5 things you should know about PS VR sci-fi horror The Persistence, out 24th July

Hello PlayStation VR fans, Stuart Tilley, Game Director at Firesprite here with some exciting news. I’m pleased to announce that The Persistence will be releasing on PlayStation VR on 24th July 2018! And what’s more is that there is a new trailer to check out, and a pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus members.

If you don’t know much about The Persistence just yet, here’s 5 things that will make you an expert.

1. Dying isn’t the end

The Persistence is a roguelike, and chances are you are going to die a lot. You play Security Officer Zimri Eder. Well, you don’t play as her exactly, instead, with each new life, you play as a fresh clone with her Engrams (her memories and personality) restored. And with each new life also comes the opportunity to re-sequence her DNA to make ever stronger and more powerful clones in the future.

The game is set aboard The Persistence, a colony ship that suffers a malfunction during a jump, landing it in the inexorable pull of a black hole, wreaking havoc on the ship and corrupting the Clone Printer, which is now creating mutated copies of your ex-shipmates.

You are the last survivor. Everyone else is dead; killed by these abhorrent ex-shipmates. Your mission is to get The Persistence functional again and somehow make your way back to Earth.

2. Stealth is your friend

The Persistence is totally overrun, and these mutants won’t think twice about beating you to a pulp. Keep out of sight and out of trouble, leaning-and-peaking in VR to keep aware of dangers, perhaps taking time to learn enemy behaviours and come up with new tactics for your next run.

Movement uses smooth FPS controls, so getting around is really easy, and you’re equipped with a short-range teleporter which is perfect for moving unseen between cover.

3. You can fight back

If you’re the type of person who wants to be the hunter and not the hunted, then make sure you seek out the weapon fabricators. Here you can purchase any of the 20 different weapons carried onboard, including firearms, melee, and even some top-secret experimental ‘dark matter’ powered prototypes!

You can upgrade each of them, and you’ll need to as you explore deeper into the dark and terrifying depths of The Persistence.

4. It’s different every life

The automated deck-configuring system has also been corrupted, so every time you die or activate the teleporter between decks, the layout of the ship changes. Every life plays out differently, with different enemies to face, items to find and weapons to buy and upgrade.

Taking time to understand the ever-changing world around you is crucial to staying alive.

Deadly hazards are likely to get the better of you if aren’t paying attention, so learn to use them to your advantage. Try presenting yourself as tasty human bait to lure a mutant over an explosive floor plate for an easy kill!

5. You can call your friends, and they can aid or hinder you

Your friends can help out by connecting to the game (local play only) with their phone or tablet and hacking into Solex, the ship’s engineering system.

Once connected, players get powerful control over the game, including abilities to lure enemies, open doors, and disable traps. By helping you, your friends can upgrade their Solex system to unlock even more powers, like the ability to freeze enemies to help you escape.

But beware though, sometimes your friends gets big rewards if you die, and with the ability to spawn new enemies and make them attack, can you really trust your friends to help you out?

Pre-order The Persistence now, and receive a super cool concept art Avatar Pack of some of the mutants, and a discount if you are a PS Plus member.

Keep an eye on PlayStation Blog for more detail on The Persistence before its launch this July.