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The Persistence

This is one of the better VR titles available on the PlayStation 4, and the variety at which you get to customise your character paired with the survival horror make it a fun game to play.
73%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
optimization, grinding
82% User Score Based on 3,433 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

PCPCXboxXboxXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SPlaystation 5Playstation 5Playstation 4Playstation 4WindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStationNintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchVirtual RealityVirtual RealityPlayStation VRPlayStation VRXbox OneXbox One
Buy Nowfrom $12.70
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About

"The Persistence" is a survival horror game set in a degrading spaceship overrun by mutated crew members. Players must sneak, fight, or strategically avoid enemies while trying to repair the ship and uncover the mystery of what happened to the crew. With permadeath and procedurally generated levels, each playthrough offers a unique and intense experience.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
The Persistence screenshot
+17

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 197 reviews
gameplay14 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique blend of stealth, horror, and roguelike elements, providing a tense and engaging experience.
  • Visually, the game can look quite good with RTX enabled, enhancing the atmosphere significantly.
  • The gameplay mechanics, including a solid upgrade system and a variety of weapons, keep the experience fresh and enjoyable.
  • The VR implementation is poorly executed, lacking motion controls and causing immersion-breaking issues with the HUD.
  • The game suffers from repetitiveness, with many rooms and enemy encounters feeling similar across runs.
  • Technical issues, such as crashes and performance drops, particularly in VR, detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "The Persistence" is characterized by its unique blend of stealth, horror, and roguelike mechanics, offering a tense atmosphere and a variety of play styles. While the VR experience enhances immersion, some players find the fixed controls and resource management tedious, particularly in non-VR mode. Overall, the game presents solid mechanics and engaging combat, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its challenging nature and occasional control issues.

    • “Overall, a solid game with some cool ideas and satisfying gameplay.”
    • “With a great atmosphere, intriguing setting, and great mechanics that allow for a variety of play styles, The Persistence is a more than worthy game for both roguelike diehards and those looking to finally get into the genre.”
    • “While definitely firmly in the stealth horror camp, it feels more arcadey (in a good way) than other titles in that genre, so I find it quite a fun 'one more go' kind of gameplay.”
    • “The fixed hands with controller/seated only VR gameplay is such a bummer.”
    • “Sorry, but looting and hunting only for (boring) resources is getting old after 30 minutes of gameplay.”
    • “The visuals are terrible and so is the gameplay, especially in VR.”
  • graphics
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their quality and visual appeal, particularly on platforms like the Steam Deck. However, some users report issues such as frame rate drops, graphical glitches in VR, and a lack of customizable graphics options, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered impressive, especially for a VR title, there are concerns about blurriness and the need for better graphical settings to enhance performance.

    • “And the graphics are second to none.”
    • “This is Cosmodread done right with about 50 times better graphics.”
    • “The graphics are pretty good, but the atmosphere, enemies, environments, combat, stealth, and sound design are all perfect.”
    • “Crashes every time you load into the game right after the intro that also has graphical glitches in VR.”
    • “The visuals are terrible and so is the gameplay, especially in VR.”
    • “Graphics options in-game are entirely missing - no way to increase textures, supersampling isn't making a noticeable difference and there's a heavy level of antialiasing which muddies the visuals, giving it that PSVR look.”
  • atmosphere
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its tension and immersive qualities, drawing comparisons to Doom 3, with effective use of sound design and visuals that enhance the experience, especially when utilizing RTX. Players note the creepy environments, jump scares, and a compelling soundtrack that contribute to a challenging and engaging atmosphere, although some feel the transition from VR to non-VR affects the horror elements. Overall, the atmosphere is described as captivating and integral to the gameplay, making it appealing to both roguelike enthusiasts and newcomers.

    • “Stunning soundtrack and atmospheric sound design, along with great rogue-lite mechanics.”
    • “With a great atmosphere, intriguing setting, and great mechanics that allow for a variety of play styles, The Persistence is a more than worthy game for both roguelike diehards and those looking to finally get into the genre.”
    • “The persistence is a first person roguelike with some survival horror elements mixed in. Originally, the game was released as a PSVR title and the VR game design shows throughout the game. Some of the things translate pretty well outside of VR, but unfortunately, some of the control and interaction mechanics feel a little out of place. More importantly, the horror atmosphere doesn't adapt that well to non-VR mode.”
    • “The atmosphere is creepy and the sounds and music make it truly tense.”
    • “Be prepared to die a lot because you need to collect stem cells to strengthen your health, shields, etc. There are plenty of jump scares and the atmosphere is quite tense.”
  • story
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a compelling sci-fi horror narrative reminiscent of films like "Event Horizon" and "Pandorum," with a focus on cloning and character evolution. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and replay value, others feel the story can sometimes feel secondary to gameplay mechanics, with mixed opinions on its depth and execution. Overall, it offers a decent narrative that serves as a motivating backdrop for the gameplay experience.

    • “Really creepy sci-fi vibes reminded me of films like Event Horizon or Pandorum where everything has gone wrong and the story unfolds.”
    • “If you're looking for a great story-driven, sci-fi/horror (rogue-like) game in VR that you can play perfectly from the couch with a gamepad, then this is the game for you.”
    • “The game has a main story where the player is embodied on clones that can evolve in stats, and the player can unlock blueprints of new weapons and features.”
    • “Nothing special, graphics and environment are adequate, gameplay and story are average, control mechanics are woeful but can be used with a bit of luck in non-VR mode.”
    • “The plot is just okay; the story feels like an afterthought.”
    • “The game has a main story where the player is embodied in clones that can evolve in stats, but it lacks depth and engagement.”
  • optimization
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is inconsistent, with users reporting significant performance drops when using RTX features, particularly on high-end systems. While some players experienced smooth gameplay, others noted poor VR performance and subpar visuals on certain headsets, indicating a lack of optimization for those platforms. In contrast, the Switch version received praise for its flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes.

    • “Performance-wise, my game ran smoothly for the 4 or so hours played so far.”
    • “Firesprite Games has done a fantastic job of porting the entire ghoulish affair over to Switch, with flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes; overall, this is another very strong addition to the console's ever-expanding collection of excellent roguelite experiences.”
    • “Playing with RTX, it can look quite good, and I'd say it adds a lot to the atmosphere; the shadows are really good looking with the option on.”
    • “Playing with RTX, it can look quite good, and I'd say it adds a lot to the atmosphere. The shadows are really good looking with the option on, but I believe the game is poorly optimized for RTX. I have a fairly decent rig and the performance takes a huge hit with it - more than usual, at least.”
    • “Great game but poor VR performance with HP Reverb G2 on a beefy system (RTX 3080, 8700K).”
    • “The game looks horrible on the Index and clearly was not optimized.”
  • replayability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a mix of replayability through various modes, unlocks, and randomly generated elements, which can enhance the experience for some players. However, despite its engaging atmosphere and combat options, some users express a lack of desire to replay it after completing the campaign, indicating that while replay value exists, it may not be compelling enough for everyone. Overall, the replayability is noted as high, but personal motivation to revisit the game varies significantly among players.

    • “Lots of tension, sneaking around, and highly replayable.”
    • “Sprinkle the tiniest bit of roguelike (and I do mean the tiniest, as apart from weapons, you keep everything after you die), some randomly generated decks, and you've got a ton of replayability.”
    • “[Excellent atmosphere, accessibility features that make it easy for a newcomer to get into the game, great combat with plenty of options, high replay value, with multiple difficulty levels, well-told story...]”
    • “The game offers a minimal amount of roguelike elements, and while you keep most of your progress after dying, it doesn't provide enough variety to encourage replayability.”
    • “Despite the inclusion of randomly generated decks, the overall experience feels repetitive and lacks the depth needed for true replayability.”
    • “The limited changes in gameplay mechanics and the inability to significantly alter your strategy make replaying the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is noted to be somewhat excessive, but it is generally well-received by players who enjoy stealth mechanics. The leveling system allows for character progression that persists through deaths, complemented by a narrative that provides motivation, despite some criticism regarding the story's depth and occasional graphical downgrades.

    • “You have a decent level of narrative in the form of a story to give you a goal to strive for, you have grinding/leveling up to build up stats/attributes to better your character (and the improvements stay with you even when you die), and the rogue-based level design that gives you different pathways to the next objectives.”
    • “[can get a bit grindy at points, graphics are downgraded in places, story is an afterthought]”
    • “A bit grindy, but very good if you're into stealth games.”
  • music
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music and sound design in the game are widely praised for their stunning quality and ability to create a tense, atmospheric experience. The soundtrack complements the rogue-lite mechanics effectively, enhancing the overall immersion and creepiness of the gameplay.

    • “Stunning soundtrack and atmospheric sound design, along with great rogue-lite mechanics.”
    • “The atmosphere is creepy and the sounds and music make it truly tense.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its dark and absurd premise, revolving around stealing people's spines for personal gain, which adds a quirky and comedic twist to the space adventure theme. Players find the concept both amusing and outrageous, contributing to the game's overall charm.

    • “A hilarious space ship game where you steal people's spines for your own personal gain.”
    • “A funny space adventure that involves spine-stealing for comedic effect.”
    • “This game combines humor and absurdity as you pilfer spines from unsuspecting victims.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting consistent crashes upon loading after the intro, accompanied by graphical glitches in VR.

    • “Crashes every time you load into the game right after the intro, which also has graphical glitches in VR.”

75%Critics’ scoreBased on 23 critic reviews

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