Housemarque's Saros: Less 'Soul-Crushing,' More 'Soul-Searching' (Apparently, Most Players Couldn't Beat Returnal, Mate)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Housemarque's upcoming title, Saros, significantly dials back the notorious difficulty of its predecessor, Returnal, by introducing extensive metaprogression and a customizable mod system. This shift, revealed in a Polygon interview, aims to make the game more approachable after data showed a small percentage of players completed Returnal, allowing more gamers to experience Housemarque's unique 'flow state' gameplay.
Alright, gather 'round, digital adventurers! Remember *Returnal*? Yeah, the game that probably still gives some of you night terrors – a brilliant, brutal bullet hell roguelike that made getting past the first boss feel like achieving nirvana after a particularly grueling digital pilgrimage. Fair dinkum, it was *hard*. Ask a thousand gamers to describe it, and 'hard' would echo back like a curse from the Crimson Wastes itself.
Well, Housemarque, the maestros of exquisite digital pain, have taken a long, hard look in the mirror after *Returnal*, and their next outing, *Saros*, is apparently a different beast altogether. According to a Polygon interview with creative director Gregory Louden and associate design director Matti Häkli (big thanks to Giovanni Colantonio for the intel!), *Saros* is designed to be… well, *more manageable*. *Gasp!* I know, right? My internal chaos meter just twitched.
Now, before you hardcore *Returnal* purists start sharpening your virtual shivs, this isn't about slapping an 'easy mode' sticker on things and calling it a day. It's more about giving players *options*. See, the cold, hard data (specifically, Steam trophy stats) showed that while 37.9% of players cleared *Returnal*'s first act, a mere 6.4% saw the bloody third act through. That's a huge drop-off, a real digital graveyard of unfinished runs. Housemarque realised they'd crafted something special, but it was locked behind a challenge wall so high, most players couldn't even get a decent run-up.
Louden told Polygon, "We knew we created something special and we knew that everyone loved *Returnal*, but people did tell us, ‘I wanted to love *Returnal*, but I just couldn't get forward.’" So, for *Saros*, they’ve cooked up a whole new spellbook of mitigations: extensive metaprogression (a skill tree, essentially), and a mod system that lets you tweak the difficulty like a mad wizard adjusting reality itself. Want more defence? Sure, but maybe your shield takes a hit, or you bank less currency. It’s a bit of a give and take, a digital alchemy that lets you forge your own path to victory (or even greater challenge, if you're a glutton for punishment).
This is a massive departure from *Returnal*'s unforgiving nature, where death meant *poof*, back to square one, often before you'd even properly processed what Selene was mumbling about. *Saros* lets you restart from your most recent biome, and the skill tree offers permanent boosts. It's almost like Housemarque is finally letting us mortals have a bit of a fighting chance, rather than just endlessly feeding us to the digital grinder.
Häkli clarifies it's not about making it 'easier' but about giving players "more room and time to learn the ropes, and understand the mechanics." It's about finding that coveted 'flow state' that Housemarque games are famous for, but making it accessible to more people. And honestly, mate, that's pretty darn clever. If more players can actually get through the game and experience that unique Housemarque magic, then who knows? Maybe they'll even brave *Returnal* later, or dive into the studio's rich back catalogue like *Nex Machina* or *Resogun*.
So, while the core challenge is still there – and yes, you can ignore all the new systems and still play like a true masochist if you so desire – *Saros* looks like Housemarque's bid to share their particular brand of intense, satisfying gameplay with a much wider audience. It's not just about getting to the end; it's about enabling more players to truly *experience* the journey. And that, my friends, is a trend I can cautiously get behind. As long as it still occasionally makes me curse at my screen, of course. Some things never change, eh?
Tags: GamingNews, Housemarque, Saros, Returnal, GameDesign
Original article: Polygon