Inside the Making of SAROS: Trailer Reactions direct from Housemarque
SAROS marks the next evolution of Housemarque’s trademark style, blending precision combat, surreal worlds, and cutting-edge technology. In a recent “trailer reactions” filming session, the team shared how they’re redefining every element of their craft, ranging from art direction to physics-driven assets, to gameplay feel.
Environment
From the very first glimpse of the world, the art of SAROS invites players into a place where alien architecture meets unexpected elegance. Our Art Director, Simone Silvestri, describes the look of SAROS as a fusion of neoclassicism and Italian futurism, two opposing aesthetics that, when combined create something both organic and hauntingly structured.
The result is an environment that feels alive, with sweeping shapes and alien geometry designed to draw players deeper into the mysterious world of Carcosa.
Combat
When it comes to action, we are pulling players straight into the fight. As our Lead Game Designer Abebe Tinari stated, bullets are indeed back, and they’ve never looked sharper or felt more dynamic. In the Gameplay Reveal, we showed that Saros introduces a new level of destructibility powered by a rigidbody particle simulation.
Every impact sends debris scattering through the world, reacting to both player movement and the environment itself. The result is a combat experience that feels tangible, kinetic, and endlessly replayable.
Skills
Also in the reveal, we introduced one of the game’s biggest new mechanics, the Soltari Shield. Unlike Returnal, where players could only dodge or dash through incoming fire, Saros lets players absorb and interact with bullet patterns in real time.
This change opens up entirely new strategies, transforming defense into an opportunity for counterattack and mastery. Giving a secondary method for approaching the chaos, now with an upside of gaining strength and firepower.
Hostiles
Enemy design in Saros goes beyond behavior, it’s about movement, presence, and the overall atmosphere. The team’s signature “tentacle technology” returns, powering simulated limbs, cables, and other organic elements that respond dynamically to motion and physics.
Our Technical Art Director Martin Contel described the creature as reactive and weighted, blending hand-made animation with procedural systems to add realism and unpredictability. The resulting enemies move as if they really belong to the world around them, not just appearing within it.
VFX
We’re lighting up the world of Carcosa with bold, real-time simulations, and effects that explode across the screen. Our Graphics Programmer, Sharman Jagadeesan, explains how the VFX team layered dynamic particle systems and reactive lighting to enhance every encounter.
From the red torus bursts that ripple through the air, to skulls crawling along walls, every visual element serves the spectacle as a whole. It’s all simulated in real time, powered by Housemarque’s in-house vfx tech working with precision to create some pretty cool results.
With Saros, Housemarque isn’t just building on what worked before, we are evolving the experience to fit new needs. Every system, visual effect, and bullet pattern reflects our focus on pushing gameplay forward. The result is a world that feels alive with a combat loop that is finely tuned, and an upgraded cinematic experience that proudly carries the studio’s legacy into a new era.
Thank you for reading!
-Mikael Haveri