Related
Firesprite’sThe Persistencewas first released back in 2018 as avirtual reality titlefor PlayStation 4 VR . It was received well enough that Firesprite decided to port the game to personal computer and cabinet , to be playable without VR hardware . redesign a biz inherently designed for VR to work well with controllers and black eye and keyboard is no promiscuous task , but Firesprite knock it out of the park here . The Persistenceis an absolutely terrifying revulsion space roguelike title , from its efficacious scare to solid gameplay and ascendency . It ’s not a whole smooth transition and there are moments where the game ca n’t quite didder its VR roots , but as a whole , The Persistencejust works .
The Persistencestarts aboard a space settlement ship and puts player in the shoes of security department office Zimri Elder or , rather , her clone . Told from a first - someone perspective , Elder must campaign against sport that have apparently pour down the rest of the crew . The end of the game is to touch on the ship and get back home toEarth , which is no easy feat . This is due in part to the game’sroguelikeelements . Every single time Elder dies , they are " converted " as a new clone and , thanks to some sci - fi plot machine , the pattern of the ship changes and histrion must purchase or bump any upgrades or weapons they had before pall .
Related : Down The Rabbit Hole Review - A VR Reimagining of Alice in Wonderland
Like most roguelike games , it ’s not a concept that ’s in particular endearing to more occasional role player , but it ’s also not aschallengingas other , more traditional games in the writing style . Plus , The Persistenceis first and foremost a revulsion plot and it uses that descriptor to great effect . The procedurally generated nature ofThe Persistence’smaps intend there ’s a new surprise around every corner and with it , a new leap - worthy scare . It ’s all as tense as it sound and , as efficacious as it would probably be in a VR setting , it ’s just as unsettling to observe from the ease of a couch with a controller in hand .
ThePersistence ’s fighting is simple but fun , with both projectile weapon system and close - upcombatavailable . The latter features a parry - like system that ’s easy to take but hard to dominate while the former does n’t exactly equip player with unlimited ammunition and resources with which to buy them . merely put , player must be smart and not rush into situations because this is very much not a game designed for that . Crouching and sneaking will be your best friend throughout the game ’s 10 plus hour story mode and even then endurance is not a warrantee .
diagrammatically , The Persistenceis beautiful to look at and it ’s comfortable to think how it would look that much better inVR . Regardless , it translates well here , and it uses its dark , ominous lighting juxtaposed with the technologically advance and sleek figure of the ship to maximum effect . And with procedurally generate areas to add to that , there ’s nearly always a sense of uncovering and awe when it comes to exploration aboardThe Persistenceand its frightful colony ship .
For everything thatThe Persistencedoes well , however ( and that is a lot ) , there are bit where it feel too plainly like a VR port . Its teleportation mechanic , which need participant to highlight an expanse and then select it , can be very finicky and unreliable . One can ideate that it would work more cleanly in VR and it could have used more of a redesign to puzzle out smoothly with a comptroller . to boot , the targeting reticule to unfold doors or access computers can sometimes go into an endless loop because all it requires is highlighting an object . Again , this is something that would be smooth and easy on VR , but just a piffling bit frustrating onconsole .
These are minor design fault , however , and most can be overlooked because the residual ofThe Persistenceis simply stupefying . It ’s not just a successful port from VR to console andPC , it ’s a terrific and unique roguelike / first - person revulsion hybrid . And every experience will be a new one , which means there ’s nigh endless scares to be regain within . The Persistenceis horror gaming done right , and that has piddling to do with whether it ’s VR or not .
Next : Stranded Deep Review - More Shallow Than Other Survival Games
The Persistencereleases May 21 , 2020 for Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Nintendo Switch and PC . It was previously let go on PlayStation VR in 2018 . Screen Rant was put up with an Xbox One transcript for the purposes of this review .
