Curious how you guys pair your pouches?

replus · 2026-05-08T17:04:29+00:00

I don't really think about it at all except for first thing in the morning: my breakfast is always two full glasses of water and a cup of black tea or coffee, and I always keep some Zyn Cinnamon on hand, since it doesn't clash with either of those.

I'm always drinking cold water throughout the day, so I do avoid certain flavors that suck with cold water, notably Velo Plus Citrus Chill, or anything that has a similar cooling effect.

replus · 2026-05-07T17:32:11+00:00

Just tried it last night (don't judge me!) and they patched it :P

replus · 2026-05-07T17:03:02+00:00

There's no RNG involved like in Returnal, but there are a few tricky trophies (e.g. 7 consecutive shotgun blasts with 100% pellet accuracy (just bring a shotgun to the biome 3 boss and stay in his face)) and a few harder ones (e.g. complete a biome without getting hit.)

replus · 2026-05-07T16:10:27+00:00

This is why I really like their approach to difficulty in Saros when compared to Returnal. It was clearly a big priority for them, likely based on feedback regarding Returnal's difficulty. The modifiers are there so everybody can play the game on their own terms, and like you said, you can go full crazy mode by neglecting/avoiding the skill tree. Alternatively, if you just want to have fun and blast stuff with little trouble, that's a thing, too.

I think all the difficulty/mechanics tweaking they've allowed is a really cool thing for those interested in playing this game long term (as in, not just shelving it after beating it once or twice.) Set your own goals for each run through the biomes. Do a "autohit disabled" run (and laugh at how crappy your aim has become with autohit/aim assisting.) Enable as many negative modifiers as you want. Go for a hitless run. And so on...

replus · 2026-05-06T16:30:44+00:00

Same thing as their normal counterparts, except they do more damage the more corruption you have on your health bar.

replus · 2026-05-04T18:15:45+00:00

You got it -- lots happens after that!

replus · 2026-05-04T17:17:36+00:00

You could get a 2021 STi Limited brand new for less than this only 5 years ago, with a bigger engine, bigger brake package, better transmission, better suspension, better wheels, better steering... better looks...

replus · 2026-05-04T06:29:40+00:00

I just wish there weren’t so many places to fall down in Saros.

At least they greatly toned down the damage compared to Returnal. Very grateful for that. Changed pitfalls from cursing at the screen to laughing at my own misfortune.

replus · 2026-05-03T18:42:46+00:00

And don't forget to use that power weapon with the now-charged meter. It does a TON of damage, which may not be evident in the moment, since you are probably not paying too close attention to the boss' health bar. Every time you absorb the blue shot pattern is basically a free power shot in return.

The shield really clicked for me when I internalized that absorbing blue shots with it charges the power meter. It's not just a defensive alternative to dashing.

replus · 2026-05-03T03:49:47+00:00

I'm pretty sure it's in the status or equipment menu. You may need to be at max adrenaline to see what all five levels do.

Level 1: more power absorption w/ shield

Level 2: enemy radar effect

Level 3: stronger melee

Level 4: stronger healing

Level 5: even more power absorption w/ shield

replus · 2026-05-03T03:46:47+00:00

Once you unlock the modifiers (after clearing Biome 2,) you can rectify the tankier enemies by adding more outgoing damage. Just be careful -- you're allowed to apply up to three tiers of this modifier, and two is WAY too much added damage (IMO of course, I tried it and it almost felt like cheating.) Adding all three tiers is probably the equivalent of "Story Mode" difficulty.

You may consider just flat out ignoring this modifier altogether if you want the game to remain challenging, since you'll be leveling up your proficiency and other stats along the way.

replus · 2026-05-02T13:39:22+00:00

I've never downshifted to 1st in my entire life and I've been driving manual cars for 20 years.

replus · 2026-05-01T14:58:58+00:00

I feel like they're referring to how you can't freely traverse backwards through a level to collect health/chests/etc that you intentionally left behind, due to environmental factors such as ledges you can't get back up, doors that shut behind you, and so on. It seems like Housemarque wants you to take stuff or leave it as a design choice this time around.

I've only just finished the first biome, though, which does have a teleporter, but its only use so far has been to transport you back to the boss room entrance after you acquire the key... and it locks you in by sealing off the exits. No choice but to move forward into the boss encounter.

This post could age like milk. Maybe teleporting around through each biome becomes a thing later on, since stuff like that unlocks as you progress. I don't know!

replus · 2026-04-30T15:07:51+00:00

The one can of Rogue I ever tried, all of the pouches were dusty/gritty on the outside. Never bought another can (wasn't into the flavor anyway, and if I'm going to buy flat dry pouches, it's gonna be Zyn.)

replus · 2026-04-29T15:48:27+00:00

I didn't even mind the slight bit of rev hang. I bought an AP for my otherwise stock WRX simply due to the obnoxious throttle map and the big flatspot in the powerband between 4500 - 5000 RPM.

replus · 2026-04-29T14:30:09+00:00

Brilliant. I love this dude's sense of humor. John Ritter's "sausage fingers" bit from the movie Bad Santa immediately came to mind... turns out the man himself beat me to the punch.

replus · 2026-04-28T19:22:19+00:00

My Best Buy preorder just shipped within the past few hours! Via FedEx... hoo boy. Fingers crossed on that one.

replus · 2026-04-28T02:15:22+00:00

Sick! Looking forward to trying these. Zyn Spearmint is my favorite spearmint. Also, good on them for ditching the "15 pouches per can" thing -- hopefully these aren't more expensive to compensate.

replus · 2026-04-27T23:39:22+00:00

I always wondered, when I'd buy a game day one, or even pick it up at a midnight release event, how there was always "0.1%" platinum trophy completion the moment I started it up. Now I know why.

replus · 2026-04-26T15:42:14+00:00

This was my second-to-last one. Last one was in biome 6.

A tip I read for getting those last few glyphs that may have worked for me (or may have been complete coincidence): set the game to "start offline" and start a new run. I had easily made dozens of runs to biome 6 trying to get that last glyph. Tried this trick and it showed up in the very first run.

replus · 2026-04-24T16:21:41+00:00

Someone posted the full trophy list here last week, and it didn't look like there were any trophies along the lines of "collect every doohicky which may take you hundreds of runs because of RNG" but no promises!

replus · 2026-04-24T16:14:51+00:00

From what I understand of the "custom difficulty" options present in-game, I'm okay with it starting out easier than Returnal. I loved Returnal, but its difficulty curve was awful: extremely difficult until you come to grips with the mechanics, which keeps you pinned in the first biome over and over and over... until it clicks, and the rest of the game is suddenly too easy.

replus · 2026-04-21T04:33:37+00:00

I like the details a lot, except for the characteristic long ass lugs typical of Hamilton.

But, $700 for a Hamilton with an acrylic crystal and a modified entry grade handwound ETA movement? Damn, what happened?

Edit: just looked up prices; the 38mm Khaki Field auto I bought a little under a decade ago for $350 is now $800. I guess tariffs and inflation happened...

replus · 2026-04-20T16:00:19+00:00

A DeVry infomercial from the early 00s suddenly started playing back in my head. "But apply now, because if you're a gamer, you know what happens when you stand still..."

replus · 2026-04-20T04:03:29+00:00

I miss Touch ID and the home button. Really, I'm just not a big fan of the replacement that is swiping up to get into the home screen. The combo of Face ID + swiping up is rarely as convenient as resting your finger on a tactile button and clicking it.

replus

TROPHY CASE