Saros

I can’t sing the praises of Housemarque’s previous game, Returnal, enough. Despite not personally being a big fan of the rogue genre, it enraptured me in a way few games are able to. Returnal was released in 2021, and I still think about the game almost every time I boot up my PlayStation 5 or hear the DualSense controller’s motors come to life. It’s a fantastic third-person shooter with an incredible tone and mood, contextualizing its repeated playthroughs with a thrilling mystery that tells a story in a way only a video game can. I love it. But it also means my expectations are very high for Housemarque’s follow-up, Saros.

In astronomy, the term saros refers to the period of time (about 18 years) between eclipses, during which the Sun, Earth, and Moon align in a straight line. Though not yet entirely clear, it seems the planet where Saros takes place, Carcosa, is experiencing some kind of violent eclipse that causes the planet to shapeshift and essentially fight back against whatever mission protagonist Arjun Devraj is attempting to complete.