Saros Doesn’t Like Being a Roguelike, So Why Is It One?
“ARCADE IS DEAD,” developer Housemarque abruptly decreed in all caps on its blog shortly after Matterfall ’s release in 2017. This candid manifesto explained how the team saw no future developing the arcadey games it had specialized in for over two decades and was moving onto different genres. Returnal was the result of this shift in focus, taking the aesthetics and chaos inherent to Housemarque’s house style and thr...
“ARCADE IS DEAD,” developer Housemarque abruptly decreed in all caps on its blog shortly after Matterfall ’s release in 2017. This candid manifesto explained how the team saw no future developing the arcadey games it had specialized in for over two decades and was moving onto different genres. Returnal was the result of this shift in focus, taking the aesthetics and chaos inherent to Housemarque’s house style and throwing it all into a roguelike third-person shooter. It was a cult hit that saw critical acclaim , but Saros , Returnal’s spiritual sequel, seems to rebuke that glorious foundation by shunning the very genre with which Housemarque had just found great success. By paring back its roguelike elements in an effort to broaden its appeal, Saros becomes a discordant game that seems ambivalent towards what came before it. Given its suite of levels that cycle in various threats, randomized weapons, resources, and perks, Saros is technically a roguelike, even if Housemarque talks around genre specifics. When speaking to Game Informer , art director Simone Silvestri said labels were "ephemeral" and it was “hard for [him] to categorize Saros” because Housemarque “didn't set out to be in a genre or defy a genre.” Creative director Gregory Louden was similarly elusive in that same interview, while admitting it had “rogue elements.” Continue Reading at GameSpot
Related News
May 7, 2026 · News
Warhorse's new creative director tells us why the secret sauce for Kingdom Come Deliverance is making things difficult for players: 'The usual answer is OK let's get rid of the friction—We don't work like that'
Prokop Jirsa doesn't mind a few rough edges.
Apr 28, 2026 · News
Our Steam Controller second opinion: what works, what doesn't, and what Valve should add for the next one
The new Steam Controller verdict is in: James likes it. And now it’s back out again, as Julian has also been poking and prodding at Valve’s made-for-PC controller ahead of its release on M...
Apr 25, 2026 · News
Crymelight is a Hades-esque roguelike that sends the white rabbit chasing Alice to hell to face her sins and fight for her freedom
I do not know if FuRyu make games that one can easily jump to calling "good" but they are regularly putting out mid-budget (I assume) games that make me go "oh, there's certainly some sauce here." Tha...
Apr 24, 2026 · News
Former Sony exec opens up about the idea of PS5 games coming to PC on day one: "I don't think that's a good strategy for a platform holder like PlayStation"
Do you remember Shuhei 'yosp' Yoshida, former PlayStation boss and the head of PlayStation Indies from 2019 until his retirement from the company in 2025? The likeable good-natured executive has recen...