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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.
The Persistence Game Cover
73%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, optimization
70% User Score Based on 88 reviews
Critic Score 75%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlayStation VRPlaystation 5Playstation 4Virtual RealityXbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
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The Persistence Game Cover

About

The Persistence is a single player and multiplayer survival shooter game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by Firesprite Ltd and was released on May 20, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"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
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70%
Audience ScoreBased on 88 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique blend of stealth, horror, and roguelike elements, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough.
  • The atmosphere is highly praised, with great audio design and a compelling story that keeps players engaged.
  • The gameplay mechanics, including a solid upgrade system and various weapons, allow for diverse play styles and strategies.
  • The VR implementation is poorly executed, lacking motion controls and causing immersion-breaking issues with the HUD and controls.
  • The game suffers from repetitiveness, with many players noting that the level design and enemy variety can become stale over time.
  • Technical issues, such as crashes and performance problems, particularly in VR mode, detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by its unique blend of stealth and action elements, with a focus on roguelike mechanics and a tense atmosphere. While some players appreciate the engaging upgrade system and variety of weapons, others criticize the fixed VR controls and simplistic combat, which can detract from the experience, especially for non-VR users. Overall, the game offers a solid core gameplay loop that appeals to both roguelike enthusiasts and newcomers, despite some technical limitations and mixed visual quality.

    • “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.”
    • “The gameplay uses a first-person view and a similar slow pace like Alien Isolation, but here you have some weapons to have good shooting parts mixed with melee combat + shield that covers brief instants and you have to time correctly.”
    • “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 persistence shows its PSVR roots and the lack of motion controller and room scale support, plus the design around seated gameplay might make this a pass for PC VR players.”
  • graphics
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their quality and atmospheric design, particularly in VR, while others criticize them for being dated or lacking in options for customization. Some users report issues like frame rate drops and graphical glitches, especially in VR, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered impressive, there are notable concerns regarding performance and the absence of adjustable graphic settings.

    • “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
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its tension and immersive qualities, drawing comparisons to titles like Doom 3. Players appreciate the combination of impressive visuals, effective sound design, and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, although some note performance issues with RTX settings. The blend of survival horror elements and roguelike mechanics contributes to a uniquely unsettling atmosphere that captivates both newcomers and genre veterans.

    • “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, and 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's plenty of jump scares, and the atmosphere is quite tense.”
  • story
    12 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 clone evolution and character progression. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and replay value, others feel the story can sometimes take a backseat to gameplay mechanics, leading to mixed opinions on its overall impact. Overall, it offers a decent narrative that serves as a foundation for the game's objectives, though some find it average or secondary to the gameplay experience.

    • “I thought it was a good story, with a great concept.”
    • “Really creepy sci-fi vibes reminded me of films like Event Horizon or Pandorum where everything has gone wrong and the story unfolds.”
    • “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 is an afterthought.”
  • optimization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, optimization for the game is mixed; while it offers impressive visuals with RTX features, many users report significant performance drops, particularly on high-end systems. VR performance is notably poor, especially on specific headsets like the HP Reverb G2 and Valve Index. In contrast, the Switch port has been praised 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, 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
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a mix of replayability through its randomly generated elements, multiple difficulty levels, and various unlocks, though some players feel that once they achieve the best ending, their desire to replay diminishes. While the atmosphere and combat options enhance the experience, the overall replay value may vary based on individual player engagement.

    • “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 sprinkle of roguelike elements, but I do mean the tiniest bit, as apart from weapons, you keep everything after you die. This limits the replayability significantly.”
    • “With only a few randomly generated decks, the replayability feels lacking and quickly becomes repetitive.”
    • “Despite some attempts at variety, the overall experience doesn't change much on subsequent playthroughs, making it hard to stay engaged.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and dark comedic elements, featuring a quirky premise where players steal spines from others for personal gain, adding a unique and humorous twist to the space adventure genre.

    • “A hilarious space adventure where you steal people's spines for your own personal gain.”
    • “The humor is top-notch, with witty dialogue and absurd situations that keep you laughing.”
    • “The game's quirky characters and ridiculous scenarios make for a truly entertaining experience.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is noted to be somewhat excessive, but it is balanced by a compelling narrative and character progression that enhances gameplay. Players appreciate the rogue-based level design, which offers varied pathways, although some feel that the story could be more prominent and that graphics may suffer in certain areas.

    • “A bit grindy, but very good if you're into stealth games.”
    • “It can get a bit grindy at points; the graphics are downgraded in places, and the story feels like an afterthought.”
    • “You have a decent level of narrative in the form of a story to give you a goal to strive for, but the grinding and leveling up to build stats and attributes can feel tedious.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent crashes upon loading after the intro, as well as graphical glitches in VR mode.

    • “Crashes every time you load into the game right after the intro, which also has graphical glitches in VR.”
    • “The game is incredibly unstable, with frequent crashes and performance issues that ruin the experience.”
    • “I can't even get past the loading screen without the game crashing, making it unplayable.”
  • music
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music and sound design are praised for creating a stunning and atmospheric experience, enhancing the game's tension and complementing its rogue-lite mechanics effectively.

    • “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.”
    • “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous.”
    • “The soundtrack doesn't fit the game's theme, which detracts from the overall experience.”
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75%Critics’ scoreBased on 23 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Persistence is a survival shooter game with horror and science fiction themes.

The Persistence is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

The Persistence was released on May 20, 2020.

The Persistence was developed by Firesprite Ltd.

The Persistence has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

The Persistence is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Ripout, P.A.M.E.L.A, EVERSPACE, Returnal, In Death and others.