STACK #258 April 2026

GAMING FEATURE

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a wide variety of environments and enemies to encounter,” says Loudon. “The stunning environment that Arjun explores is that of a lost ancient civilisation fuelled by the twisted enlightenment of an eclipse. But this is just one of the biomes our amazing team have created.” Aiding in his quest, Arjun wears a combat suit that’s packed with rather useful abilities. “Arjun’s Soltari advanced combat suit allows him to dash, melee, jump, and more,” Loudon explains. “At the start of every run you select your loadout from a mix of Soltari human weaponry and Carcosan alien weaponry.” Ah, but it isn’t that simple – there are strange forces at play, affecting your loadout – and beyond. “The eclipse corrupts the weapons, artifacts, world, and peoples’ minds,” says Loudon. “Arjun must push through the eclipse to find answers, but with every attempt it adds corruption to Carcosa. “The eclipse also changes certain biome properties. In the Blighted Marsh, for example,

GENRE: Action adventure MULTIPLAYER: No

FORMAT:

The eagerly awaited latest cinematic action experience from Finnish developers Housemarque, Saros , arrives this month.The game’s creative director, Gregory Louden, lets us in on some of what to expect. Words Amy Flower THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

how the marsh water comes alive and burns players when the eclipse is activated. Hostiles will also shoot yellow corrupted projectiles which reduce your max armour integrity unless cleansed using your power weapon.” Accompanying the relentless gameplay is a killer soundtrack. “The dark-electronic meets drone-metal score was composed by the fantastic two-time Grammy Award-winning Sam Slater,”

A fter the success of their original IP Returnal , the people at Housemarque were keen to branch out with its follow-up. “After Returnal we knew we had created something special and award-winning, but we also knew we wanted Returnal to stand on its own,” muses Louden. “With this in mind, we decided to create a new IP which evolves our deep third-person action and mysterious storytelling.” Action is very much to the fore in Saros , which Housemarque are billing as featuring a “haunting story”. Loudon elaborates. “Set on the lost off-world colony Carcosa under an ominous eclipse, you play as Arjun Devraj, a powerful Soltari Enforcer who will stop at nothing to find who he is looking for.” Arjun is portrayed by actor Rahul Kohli, who many will remember fondly as Ravi from the super-fun TV series iZombie . “Rahul truly brings Arjun to life in a stunning performance,” enthuses Louden. “He’s been a brilliant collaborator to tell our story and a champion for the game.” While there will be some similarities, those who want what is essentially Returnal II may need to adjust their expectations, for

DYK?

Returnal ’s Selene makes a return of sorts in Saros , with actor Jane

Perry back as new character Sheridan Bouchard.

Loudon tells us. “His past work includes collaborations on the acclaimed Chernobyl and Joker , as well as being part of the team behind the score for the cult film Mandy . “The sound of the world also becomes corrupted during eclipse,” Loudon continues. “With the music distorting with layers of drone guitars that resonate across our world.” Ultimately, Loudon says that Housemarque really hope players connect deeply with Saros . “Our goal is to create

Housemarque aim for Saros to be its own beast – as Loudon explains. “A key gameplay distinction between Saros and Returnal is permanent resources and progression making every death valuable. After every death you’ll face a changed world, but in Saros you'll be able to choose and permanently upgrade your loadout from an evolving set of weapons and suit parts to ‘come back stronger’ to overcome the challenges you face on Carcosa.” The planet of Carcosa sure sounds like a fascinating place... “It’s a shapeshifting, hostile alien planet – one that changes on every death - and offers

an emotional and powerful character study that explores the cost it takes to create a new future. We’re super proud of how Saros plays, and we can’t wait for players to experience it.”

• Saros is out Apr 30

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Returnal, Control, Doom: The Dark Ages

APRIL 2026

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