Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Housemarque have released the launch trailer for fast-paced, cinematic action game Saros.
Here is an overview of the game, via Sony Interactive Entertainment:
About
Beneath the shadow of an ominous eclipse, Arjun Devraj (Rahul Kohli) is a Soltari enforcer who will stop at nothing to pursue answers on the shape-shifting Carcosa, a world of dark secrets and hostile inhabitants.
Master electrifying bullet ballet combat—intense projectile-focused gameplay with a unique, neon-infused esthetic—to overcome ferocious enemies and spectacular boss fights.
Key Features
- Housemarque Returns – With decades of experience crafting adrenaline-fueled, arcade-inspired mechanics, Housemarque is back with the next evolution of the award-winning, third-person action seen in Returnal.
- Bullet Ballet – Unleash a high-tech arsenal as you dodge, shield and parry enemy attacks in a fluid, flow-state-inducing dance. Combine abilities and learn enemy bullet patterns to gain the upper hand when the odds seem stacked against you.
- Permanent Progression – Augment your loadout using an evolving set of weapons and upgrades. After every run you’ll face a changed world, but the resources you gain will ensure Carcosa yields to you. With Second Chance you’ll be revived instantly on your first death, getting you straight back into the action.
- Lost Carcosa – Fight through mysterious biomes and dreamlike landscapes littered with ancient ruins and alien technology. Come back stronger after every death to break free of the shackles of your past as you uncover the true cost of your power.
- Otherworldly Sound Design and Musical Score – Carcosa is brought to life by atmospheric, sci-fi-inspired 3D audio soundscapes—all punctuated by a dark, electronic-meets-drone-metal musical score from multi award-winning composer, Sam Slater.1
- Who Can You Trust? – Between runs, return to the Passage to track your progression and meet the crew of Echelon IV. But beware: the Eclipse distorts more than physical spaces. As hallucinations and paranoia take hold, even your closest allies may become your greatest threat…
PlayStation 5 Features
- Thrive in the chaos of Carcosa’s Eclipse with near-instant loading speeds of the PlayStation 5 console letting you rapidly start over.
- Track threats and more with precision Tempest 3D Audio.
- Seize control of Arjun’s fate; feel every texture in your hands with the detailed input of haptic feedback.
- Feel the influence of the Eclipse on Arjun’s suit and weaponry via adaptive triggers, as capabilities augment and evolve…
And here are the latest details, via PlayStation Blog:
Launch Trailer
For our launch trailer we wanted to show more mystery, characters, weapons and, of course, more bullet ballet action for you all. The opening features Stack, performed by the brilliant Keone Young (Deadwood) painting images that are being forced into his mind on Carcosa, followed by stunning imagery of the Cathedral. The perfect way to establish the tone and world we are launching you into.
We also tease a mysterious future London alley and a hotel corridor that you’ll experience as Arjun. Saros is more than just a dark sci-fi action game – we can’t wait for you all to experience these story focused liminal spaces during Arjun’s journey on Carcosa. There’s also more twists and turns, but it’s best if they are experienced when playing.
Last, but not least, we wanted to show more action, including the main weapons and Power weapons you will use. Two key Carcosan weapons shown in the trailer are Chakram and the Illumine Beam Power weapon. Saros features multiple weapon archetypes and multiple weapon variants which are generated every cycle. The trailer also gives you a glimpse of the incredible boss fights you’ll engage in against the Overlords of Carcosa. This is just a taste of what you will encounter.
Carcosan Modifiers Allow You to Adjust Your Experience
With Saros we set out to create a challenging and rewarding action game where every death is valuable. So prepare to die, but also come back stronger with every cycle. With Carcosan Modifiers, you can adjust your experience to lower the challenge… or ramp it up. Find a balance that’s more suited to you. Combined with the Armour Matrix, you’ll love upgrading Arjun and adjusting your stats and abilities.
For players who want less challenge to beat that boss or a tough biome, use Protection Modifiers to adjust your experience. Damage Enhancement allows you to increase your damage dealt to hostiles. Shield Power Enhancement makes your Soltari Shield not consume power so you can use your Power Weapon more often. Lastly Overlord Restoration is a game changer which allows you to be at full armor integrity when you face the Overlords on Carcosa.
For players who want even more challenge, use the Trial Modifiers. Weapon Decay means your main weapon will decay through usage. Hostile Death Projectiles is pretty self explanatory. Last but not least my two favourites are Growth Incapacitor I, which removes second chance, and Growth Incapacitor II, which removes all Armor Matrix enhancements for even more of a challenge.
Expanded Accessibility
As well as Carcosan Modifiers, Saros also has accessibility features at launch. It was a goal of our team to build upon Returnal’s accessibility features and expect a deep dive into these features ahead post launch. Today we are happy to share that we will support colour blindness features. For example, we can ensure all players can distinguish between Normal, Corrupted and Nova projectiles. There’ll also be a Dialogue focus mode feature, controller remapping and plenty more. More news on our full feature set coming post launch.
Amazing Collaborators and Gratitude
We have worked with amazing collaborators on Saros at Housemarque and we also wanted to give them a shout out for this launch focussed blog. As well as the amazing teams at PlayStation, Nixxes, PlayStation Creative Arts, and XDEV, we have also teamed up with lots of brilliant external studios filled with artists and developers that have made Saros what it is today. Thanks to everyone who contributed from these fantastic teams and also to our amazing cast of actors who provided the soul for our characters you will love and lose.
We are also happy to announce that award winning graphic novelist and storyteller Ram V, worked with our narrative team at Housemarque on the characters and world of Saros during our pre-production. Ram’s approach to cosmic horror, authenticity and his perspective helped us shape Arjun and Nitya as living and breathing characters..
Saros is due out for PlayStation 5 on April 30.
Watch the trailer below.