Republished on Wednesday, twenty eighth October, 2021: We’re bringing this assessment again from the archives following the announcement of November 2021’s PlayStation Plus lineup. The unique textual content follows.
The Persistence is an ideal title. Sure, it pertains to some sci-fi mumbo-jumbo buried on the very core of the sport’s lore, however actually it encapsulates what the sport is about: persistence. You’re the one remaining survivor on an area station that’s inevitably transmuted into some type of homicidal hellhole, however the excellent news is that every time you’re the sufferer of grievous bodily hurt, you may reprint a brand new physique and get again to work.
Over time, you’ll be capable to increase your clones with new talents, like stronger melee assaults and higher “physique tissue” that enhances stealth; the sport tries actually laborious to contextualise its rogue-lite underpinnings, and we respect Liverpool-based developer Firesprite going all-in on that entrance. What you find yourself with is a heady combination of Dead Space and Rogue Legacy, all playable completely with PlayStation VR.
Truthfully, it comes collectively much better than it has any proper to. You’ll end up working by way of a number of compartments of the area station, every randomly generated and residential to a model new collection of murderous mutants. The sport world is made up of various “constructing blocks”, which implies you’ll encounter samey wanting rooms, however you’ll want to concentrate to the best way through which they’re organised if you wish to attain your goal on the finish.
Every flooring has a unique objective, and these are usually extra “designed”, together with your progress checkpointed even after dying. Whereas purists could lament this specific serving to hand – there may be an unlockable survival mode for many who need a extra hardcore expertise – we felt that it lower down on unnecessary repetition in a sport that already expects you to grind just a bit bit to be able to get your hero into form.
As you’d count on of a rogue-lite, there are lots of currencies to maintain observe of, the principle one being Stem Cells. These will be gathered as you discover the area station, in addition to extracted instantly from enemies. Sneaking up on foes will let you stealth kill them, sucking up their DNA within the course of. Alternatively, you may parry most assaults once you’ve been detected, inflicting foes to stumble and opening the again of their head as much as extraction. It’s a satisfying mechanic.
However there’s way more to The Persistence’s fight than simply stealth assaults and parries; the sport can be nicely furnished with cool fight implements, starting from humble handguns right through to mystical lances and invisibility cloaks. You possibly can fabricate lots of this stuff across the area station, however you’ll want to take a position tokens to unlock and improve them, after which spend forex to be able to make them. Is the loop beginning to make sense but?
The cool factor in regards to the sport is the way it manages to make you are feeling overpowered, however solely in very brief bursts. Quite a lot of its end-of-level missions will increase you with limitless ammo, supplying you with a tease of how the armaments work, solely to go away you with two or three bullets from then on. Whenever you’re nicely equipped and you’ve got numerous gear in your individual, you will really feel like a super-soldier – however these moments are uncommon, and also you’ll spend most of your time merely having to make do.
It is smart, although: the sport desires you to be in your toes always, but it surely additionally desires you to be progressively edging ahead. As you collect increasingly more Stem Cells, you’ll be capable to beef up your talents, making your self stronger. However the deeper that you simply get into the area station, the stronger the threats turn into, and so there’s this fixed sense of private development balanced in opposition to a progressively growing issue curve.
To be truthful, this arc isn’t all the time excellent, as there are events the place the sport’s algorithm will spit out a degree structure that feels unfair. However for essentially the most half it’s nicely executed, and whereas the title’s by no means as scary as a extra “designed” marketing campaign, it’s nonetheless very tense – which is extra what it feels just like the developer’s going for. There’s no run button in any respect, so when you muck up it may be laborious to flee – however this has the web results of merely elevating the stakes.
The digital actuality provides so much, too. Whereas it’s not all the time the prettiest sport, there are some nice lighting results and we’re large followers of the “look” person interface, which sees you merely specializing in stuff you wish to choose up or hearth at. There are a number of consolation choices in addition to ample management customisation, and all of it feels good on the DualShock 4. As with every PlayStation VR sport, it’s the sense of place and scale that units it aside.
However there’s a social facet to the expertise as nicely, aided by a smartphone app which lets you play alongside (or in opposition to) a member of the family or buddy. Basically, the individual taking part in on cell will be capable to see the sport’s map, and could have the chance to steer the headset wearer in direction of doubtlessly useful gadgets – or lethal threats. You are most likely not going to get too a lot use out of this mode, but it surely’s a considerate addition that is been nicely carried out.
Conclusion
The Persistence cleverly blends Useless House-esque outer-space sci-fi scares with the addictive arcade loop of rogue-lites like Rogue Legacy, leading to a PlayStation VR marketing campaign that’s each gut-wrenching and weirdly replayable. It gained’t take you 1,000,000 lightyears to finish the likeable marketing campaign, however a hardcore mode awaits once you’ve completed, and intelligent co-op performance provides a bit of longevity to the expertise as nicely. With a compelling gameplay format in addition to some nice gadgetry, that is one survival mission we totally loved.
