After spending 150 hours in return, Saros must nail these 2 features

Saros is near the top of my must-do list this year. The game launches in just over a month now, and I can't wait to see what Housemarque has up its sleeve next. Saros looks like it takes Returns formula and improves it with some interesting tweaks. The main difference between the two is that Saros can actually reach a larger audience. Some gameplay changes may disappoint some Return fans, but I'm not too bothered by the more forgiving progression system and protagonist Arjun's revival mechanic.

Return is probably one of my favorite stories in gaming. The way it uses its villainous elements to delve into Selene's psyche and tell a story about being trapped in traumatic cycles isn't just good writing. It's a brilliant way to showcase how game mechanics are important storytelling tools. SarosThe story has some high expectations to live up to, but Housemarque will definitely give players something compelling and emotionally deep. Returns story is what first caught my attention when I started playing, but after about 150 hours into the game, there are two main gameplay features that I hope Saros nails as well or improves: the use of haptic feedback and building variety.

Returnal remains one of the best showcases of the DualSense's Haptic Feedback capabilities

This year will mark six years since the PS5 first launched, and it still feels like many developers have yet to fully embrace DualSense's capabilities. Of course, this is partly due to the fact that the last few years have featured many cross-generational games, but the PS5 seems to be finally getting going.

Developers are finally moving on from the last generation of consoles, and that hopefully means making better use of DualSense's haptic feedback. Latest PS5 exclusive likes Astro Bot, Death Stranding 2and Ghost of Yotei made great use of the controller's features, but Return was truly ahead of its time. Both Return and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launched in 2021, and the two remain some of the best demonstrations of how versatile DualSense is as an immersion tool.

Balance the critics' averages

Light (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)

Saros has the opportunity to show more of what DualSense can do

Return makes it feel like your hands are experiencing its own version of surround sound, and it's still just as impressive five years later. Now that Housemarque has experience in developing Returns haptic feedback and several years of work on Sarosthat hopefully means the game will have even better DualSense controls. Saros' confirmed features have already made it clear that Returns bullet-hell gameplay and use of roguelike staples as a narrative tool is used again, so hopefully that means haptic feedback gets a similar, hopefully even better, treatment.

Ways Returnal makes Haptic Feedback part of the experience

Raindrops are felt through small vibrations.
Different soil structures give different feelings.
Weapons have their own unique vibration.
Moving in different environments feels distinct.
The adaptive Alt-Fire trigger makes gunplay more realistic.
Haptic feedback in cutscenes adds extra depth.

Return makes it feel like your hands are experiencing its own version of surround sound, and it's still just as impressive five years later.

Returnal could have used more build variations, and Saros can finally make it happen

Return uses many of its roguelike elements perfectly, but I think it could have benefited from more build variety when it comes to each run. Run variation is not really part of Returnand Saros looks like it is considering this. Saros makes quite a significant change in how Return approaching death. The latter was quite tough in this regard as Selene would lose most of her upgrades upon death. With Arjun, it seems Housemarque is more forgiving this time, but hopefully not too much. Tagline for Saros until its release has been “Come back stronger.” This comes right into play Sarospermanent progression system, and I'm really curious to see how much this makes the game feel different Return.

Death is more about growth than starting over Sarosand this can potentially be of great help to the build system. Of course, traditional roguelikes are all about starting over with a blank slate, but Saros' roguelit, static approach may require more methodical consideration of which upgrades are chosen. There's also the ability to choose Arjun's charge before each run, so that alone already offers more build flexibility than Return.

Other ways Saro's progression system differs from Returnals

Carcosan Modifiers can be used to adjust the difficulty.
The Second Chance mechanic allows for an instant revival instead of death.
An Eclipse can be triggered that affects enemies, weapons and armor.

There is still time to check out the return before Saros gets here

Funnily enough, Saros starts on Returnfifth anniversary on April 30. Since the former was originally supposed to launch this month, Housemarque pushing it back to that date is either an amusing coincidence or an exciting sign that Saros is intended to be as strong a game as Return where. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's even better because Housemarque's work deserves to reach a larger audience. Return wasn't a financial failure by any means, but it definitely didn't reach the number of players it should have. Return was one of the very first original PS5 exclusives, and it's surprising that fact alone didn't generate more hype.

Saros however, has the chance to be another story. April is looking sparse when it comes to AAA titles, so hopefully it works out Saros'favor. Return is not only very underrated for its story and gameplay. It's an underrated gem as it's still a brilliant showcase of the PS5's DualSense capabilities when it should have been surpassed by now. The game still hasn't quite gotten the praise it deserves in that regard, and Saros will hopefully open the door for more players to experience such amazing gameplay, storytelling and well-crafted immersion.