What a Seemingly ‘Stylish’ CG Trailer Actually Tells us About Saros

Par for the PlayStation course, we were treated to a handful of “not actual gameplay” trailers at the recent State of Play, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find important tidbits on what’s to come, specifically with Housemarque’s Saros…

Sony and its PlayStation platforms love CG trailers for upcoming games. It’s a maddening position for many a fan and, in a modern sense, also a bit antiquated. After all, a CG trailer rarely sees the live game live up to the visual sheen or often even the tone of the teaser in question. And that’s usually what these things are -- teasers. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. No one is ever going to turn down a Blizzard IP CG trailer (especially those in the Diablo camp) or a Final Fantasy teaser, but for the most part the modern gamer just wants to know how the game will look upon release how it will play and just what we can expect to be engaging with when it’s all out in the wild.

 

For context to this mini feature, look deep into the eclipse below, but don't use sunnies, as is the world leader norm these days. It honestly won't hurt...

 


So the the above is why the “Not actual gameplay” teaser for Returnal developer, Housemarque, and its new IP, Saros, is interesting because there’s more information embedded in the CG trailer than we might think, and this is outside of the information already shared via the PlayStation Blog that tells us Saros is “an action game with the haunting story of a lost off-world colony on Carcosa under an ominous eclipse”. We also learn that Saros is “the ultimate evolution of the Housemarque gameplay-first experience”, and that it does seemingly borrow much from the foundational death loop of Returnal in a roguelike-ish setup, but that it will evolve that setup through “permanent resources and progression” meaning in this experience “every death [will be] valuable”.

Still, the studio is steadfast this is definitely a new IP and not related to Returnal at all, though even in the above teaser and with some of the information we've been able to posit below, that still seems like a stretch. Not telling the studio behind its own IP and with its own agenda that it's wrong, but... :P

Saros

Genre: Roguelike Bullet Hell
Developer: Housemarque
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: 2026
Classification: TBC
Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: February 18, 2025

Rahu and Ketu

So we know there’s an eclipse and that when it takes place “madness reigns” alluding to more Lovecraftian elements (which were a staple in Returnal) and a point at which monsters will likely be active. There is also potentially a heady Hindu aspect to the eclipse and the ocean in the trailer, alongside the repeated cycle of death and rebirth (see our “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!) However, the time before each eclipse could also mean that we, as the player-character, Arjun Devraj, will have a safe breathing moment to manage loadouts and those permanent resources and the game’s character progression system before the chaos of another ‘run’ ensues. 

"The medallion also looks aesthetically tied to the boss we see in the trailer, whom also looks like an evil version of the Hindu god Shiva..."

We know that Devraj, while dressed in sci-fi eleganza, also sports a mysterious arcane-looking medallion around his neck with the obverse being what looks like the sun, or equivelant. It is also very likely tied to him being able to come back to life after every time he dies. The medallion also looks aesthetically tied to the boss(?) we see in the trailer, whom also looks like an evil version of the Hindu god Shiva making it significant that the main character and the actor portraying him, Rahul Kohli, are of Indian descent, as mentioned above and in our box out. And so while there’s clearly going to be a Lovecraftian element, we might also see a unique spin on Hindu mythology which could be very, very cool.

Would you like to know more?
In Hindu mythology an eclipse has a level of significance tied to the demon Rahu and Ketu, formerly a power-seeing being known as Svarbhanu. Svarbhanu attempts to drink an elixir of immorality but Vishnu decapitates them, turning Svarbhanu into two beings: Rahu, the head, and Ketu, the body. After this act, Rahu constantly attempts to swallow the sun but without a body to digest, the sun always emerges from their exposed throat meaning the eating (or eclipse) lasts only as long as it takes for the sun to re-emerge from being swallowed. Additionally, tied to this is "rāhukālam" which is a period of the day that lasts roughly 90 minutes considered "unfavourable". It will be interesting if that 90 minutes comes into play in Saros at all...

Kshira Sagara

The final shot in the trailer is a reflection in Devraj’s eye of a spiral of lights coming towards him. This clearly lets us know that while roguelike in its foundation, similarly to Returnal we’ll be seeing the return of a significant bullet hell experience here meaning the ties between the two games might be closer than Housemarque is letting on (there is a sun and moon aesthetic here that may be deeper than the studio is willing to divulge, equally related to all the Hindu mythology we’ve pointed out). Bullet hell is also part of the studio’s DNA and served Returnal well, so it makes the most sense to assume that’s one type of impediment we’ll be dealing with in Saros. 

"Naturally the ever present eclipse is a mainstay, but the beach and water also look to be important aspects..."

And speaking of “dealing with”, Devraj’s weapon in the trailer also looks to sport multiple fire modes. Whether he’ll only have the one weapon to upgrade and use or multiple options will remain to be seen, but the devil is in the details and we’re going to hunker down on the one main weapon with upgradable aspects as that also feels like a Housemarque thing to do. (Though secondary weapons might come in various shapes, sizes and powers.) He also has what appears to be a screen/device on his left wrist, which will likely be the way in which we manage his upgrades and other pertinent pieces of information about the world of Carcosa upon which he finds himself facing this madness. Naturally, the ever present eclipse is a mainstay, but the beach and water also look to be important aspects and eclipses are also known to have significant impacts on tides and ocean and water behaviours, so everything here is actually very relative. Which leaves the remaining query being, just who is Devraj looking for?

Until 2026

That last question isn’t one we could extrapolate anything from the trailer for, but similarly to Returnal it’ll likely be a long and drawn out mystery equally tied to the long and drawn out gameplay loop. We mean, think about how much information -- death after death -- we got from Hades. There is the promise of more information coming soon, so we can look forward to that, but for now the above and within our box outs is about as best as we can extrapolate or posit. Nothing here is fact, of course, just us taking stabs in the darkness of an eclipse of very little information, but if even one aspect of the above rings true, you heard it here first.

"Housemarque is quickly becoming a staple favourite studio for Sony and PlayStation fans and is one that both gets that, and also how best to tease said audience..."

One thing is for sure, Housemarque is quickly becoming a staple favourite studio for Sony and PlayStation fans and is one that both gets that, and also how best to tease said audience, of which we are very much a member. Add a comment below or just stay tuned for more as we have it.

Saros is set to launch for PS5 and PS5 Pro in 2026.

About the author

Written By Stephen Farrelly
Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport under his belt. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms but particularly street and tattoo culture, and is the director of Swear Jar...
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