Housemarque makes Saros more approachable with metaprogression and mod system

7 articles · Updated · Polygon · Apr 29

Creative director Gregory Louden and associate design director Matti Häkli said Returnal’s completion rates were low, with Steam data showing 37.9% finished act one and 6.4% act three.
Saros lets players restart from the latest biome, spend Lucenite in a hub after roughly 30-minute areas, and use Carcosan Modifiers to trade helpful boosts for penalties.
Housemarque said the optional systems aim to widen access without removing challenge, hoping more players finish Saros and later explore the studio’s older games, including Returnal.

Has Housemarque sacrificed its challenging soul to chase a wider audience?

Can optional difficulty truly satisfy both hardcore fans and newcomers?