British developer Firesprite released survival horror The Persistence for PlayStation VR back in 2018. Later this year the studio will bring the videogame to more platforms, both VR and non-VR as well as enhancing the experience.
The summer The Persistence will arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC – both Steam and Oculus Store – with enhanced environments and post-processing effects. If you already own the PlayStation VR version then you’ll be able to play the standard PlayStation 4 version for free.
Set onboard a doomed deep space colony starship in the year 2521 you play a security officer who finds the rest of the crew have been turned into horrific monsters. As this is a procedurally generated ship, every time you die it’ll change, offering a labyrinth in which you must explore, evade and fight whilst never being able to learn the map.
The PlayStation VR version also had a companion app for iOS and Android devices where friends can either help or hinder the VR player. It’s yet to be confirmed if this feature will be continued for the various platforms.
“We’re excited and very much looking forward to bringing this game and universe we have created to new platforms for players,” said Graeme Ankers, MD and Co-founder of Firesprite Games in a statement. “The Persistence is a survival-horror experience designed to keep players on edge from start to finish, and with a procedurally generated environment forming around them, no two playthroughs are ever identical, meaning you will never find safety or security in the same place.”
“Firesprite has created such an atmospheric, intense, and massively enjoyable game in The Persistence and we are absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to bring it to new audiences across all formats,” adds Rob Edwards, Managing Director of Perp Games.
When reviewing The Persistence back in 2018VRFocus said: “Overall, The Persistence is a great sci-fi horror experience that cleverly uses VR to slowly ratchet up the tension and fear. While never entirely terrifying, it does still work well as horror, with just enough randomisation to keep you coming back for more.”
As further details regarding the release of The Persistence in 2020 VRFocus will keep you updated.
The Persistence, one of our favorite PSVR exclusives, is exclusive no longer; it’s coming to PC VR headsets this summer.
The Persistence PC VR Is On
Developer Firesprite games announced the news today. The team is actually porting the original game to standard PS4s, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC to be played on flat screens. We reached out to confirm that the latter version would include support for VR headsets, though, and the developer confirmed that’s the case.
Official integration for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows VR headsets is confirmed, though the game only works with a standard gamepad so it should run inside a Valve Index without much hassle.
The Persistence is a first-person survival horror game with rougelike elements. Players are tasked with sneaking through a ship overrun with murderous monsters. The layout of the ship changes with each playthrough, making it unpredictable. Plus friends can use a companion app to either help the VR player survive or, if they’re feeling mean, subject them to even more scares.
We were very fond of the original version of the game, awarding it 8/10 upon release back in 2018. “The Persistence offers something fresh and engaging by mixing different genres that we don’t often see melded together so well,” David wrote at the time. “On a moment-to-moment basis the horrors lurking around every corner keep you on your toes and the give-and-take aspect of its roguelike nature ensures that no two runs are ever quite the same.”
Over on PSVR, fans that already own the game will get the flatscreen PS4 version for free, too. Alongside the digital release, Perp Games will also be releasing new physical versions of the title on consoles.
We’ll let you know more details about The Persistence’s PC VR release, including release date, as soon as we’ve got them.
Roguelikes are an almost ubiquitous style of game now, but VR roguelikes are a little harder to come by.
Thanks to the likes of The Binding of Isaac, Into the Breach, Slay the Spire, and even Dead Cells, you can’t go five minutes without finding a game that is more willing to kill you off than help you. Well, that’s the case on consoles and PC anyway. VR roguelikes aren’t as common, which is odd because pairing the two together makes perfect sense. It’s not just because roguelikes are an excellent genre though; there are a couple of solid reasons to herald them as the true killer apps of virtual reality.
For starters, you don’t always have a huge amount of time to play VR; it’s one of the things that makes games like Beat Saber and Pistol Whip so perfect. Well, the same is true of a roguelike, if you’ve only got half an hour, then you can simply jump into one to see how far you can get. If you’ve got all night, then you’ll probably “one more run” yourself into the early hours. Not only this, but they make for excellent showcase games if you’re trying to convert your friends to the good words of VR. Lord knows we all are, so chuck them into In Death and the lack of sleep will probably lead them into our cult.
In the spirit of celebrating VR roguelikes, here is an alphabetical list of the 10 best we’ve seen so far!
A game set firmly within mythology, you play Luca and have been awakened by the goddess Diana. Your aim is to escape a procedurally generated dungeon and try to destroy the god you face at the end of each run. It’s got loads of upgrades to find, different classes, and a fair few weapons to try out too. Not only that, but it makes good use of 360 tracking and will have you killing demons by the dozen.
Not a VR Brooklyn Nine-Nine experience, but a retro-looking cyberspace FPS that allows you to journey through bright neon-lit rooms and fight off wireframe enemies. It’s fast-paced, visually stunning and I don’t mean in the usual term, it’s unlike anything else in VR. It’s also good fun and incredibly hard. Oh, and there are giant cat heads that try and kill you, good if you’re that way inclined.
Another oddly retro-looking game, but this one harks back to classic Doom, at least when it comes to the environments you’ll be running through. The world is randomized, but the fact that you’ll be getting shot at definitely isn’t. You have to keep on your toes if you want to survive this rather tough FPS game, but you’ll feel great if you manage it. Plus, once again, it’s incredibly walking through a visual style like this.
I promise I’ll stop waxing on about how cool graphics in VR are, but not yet. Dungeons & Treasure is a voxel-art game that has you smashing your way through enemies, bosses, and everything else the world can throw at you. Plus, it’s multiplayer, which means you can team up with friends or randoms to take on the trials and earn the treasures.
A very different entry to the ones that have come before, Everspace has you flying through space trying to survive in a universe that is full of surprises, surprises that want to kill you. It’s perhaps the best-looking game on this list, and it’s an incredible game. There’s also a solid story to follow through in your runs, which makes it great for those looking for more than just gameplay.
Another space-based VR roguelike, but this one has you controlling someone on a ship, not the ship itself. That means shooting people with dual space pistols and stuff, and that never really gets old. It’s got multiplayer so you can fight off the unknown with friends, and it’s got more space enemies than you can shake a space stick at. Just keep in mind that you’re probably going to die.
In Death has you fighting through purgatory having been forsaken by all in a horrific afterlife. You only have your trusty bow to rely on, and you’ll have to fight through hordes of teleporting archers, demonic babies, and horrific ghosts to make it all the way through the game. It’s one of the best archery experiences in VR, and it’s endlessly replayable thanks to its brutal difficulty and moreish gameplay.
This slick-looking FPS will have you making your way through randomly generated worlds to try and become the ultimate soldier. It’s an incredibly pretty game thanks to the Unreal Engine, and there’s lots to do as well. Just keep an eye out for the masses of robots that want to test your mettle; otherwise you’ll never become the best.
Horror and VR are a natural pairing; after all, jump scares are so much more effective when you can’t look away. The Persistence has you playing as a cloned staff member aboard a space station that has been corrupted by a black hole. You have to try and restart the systems to escape the black hole, but you aren’t alone. There are plenty of other cloning machines all around the ship, and they’re malfunctioning, meaning they’re constantly making horrifically botched clones for you to fight against. It’s all pretty terrifying, but hey, sometimes you just need to get that heart rate up.
Sometimes what you want from a VR game is a good melee experience. There are a few out there, but the best VR roguelike one is Until You Fall. Set in a vibrant but doomed world, you have to duel your way through corrupted beings to try and save the world. It’s got an excellent blocking system, one of the most satisfying weapon-summoning animations around, and an all-around great amount of customisation. This is, for my money, one of the best games in VR, and the fact that it’s a roguelike just makes it all the sweeter.
What are your favorite VR roguelikes so far? Let us know down in the comments below!
The act of releasing a demo is a bit more of a rarity nowadays, with virtual reality (VR) developers occasionally using the medium to promote an upcoming videogame. The demo disc, on the other hand, is a dinosaur of a bygone era, when magazines were your essential source of gaming info, with each monthly publication adorned with a selection of titles on disc. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is still keeping that nostalgia alive with its PlayStation VR Demo Disc, the last or arrived in 2017. That changes today – for European customers at least – with the release of PlayStation VR Demo Collection 3.
Completely free to download from the PlayStation Store, the collection features nine titles for PlayStation VR and is especially ideal if you’ve just purchased a headset over Christmas. On offer are some of the best examples of VR content for the headset.
All the titles support the DualShock 4 controller apart from Job Simulator where you will need PlayStation Move controllers.
Titles like Job Simulator,Battlezone, The Persistence and Thumper have once again made the grade and stayed in place from the last demo collection, even though some were original launch window experiences from way back in 2016.
SIE happened to reveal the top downloads of 2018 for PlayStation VR recently, with Owlchemy Labs Job Simulator attaining the number one spot in the US and number two in Europe. Both Moss and SUPERHOT VR also made it into the top ten on both charts.
The company is also likely celebrating as it released sales figures for PlayStation 4 last week during CES 2019, with the console achieving a whopping 91.6 million sales worldwide by the end of 2018.
If you are new to the PlayStation VR platform then you’ll also want to take a look at VRFocus’ ‘Best PlayStation VR Games of 2018‘ feature to see what videogames should be in your library. And there are plenty of titles coming in 2019 to look forward to as well. For all the latest updates on PlayStation VR, keep reading VRFocus.
Entwicklerstudio Firesprite Games veröffentlicht ein kostenloses Update für seinen Horror-Titel The Persistence für PlayStation VR (PSVR) mit reichlich neuem Content sowie praktischen Funktionen für eine bessere Zugänglichkeit. Dazu zählen insgesamt vier neue Spielmodi, ein Assistenz-Modus und eine Unterstützung für Spieler/innen mit Hörproblemen. Zusätzlich ist das gruselige Sci-Fi-Abenteuer zu Halloween zu einem vergünstigten Preis erhältlich.
The Persistence – Update bringt neue Spielmodi und Zugänglichkeitsfunktionen
Mit dem neuen Update dürfen sich die Spieler/innen in die vier neuen Spielmodi Glaskanone, Kampagne+, Erstes Blut und Permadeath stürzen.
Der Glaskanonen-Modus stellt neue Herausforderungen an die Überlebenskünstler/innen, indem ihr 24 schwierige Räume unter einem Zeitlimit überwinden müsst, um an eine Rettungskapsel zu gelangen. Sobald ihr einen Raum betretet, verriegeln sich die Türen und ihr werdet Ziel der angreifenden Mutanten. Zudem werden die verschiedenen Passagen zunehmend schwieriger und ihr habt nur einen einzigen Trefferpunkt. Heilung gibt es ebenso wenig. Damit dies dennoch gelingt, könnt zu Beginn der Runde eine Waffe mit unbegrenzter Munition auswählen.
Im Modus Kampagne+ dürft ihr mit eurer gesammelte Ausrüstung und all euren Upgrades in eine Hardcore-Version der Kampagne eintauchen. Neben schwierigeren Gegnern wird euch euer Supersinn zum Aufspüren der Feinde verwehrt und ihr werdet stets von einem gefährlichen Bluthund verfolgt. Dafür könnt ihr jedoch höher stufige Upgrades für euren Charakter sowie Gegenstände mit dem Seltenheitsgrad Platin finden.
Bei Erstes Blut werden eure Stealth-Fähigkeiten gefordert, indem ihr euch nur mit eurem Messer bewaffnet durch ein neues zufällig generiertes Deck mit unzähligen Monstern schleicht.
Der Permadeath-Modus verwandelt den VR-Titel in ein Survival-Abenteuer. Sobald ihr einmal das Zeitliche segnet, ist das Spiel vorbei. Dafür könnt ihr Deck-Porter nutzen, um euch zwischen den verschiedenen Decks und zum Safe Point zu teleportieren.
Neben den neuen Spielmodi gibt es zudem einige Features, um den Einstieg in das Spiel zu erleichtern. Dazu zählt der neue Assistenz-Modus sowie eine Unterstützung für hörgeschädigte Spieler/innen.
Der neue Assistenz-Modus ermöglicht euch jederzeit den aktuellen Schwierigkeitsgrad im Pausenmenü zu verändern, falls euch eine Stelle einmal zu schwierig wird. Veränderbare Elemente sind Spielgeschwindigkeit und Schaden sowie die Möglichkeit euch mit unbegrenzten Teleports, unbegrenzter Munition und einem Auto-Schild auszustatten oder sämtliche Gegner per Wallhack zu markieren.
Damit auch Spieler/innen mit Hörschädigungen in den Genuss von The Persistence kommen können, ermöglicht ein neuer Modus die auditiv wichtigen Hinweise durch visuelle Darstellungen anzuzeigen.
The Persistence – Rabatt zu Halloween
Passend zum schaurig-schönen Halloween-Fest wird The Persistence zum reduzierten Preis im PlayStation Store angeboten. Insgesamt 25 % Rabatt erwarten euch zu Halloween. Zusätzlich gibt es für PlayStation-Plus-Abonennten nochmals weitere 10 % Rabatt oben drauf.
The Persistence (2018), a sci-fi horror-themed roguelike for PSVR created by Firesprite Games, just got a huge update today that brought a number of new game modes, a difficulty assist mode, and options for the hearing impaired—all for free.
To coincide with launch of the update, the game is also on sale during the Halloween season at a 25% discount off the store price, bringing it to $22.50. An additional 10% off is available for PlayStation Plus subscribers too, bringing it to $19.50.
When the game launched in July, it featured both Campaign and Survival Mode. Starting today, The Persistence now includes the following modes:
Glass Cannon: This is an all action challenge mode where you need to make it through 24 increasingly difficult rooms to get to an escape pod at the far end of the Deck. You get to select a gun at the start of each attempt, which comes with infinite ammo; the downside is that you only have 1 hit point, and there are no health pickups. Each time you enter a room, the doors lock and the mutants attack. You need to take them out as quickly as possible as the game is against the clock.
Campaign+:You keep all your Gear and Upgrades from your previous Campaign, but are now challenged with an ultra hardcore difficulty mode. The rules of the game have been changed to make it feel different too. You can no longer use SuperSense to spot enemies hiding in cover, and you will notice that a Bloodhound just keeps following you! To combat this, there are all new character upgrade levels, and ‘Platinum’ rarity Gear items to give you a fighting chance.
First Blood: A stealth-based challenge mode where you need to make your way through another huge procedurally generated deck to the escape pod. You’re equipped with only a Peacekeeper knife.
Permadeath: The challenge is to complete the entire campaign on a single life. The big change: there are Deck Porters in this mode that take you instantly between all Decks, and to Recovery, to quickly upgrade and buy Gear.
Image courtesy Firesprite Games
Some new accessibility features are also included in today’s update, which the studio says now features “a comprehensive suite.” By turning on ‘Assist Mode’ in the pause menu, the game now offers control over a few things such as infinite ammo, enemy power, enemy speed, and change enemies to always be visible through walls with a bright red highlight.
For the hearing impaired, there’s now an on-screen representation of key audio cues, like enemies growling that will help you locate enemies in the same way someone with standard hearing might.
Control inputs are also now fully mappable, so you can play however you’re best able.
Developer Firesprite Games have revealed that their virtual reality (VR) title The Persistence will be getting a free update next week that will see a number of improvements and new features come to the title. These will address some of the feedback the team have gotten from players since launch, along with performance improvements, accessibility features and plenty more. All of it will also be releasing for free, which is even better.
To start, the update will bring four new game modes to the title that will expand on the campaign and survival mode that are already present. These four new modes will mix up the gameplay in interesting new ways such as the Glass Cannon mode, which sees the player needing to navigate 24 increasingly difficult rooms to reach an escape pod. They select a weapon at the start of each attempt which comes with infinite ammo. The catch is that the player only has one hit point and there are no health pickups to be found throughout the rooms. Every room holds a number of mutants that will attack as well and the whole mode is a race against the clock.
First Blood presents a stealth based challenge where the player must navigate through a large level with only a knife to fight off the enemies. The Campaign+ mode will see players start the campaign anew with all their gear and upgrades from their previous playthrough. This will be needed as enemies will be harder to beat and the player does not have their SuperSense ability and a Bloodhound pursues the player from the start. Finally, the new Permadeath mode challenges players to complete The Persistence with only one life.
Along with these new modes players will be able to enjoy a number of accessibility features which provide them with options to tailor the experience to fit their needs. This includes adjusting the game speed, damage, turning on infinite teleports and ammo, tagging enemies through walls and even an auto shield option. For those with hearing impairment the team are adding new on screen prompts to provide players with vital information to make the experience more enjoyable.
To celebrate the launch of the new update, which releases on October 18th, 2018 the team at Firesprite Games also revealed that The persistence will be going on sale during the Halloween period. This will see a 25% discount on the title with PlayStation Plus members getting an additional 10% off as well. Stay tuned for news one when the sale starts.
VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty reviewed The Persistence praising many elements of the title and saying: “Overall, The Persistence is a great sci-fi horror experience that cleverly uses VR to slowly ratchet up the tension and fear. While never entirely terrifying, it does still work well as horror, with just enough randomisation to keep you coming back for more.”
For more on The Persistence in the future, keep reading VRFocus for all the latest.
It might be the week where everyone is talking about new standalone headset Oculus Quest but that’s not likely to worry Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and its PlayStation VR. The headset has seen over 3 million sold and with this limited time deal a few more are likely to go out.
Currently UK retailer Argos has quite the offer for those interested in purchasing PlayStation VR. For £229.99 GBP you can pickup a PlayStation VR V2 with VR Worlds Mega Starter Bundle – which includes the videogame and PlayStation Camera – then add-on a PlayStation Move Twin Pack – worth £69.99 – for free and then select one of three titles, Wipeout Omega Collection, Firewall Zero Hour or The Persistence for free as well. These retail for £29.99, £24.99 and £15.99 respectively, so you can save a maximum of £100 in the deal.
Obviously with a deal like this time is short, with Argos only offering it until 3rd October 2018. It’s one of the best VRFocus has seen for sometime especially for UK customers – SIE tends to do more deals for the US market.
As for the videogames, Wipeout Omega Collection is certainly a fan favourite offering high speed racing and the VR version has an added treat, three new VR exclusive ships in HD, Fury and 2048 classes have been included. But Wipeout Omega Collection may not be for everyone due to its hectic nature.
Currently very popular is another PlayStation VR exclusive, Firewall Zero Hour. Having hit the top download spot for August, the tactical first-person shooter (FPS) is purely multiplayer, but developer First Contact Entertainment does recommend the PlayStation Aim controller which costs extra.
Or for those who like a few frights then there’s always sci-fi horror The Persistence. With procedurally generated levels each playthrough is never quite the same, plus there’s a companion mobile app allowing friends to join in and either help or hinder the VR player.
VRFocus will continue to keep its eye out for the latest deals and offers from around the world.
We may all be lost in Firewall Zero Hour at the moment but we certainly shouldn’t forget about the other best VR game of the year so far, The Persistence. In fact, developer FireSprite is promising some news for its sci-fi horror today.
Yesterday, the studio took to Twitter to tease “something cool” to announce later today (August 30th) that’s “Persistence related…” complete with a Mr. Burns GIF.
It’s high time we announced something cool, right? It’s been a while.
Okay, let the speculation begin. The way we see it, there are three very real possibilities right now: DLC, ports and non-VR support. DLC could give us new areas and weapons to play within the procedurally-generated PSVR experience, for example, while we’d also welcome Oculus Rift and HTC Vive support. Another game that debuted on PSVR, Moss, only took a few months to transition from PC to console, so that’s certainly possible.
The last option could see Persistence coming to standard displays, which wouldn’t be very exciting for VR owners but if it helped Firesprite bring in more sales we’d be all for it. Either that, or we’re getting way to ahead of ourselves and its a line of Persistence Funkopop figures.
Rejoice fellow PSVR fans, The Persistence is here! This brilliant new horror game highlights a rock solid week of new releases on the PlayStation Store. Let’s dig in.
The Persistence, from Firesprite
Price: $29.99
Taking ques from the likes of Dead Space, Resident Evil 7 and Rogue Legacy, The Persistence is a first-person horror game in which your monster-infested space ship is randomly reworked every time you die. It’s creepy for sure, but you shouldn’t let that put you off playing what’s one of the best PSVR games of the last few months.
Detached, from Anshar Studios
Price: $24.99
Sticking with space, there’s finally a PSVR port of Detached launching this week, too. In this intense multiplayer game, you take on another opponent in zero gravity environments, trying to secure items before they do. It’s a frantic game of cat and mouse and well worth looking into.
VRobot, from Nival International
Price: $14.99
Want to smash stuff as a giant robot? Of course you do, and VRobot lets you do just that. Use two PS Move controllers to pick up buildings, toss ships and more in a destructive playground. Maybe not the most essential purchase this week but still lots of potential for fun.
