the feel of the pistol as the default weapon, but it was admittedly weak. Usually you get new weapon options pretty quickly though after clearing a few rooms.
 
The gameplay looks great, just like Returnal..
But I want to know if they've improved the Roguelite formula with more upgrades that change your playstyle and abilities in more significant ways. My biggest issue with returnal, and why I think it's a bad roguelite, is that runs felt way too samey. A roguelike/lite that doesn't make runs feel unique is basically just a repetitive game with a low volume of content.
 
I agree on almost everything, this temu dom from gears has everything to prove.

Returnal aesthetic looked far more interesting than this but tbf, they showed very little of the game.
Apparently the art, or some, was outsourced to that Nixxes support studio and it shows. The part I strongly dislike the more I watched this is the turn to a corny Angry Beard Dude who drops a one-liner at the beginning. Compared to Returnal's character, that feels like a return to grade school.

The reality is that Returnal was Harry Kruger's passion project much like Demon's Souls was Miyazaki's. He left the company and they're using the basis of Returnal for a new game which is completely fair and I wager it'll play just as great. I just have a strong feeling this is that without Kruger's obsessive, crazy shit and art direction demands (interviews show he was highly involved and brought in the reference materials), this will lose what made Returnal so unique and special to me a bit.

Again I'm there Day 1 but yea.
 
Also amazing to see that on ERA they're already knee-deep into not liking the MC compared to Selene is racist because apparently the dude is Indian but Selene is a white woman and therefore he wins the oppression olympics. Despite being a generic Angry Bearded Bro dropping one-liners and grunting like he's in a locker room escapade.

Frustrated Ryan Gosling GIF
 
So happy we're getting another one of these. I should really give Returnal some more playtime. Such an amazing game.
 
Returnal was amazing and Housemarque can basically do no wrong, but I'm glad they showed that sizzle real at the end with different biomes and whatnot.
 

Needs a better artstyle, considering its gameplay. Something brighter, poppier. Wouldn't mind if this were a 3d Megaman X game.

This probably has the best minimap I've ever seen in a game. It's ever-so-slightly canted, and is thus extremely functional for navigation.

But I've no interest in lazy roguelikes, so... 🤷‍♂️
 
Needs a better artstyle, considering its gameplay. Something brighter, poppier. Wouldn't mind if this were a 3d Megaman X game.

This probably has the best minimap I've ever seen in a game. It's ever-so-slightly canted, and is thus extremely functional for navigation.

But I've no interest in lazy roguelikes, so... 🤷‍♂️
A 3D Megaman would be perfect for a roguelike. Even 2D works well for indie Megaman clones 20XX & 30XX.
Splatoon 3's Side Order DLC is a pretty well done roguelike, it is certainly "brighter and poppier" and I prefer it over Returnal.

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... ok, I'm now ready for Saros.
March 2027 here we come!
 
Yep. It's Returnal 2. Looks awesome but as a roguelite it's unfortunately not for me.

The last words of the trailer are "Come back stronger". This should have been called Returnal 2.

I'll never understand Housemarque about the fact that they never re-use their own IP. Very strange.
I mean From is the same way. Dark Souls is the only outlier.
 
Apparently the art, or some, was outsourced to that Nixxes support studio and it shows. The part I strongly dislike the more I watched this is the turn to a corny Angry Beard Dude who drops a one-liner at the beginning. Compared to Returnal's character, that feels like a return to grade school.

The reality is that Returnal was Harry Kruger's passion project much like Demon's Souls was Miyazaki's. He left the company and they're using the basis of Returnal for a new game which is completely fair and I wager it'll play just as great. I just have a strong feeling this is that without Kruger's obsessive, crazy shit and art direction demands (interviews show he was highly involved and brought in the reference materials), this will lose what made Returnal so unique and special to me a bit.

Again I'm there Day 1 but yea.
Kruger did work on the game in the early stages. But. I wonder if their games will be the same without him.
 
Day 0. Loved Returnal. Can't wait to play on the pro. Hopefully more weapon types. I wonder what they kept and what they changed.
 
at a glance the cover art and main character had me thinking this was a Deus Ex game. Looks like the branding from human revolution
 
I wouldn't mind a Dead Nation and Alienation current gen upgrade patch ...Housemarque never misses. Their "worst" game is probably Matterfall which is still a good game in its own way. Looks great in 4k/hdr and has a pumping sound track.

Has anyone played that new Twin Stick shooter by the ex HouseMarque dev?
 
I wouldn't mind a Dead Nation and Alienation current gen upgrade patch ...Housemarque never misses. Their "worst" game is probably Matterfall which is still a good game in its own way. Looks great in 4k/hdr and has a pumping sound track.

Has anyone played that new Twin Stick shooter by the ex HouseMarque dev?
Sektori is incredibly addictive. I highly recommend it 👍
 
I wouldn't mind a Dead Nation and Alienation current gen upgrade patch ...Housemarque never misses. Their "worst" game is probably Matterfall which is still a good game in its own way. Looks great in 4k/hdr and has a pumping sound track.

Has anyone played that new Twin Stick shooter by the ex HouseMarque dev?
I recommend checking out Sektori. I currently have seven hours of playtime in it.

The thing I mostly don't like about Sektori is the card based ability system. I don't generally like random based abilities. In Sektori though this system is limited and you as a player have some control over it.

The good things about Sektori is the limited usage of the invisibility frame dash or strike as the game calls it. The strike is balanced in a way that encourages tactical use and that tactical way is tied to a scoring mechanic.

Other notable things are the additional game modes which allow you to play the game with different rules. The additional game modes are designed in a way that they support each other and by playing each one of them you become a better player in the main campaign.
 
Preordered the digital deluxe version a few moments ago, it's easily my most anticipated game this year (along with Control Resonant).
I still had my mind set on a March 20 release and remembered it got delayed after purchasing it :P

Can't really complain though. I much prefer it being a stable and glitch-free release. Returnal had some pretty bad bugs before getting patched and while I stuck with the game I came close to putting it down for a while after falling through the map floor mid run for the third time.
 
I wouldn't mind a Dead Nation and Alienation current gen upgrade patch ...Housemarque never misses. Their "worst" game is probably Matterfall which is still a good game in its own way. Looks great in 4k/hdr and has a pumping sound track.

Has anyone played that new Twin Stick shooter by the ex HouseMarque dev?

Sektori! Yup I completed the campaign the other week.

Absolutely brilliant game with an incredible soundtrack.
 
World and gameplay of Returnal seemed awesome.

But I can't stand roguelikes. It doesn't respect my time. If Returnal at least saved after each level instead of groups of 3, I'd have tried to stick it out. Shame that I will miss out on another game that otherwise does everything I want a game to do. I hope you all enjoy it.
 
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World and gameplay of Returnal seemed awesome.

But I can't stand roguelikes. It doesn't respect my time. If Returnal at least saved after each level instead of groups of 3, I'd have tried to stick it out. Shame that I will miss out on another game that otherwise does everything I want a game to do. I hope you all enjoy it.
Totally agree. I love souls likes, but their worst parts are the long run backs to the boss. This type of roguelike is the epitome. I wish that I could sacrifice my time for it.
 
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I wouldn't mind a Dead Nation and Alienation current gen upgrade patch ...Housemarque never misses. Their "worst" game is probably Matterfall which is still a good game in its own way. Looks great in 4k/hdr and has a pumping sound track.

Has anyone played that new Twin Stick shooter by the ex HouseMarque dev?

Dead Nation isn't even supported on PS5 backwards compatibility... A "Housemarque" collection with all their games, remastered, including Outland, would be much better.
 
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