neocycle
Member
It's 2026. Men are bad.
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Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Saros |OT| The King in Yellow
- Thread starter Vaga
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TerribleAtThisGame
Member
Last I checked, he quit the gaming industry in general. Maybe not permanently ultimately? I was REALLY into Returnal so I followed interviews etc. and according to him, the game was very personal and a last hoorah for him basically. He described it as his dream game very much like Miyazaki with Demon's Souls. Like pouring all the shit you wanna see into a project because your company was failing anyway. He said he was massively depressed and questioning his life choices when Nex Machina bombed (again). That's why Returnal is so fucking dark imo.
And again, the game was his baby, he did all the interviews and so on. Saros is HM attempting to make a mainstream product out of that way after he left. I'm trying to hold my tongue a bit since I've only been able to play very little but I found Returnal extremely affecting on a SH2 level and Selene V. is one of my favorite gaming characters and stories. So far this game offers none of that to me. On top of it, Returnal had an insane soundtrack and this is just beyond generic shit.
I'm not saying it's not a fun game but Returnal was really special in terms of mood, lore, INSANE atmosphere, visual design...all the "window dressing". This game spectacularly shits the bed for me in every aspect in that regard for me and it's crazy disappointing. Like if Dark Souls had dropped all of the eccentric shit, atmosphere etc. that made Demon's Souls special it wouldn't have carried that series momentum to the finish line. That applies here for me.
Rant over! Back to vacation lol
Luipadre
Member
Thats the other thing. Saying the game is easy, but playing with max dps modifier. The game is pretty challenging without the carcosan shit. Im not touching that until im done with my first full run
Knight of the Round
Member
This is the power of a brand. They don't have fans, they have followers and believers. This is Sony's commitment to making amazing games in the past, creating an entire generation of people who refuse to believe that Sony can do wrong.
But, to be fair, that's not the ONLY case. There are legitimately people who only care about gameplay and do not care about the story. Or there are people who care about fanservice more than they care about story. For example, I am pretty sure that there are Dead or Alive fans who don't give a fuck about the story and the writing, and just want to see sexy girls fighting each other while their boobs jiggle. What I am trying to say is that not everyone puts the same emphasis on the story, character designs, graphics, music, gameplay. People prioritize different things. In the end, we vote with our wallets and the market adjusts accordingly.
The problem is that in the past eight years, the market is acting not on what people want, but on their own idea of what people SHOULD want.
neocycle
Member
When was the last time you ignored something in a game to make it harder?
Luipadre
Member
The modifier is there to customize your experience. Im pretty sure they balanced the game without it
GymWolf
Gold Member
2 things:
forcing myself to use the shield is fucking me up, i really need to digest the system, thank god the game doesn't feel that much easier than returnal for now, it seems like evading is still the best option most of the time.
they really went with the most bare minimum shit for the metaprogression uh...even a 10 euros tmnt roguelike on steam has 10x times tha amoung of metaprogression.
Game is good tho.
forcing myself to use the shield is fucking me up, i really need to digest the system, thank god the game doesn't feel that much easier than returnal for now, it seems like evading is still the best option most of the time.
they really went with the most bare minimum shit for the metaprogression uh...even a 10 euros tmnt roguelike on steam has 10x times tha amoung of metaprogression.
Game is good tho.
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Steve Holt
Member
I for one, don't play Housemarque games for the story. Not sure about the majority here.
But to me it's like being disappointed at the depth of Astrobot's story imo.
But to me it's like being disappointed at the depth of Astrobot's story imo.
Interfectum
Gold Member
Not really… the equivalent would be if astrobot started pondering his own gender and stupid shit like that.
TheDarkPhantom
Member
Oh yeah baby
This represents the third of my 5 most anticipated games of 2026, so far this year has been delivering ALL the goods, can't wait to dig in after the long-ass install + update download
This represents the third of my 5 most anticipated games of 2026, so far this year has been delivering ALL the goods, can't wait to dig in after the long-ass install + update download
Steve Holt
Member
I wouldn't be able to tell you the story of Returnal. Except a crash and a spaceman that's about it.
Just there for the gameplay.
Myuni
Member
Gladly, I'm also able to ignore it most of the time or don't give a shit. But sometimes it's annoying as hell, especially when you can't skip it fast. I'm here to play, not be bored to death!
I don't know where the obsession came from to slap a bullshit story onto every game nowadays.
Returnal or Saros could copy the entire story of Super Probotector 1:1 and would be perfectly fine:
A.D.2636
The Alien Wars begin!
It's time for revenge.
Let's attack aggressively.
Dorfdad
Gold Member
I'll tell you what I was told this was an easier game than Returnal which I gave up on due to developers trying to force me to get good.
I was really disappointed in this game trying to beat the prophet. 40 min runs to die over and over again after maxing all my available abilities.
Until after my 4th or 5th death to him I was able to access the menu to adjust things. Why they don't inform you or allow you to adjust these settings earlier is beyond me. Most casuals who are intrigued by the game are not going to give it 4-5 hours to find the settings.
Outside that I love the game. Just if your having issues at first hang in there till you get the Modifiers and adjust the left menu items and upgrade them to highest levels it makes things easier but will cost you in other ways which is fair to me.
I was really disappointed in this game trying to beat the prophet. 40 min runs to die over and over again after maxing all my available abilities.
Until after my 4th or 5th death to him I was able to access the menu to adjust things. Why they don't inform you or allow you to adjust these settings earlier is beyond me. Most casuals who are intrigued by the game are not going to give it 4-5 hours to find the settings.
Outside that I love the game. Just if your having issues at first hang in there till you get the Modifiers and adjust the left menu items and upgrade them to highest levels it makes things easier but will cost you in other ways which is fair to me.
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The artful mincer
Member
Initial thoughts.
Controls are TPS Goated.
Challenge is good so far. 4 deaths in Biome 1 although some of that is Returnal muscle memory fucking me over
.
Shield and power weapon is really satisfying to use.
Alt fire is way better than Returnals.
Way more forward momentum and streamlining than Returnal. No backtracking to get health/items no unlocking weapon traits you just get them. Not sure how I feel about this on one hand it is fun to get straight into the action on the other it was fun to build up your character during a run in Returnal.
Story. Lol you think I care about story in this game fuck off you twats!
Overall great first session. This game just puts you in the zone like no other.
Controls are TPS Goated.
Challenge is good so far. 4 deaths in Biome 1 although some of that is Returnal muscle memory fucking me over
. Shield and power weapon is really satisfying to use.
Alt fire is way better than Returnals.
Way more forward momentum and streamlining than Returnal. No backtracking to get health/items no unlocking weapon traits you just get them. Not sure how I feel about this on one hand it is fun to get straight into the action on the other it was fun to build up your character during a run in Returnal.
Story. Lol you think I care about story in this game fuck off you twats!
Overall great first session. This game just puts you in the zone like no other.
saintjules
Gold Member
We don't play games like this for the story lol
TheDarkPhantom
Member
The starting pistol is literally one of the best feeling guns ever and we're just getting started, DualSense haptics fucking bananas, even more than Returnal. Environmental art off the charts, visuals on my OLED burning through my retinas, presentation slick, OST glorious, this is going to be a long night 
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DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Story was dope, especially if you got the true ending.
Thats a shame, you missed out! - Returnal was a dope idea. The house, the flashbacks, the car, the crash.
Doctor Hades
Member
I never bought Returnal for PS5 but I did pick it up later for PC where I mostly enjoyed the game despite finding the narrative a bit confusing. The gameplay was great though and, for me, it was different from anything else I'd played.
I did pick up Saros for PS5 Pro though this time round but admit that I had forgotten about the game until I saw an article on the game last week. I've only played about 2 hours of the game so far but I really like it. It does look and play a lot like Returnal with the numerous projectiles, the dodging, the shields and so on but there are enough differences in the presentation (having other NPCs for example) and the core level design to make this feel like an improved sequel. I have died a lot I admit, the game is basically designed around this happening over and over again, but it has enough to keep me wanting to come back. Also, the way the levels change means that when I do die I don't feel like I am having to retread familiar ground which is an issue I have with many Dark Souls-like games.
Visually the game also looks great although I did notice the odd bit of pop in during a couple of cutscenes, in particular the one where you meet the rest of the team, that kind of distracts from that first-party polished look that I typically expect from Sony.
I did pick up Saros for PS5 Pro though this time round but admit that I had forgotten about the game until I saw an article on the game last week. I've only played about 2 hours of the game so far but I really like it. It does look and play a lot like Returnal with the numerous projectiles, the dodging, the shields and so on but there are enough differences in the presentation (having other NPCs for example) and the core level design to make this feel like an improved sequel. I have died a lot I admit, the game is basically designed around this happening over and over again, but it has enough to keep me wanting to come back. Also, the way the levels change means that when I do die I don't feel like I am having to retread familiar ground which is an issue I have with many Dark Souls-like games.
Visually the game also looks great although I did notice the odd bit of pop in during a couple of cutscenes, in particular the one where you meet the rest of the team, that kind of distracts from that first-party polished look that I typically expect from Sony.
Just got to the second biome beating the first boss and it's absolutely fantastic, gameplay is a total blast and I'm glad they took away the most frustrating aspects of Returnal, it's still very difficult, I've died 10+ times and the eclipse with the corrupted projectiles can be unforgiving but it doesn't reach the point of frustration like imo happened in Returnal.
You can lower the impact of corrupted projectiles as well giving up other bonuses.
It's not easy, you need to understand how to play the three different phases. It's like arcade souls.
Auto aim is disabled depending on the weapon you use.
Have you activated second round?
You can lower the impact of corrupted projectiles as well giving up other bonuses.
It's not easy, you need to understand how to play the three different phases. It's like arcade souls.
Grildon Tundy
Member
People may be forgetting how much of the time and skill put into Returnal carries over into Saros whereas Saros is still going to be tough for newcomers.
I couldn't tell you if Saros is easier or not (without using modifiers) because it's so similar to Returnal. I do know it took me a smaller fraction of the time to beat Saros' first boss compared to Returnal.
The shield is the biggest moment-to-moment gameplay change, imo, and trying to figure just that out has been the cause of a lot of damage taken.
Grildon Tundy
Member
Higher proficiency = higher base damage, more traits, and higher upgrade cap.
Then damage scales with your character's attributes (blue/green/yellow). This is how much of the orange bar fills up on the weapon screen. I.e., you have solid orange, which is current strength, then you have gray-orange, which is the max you can level that weapon up as you level up your attributes.
The arrows to the right of the bars on the weapon screen indicate how much the attributes scale the trait up. More arrows = better scaling as you increase your attributes.
So a lower-level proficiency weapon with high scaling can outperform a higher-level proficiency weapon with low scaling.
Clear as mud?
TheDarkPhantom
Member
Prophet down, took 4 attempts but I put that fucker down, fantastic first boss, the game is incredible. This should go without saying but you definitely want to play this with headphones, sound design is
AutumnLeaves
Member
What do you expect? I honestly feel like there is so much nitpicking about EVERYTHING.
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BrandwinTX
Member
Struggled with the first boss, but took the second one down on my first try. Probably running through Biome 1 before made me a bit overpowered?
Grildon Tundy
Member
I hear there's a controversy thread about this game that has over double the posts this OT has lol
Gotta be honest, could not care less about the story. I skip all text logs, dialogues, don't pay attention to audio logs, and check twitter of GAF during cutscenes.
Doesn't matter. The gameplay is top-notch. The flow state of this and Returnal games is unique. Even something like Elden Ring doesn't require and encourage the same level of focus this does. So much of it comes from sound design, too; you get this sort of instinctual situational awareness. The rhythm, too. Start getting a "feel" for when you'll next need to dodge, move, shield, etc.
Having a really good time with it. Just got to the third biome and unlocked the grapple.
Gotta be honest, could not care less about the story. I skip all text logs, dialogues, don't pay attention to audio logs, and check twitter of GAF during cutscenes.
Doesn't matter. The gameplay is top-notch. The flow state of this and Returnal games is unique. Even something like Elden Ring doesn't require and encourage the same level of focus this does. So much of it comes from sound design, too; you get this sort of instinctual situational awareness. The rhythm, too. Start getting a "feel" for when you'll next need to dodge, move, shield, etc.
Having a really good time with it. Just got to the third biome and unlocked the grapple.
I can't seem to turn it up loud enough. Not like the volume is too low but that cranking the dial just keeps making the experience better lolProphet down, took 4 attempts but I put that fucker down, fantastic first boss, the game is incredible. This should go without saying but you definitely want to play this with headphones, sound design is
BrandwinTX
Member
Anyone know what the two patches did? Never saw any information on them.
ElCasual
Member
Is worse. LOL
TheDarkPhantom
Member
Absolutely bananas (random battle in Biome 2)
Thing looks 100x better on my OLED, game is melting my eyeballs
Thing looks 100x better on my OLED, game is melting my eyeballs
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SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Yeah, ive died 3 times already lol. Easy my ass.
Returnal just felt harder because it had A LOT of cheap rooms and an absolutely retarded upgrade system that only upgraded weapon traits as you used them. It was great after like 50-60 hours of using the same weapon and upgrading them to max tiers which would shred bosses in seconds, but it made the first 10-15 hours absolutely miserable.
Here they are letting you upgrade your health and your base attack power after every run so every run doesnt feel like a complete loss. I still dont think its as detailed as say hades which is very disappointing. hades came out a year before returnal but its been five years, and they basically just added the most basic permanent upgrades. IIRC, Hades had like 20 different attributes you can permanently level up. Am only 4 runs in. Im sure the weapons will open up but so far the abilities seem to be limited.
The shield is completely throwing me off. maybe i should switch L1 and R1. the alt fire being tied to lightly L2 is also annoying. I can just never get it right. Corruption is brutal and punishes you for not being clean.
Returnal just felt harder because it had A LOT of cheap rooms and an absolutely retarded upgrade system that only upgraded weapon traits as you used them. It was great after like 50-60 hours of using the same weapon and upgrading them to max tiers which would shred bosses in seconds, but it made the first 10-15 hours absolutely miserable.
Here they are letting you upgrade your health and your base attack power after every run so every run doesnt feel like a complete loss. I still dont think its as detailed as say hades which is very disappointing. hades came out a year before returnal but its been five years, and they basically just added the most basic permanent upgrades. IIRC, Hades had like 20 different attributes you can permanently level up. Am only 4 runs in. Im sure the weapons will open up but so far the abilities seem to be limited.
The shield is completely throwing me off. maybe i should switch L1 and R1. the alt fire being tied to lightly L2 is also annoying. I can just never get it right. Corruption is brutal and punishes you for not being clean.
Dorfdad
Gold Member
Modifiers help so much for me, I've adjusted it to where I feel it's challenging but "doable" in 2-3 runs. I'm at third stage now and starting to enjoy it more now! I was about to quit in frustration tbh.
Three stage bosses are bullshit
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Dr Bass
Gold Member
Could not agree with you more about Returnal. That game was just something else in every aspect. Sounds like I don't have to rush into this one at all.
semiconscious
Gold Member
wasn't aware of this. thanks...
saintjules
Gold Member
Prophet down, took 4 attempts but I put that fucker down, fantastic first boss, the game is incredible. This should go without saying but you definitely want to play this with headphones, sound design is
Same for me. 4 attempts. You need the right rifle I feel for that boss.
My hands were fucking shaking in the last 3rd of the fight. I never had that happen to me before in gaming. Wild.
Arsic
Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Yeah my complaints with my 18 hours with it have nothing to do with "woke."
I don't regret playing it but I hope it has a dlc to address the narrative at least. A tower or spiral or some shit with better story and conclusion.
I'd also like a totally new soundtrack attempt for the whole game. Maybe a remix $3DLC?
Stage 1 looks cool, and the last two stages look cool. The rest was ho hum.
Bosses is a mixed bag. Nothing like the organ playing boss in Returnal level of bad ass.
Weapons felt good to shoot, but enemy design felt more stationary than Returnal turning it into a shooting gallery the more you play.
I've settled at a 7/10. Returnal is a do not miss experience and for the "lol story idc" guys go watch a YT video on Returnal explained. It's peak.
Luipadre
Member
Im thinking about double dipping returnal on pc when it goes on sale. That game will forever be special to me just like bloodborne was.
Arsic
Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Same! I wanna get my new rig later this summer and go max settings to get the most out of it again.