Arjun Devraj arrives on the mysterious planet Carcosa with a clear mission: to investigate what happened to the previously missing expeditions and secure the extraction of lucenite - a mineral whose energy potential is said to be unparalleled.
It soon becomes clear that Devraj has a personal motive, as he knows someone who was on one of the previous expeditions.
"Fundamentally, it's a story about growing as a person, and coming back stronger. And you do that both as a player and thematically in the story," says Gregory Louden, who led the development of "Saros" at Helsinki-based Housemarque.
Basics from "Returnal"
The basics of “Saros” are familiar from “Returnal”; this time it is a sci-fi third-person shooter where the player faces hordes of enemies that spit out colorful projectiles. The roguelite format also returns, a game mechanic in which you start over from the beginning when you die.
However, the gaming experience is turned upside down by a shield that Arjun can use both to protect himself and to intercept certain projectiles to charge his power weapon.
If “Returnal” was an obstacle course, then “Saros” is a playground, says Gregory Louden.
There are opportunities everywhere to turn dangers to your advantage, he says.
Difficulty level
In “Saros”, the player also has greater opportunities to permanently upgrade their abilities and modify the difficulty level. This is possibly a reaction to the fact that many people found “Returnal” so difficult that they didn’t finish it.
For us, it's about enabling more people to experience "Saros", while also keeping hardcore players happy, says Louden.
In terms of population, Finland is a world leader in game development, with titles released almost every year that are awarded at major awards. Gregory Louden, himself from Australia, is impressed by the Nordic gaming industry in general.
There were incredibly smart, talented and driven developers in the early 90s who really helped create this industry. That's why I, as an Australian, am here in Finland.
Helsinki-based Housemarque was founded in 1995 and is the oldest still-active game developer in Finland.
The studio has released over 20 games. The latest, “Returnal” (2021), was critically acclaimed and won several awards, including best game at the BAFTA Game Awards and the Nordic Game Awards 2022.
Housemarque was acquired by Sony in 2021 and has since been part of Sony PlayStation Studios.
The studio has around 120 employees.
