2026 is already a promising start for video games, and even more titles are on the way later this year. While we already received God of War: Sons of Sparta earlier this year, more PS5 exclusives are coming. The next exclusive on the radar is Saros from Housemarque.
Before Saros releases on April 30, Techday NZ had the opportunity to play a preview of the game at PlayStation NZ. We got to play the game for about two hours, and here is what we think of the game so far.
Many PS5 owners will already be familiar with Returnal, which came out in 2021; however, Saros is quite similar even though it's not a sequel or spin-off. Both Returnal and Saros are developed by Housemarque, and they're epic third-person shooters that test the patience and skills of all gamers.
I won't spoil the story too much here, but you assume the role of a man named Arjun Devraj, who is played by Rahul Kohli. Kohli might not be a household name just yet, but I recognised him from the Supergirl TV show.
Anyway, Arjun Devraj is lost on a planet called Carcosa, and he's searching for someone whom he loves dearly. Carcosa isn't a friendly planet because the place is crawling with monstrous aliens, and everything is pretty much deadly and hostile.
What I like most about Saros so far is its fast-paced and addictive gameplay loop. The game runs smoothly at 60fps at all times, and the shooting mechanics are satisfying and responsive like Returnal was.
You don't have to worry about an annoying stamina system or running out of ammo either. Ammo is pretty much infinite in this game, although in this preview, it seems like Arjun is only allowed to carry one weapon at a time.
As aforementioned, there is no stamina bar, so Arjun can dodge and run as long as he wants. This is really helpful because the enemies in this game love to spam lots of projectiles at you all the time! The dodge mechanic can also phase through most laser beams in the game, too.
Aside from dodging, Arjun can also conjure up a shield ball to protect himself from all enemy attacks as well. From my experience with the game so far, I found the dodge mechanic to be more helpful than the shield, though.
One of the more unique aspects of Saros, though, is that dying is a necessary part of the gameplay loop. If you feel that the game is too hard, don't worry, because you earn currency every time you kill enemies.
The in-game currency can be used to upgrade your gun's power, your shield, and more. Upgrades can be bought from a special machine that is located at Arjun's base of operations. Every time you die on a run, you respawn at the base.
Every time I died, I upgraded Arjun's stats, and I became stronger and stronger. However, much like Returnal, the game has roguelike elements, and this means there are no traditional checkpoints like in other games. Instead, you always get brought back to home base and have to start the level all over again.
Aside from normal enemies, the game also promises to have epic boss battles. I only managed to encounter one boss in the game, but he's already a huge challenge. This is mainly because he has multiple health bars and spams lots of attacks at you!
From what I played so far, Saros is looking like a sleeper hit for 2026. If you liked Returnal, there's a good chance you will like this game as well. Check back with us later this year for our full review of the game.