The Persistence is set onboard a colony research vessel sent to study a collapsing star, but 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. The ship’s computer attempts to save the day by reconstructing the deceased crewmembers, but unfortunately it also introduces hideous errors in the process, creating mutated copies of your ex-shipmates and transforming them into gibbering mutants.

You are the last survivor. Your mission? Restore functionality to The Persistence and somehow make your way back to Earth.

Playing as a crewmember awoken from cryosleep, you’ll navigate the doomed ship, try to get the engines back online, and escape the ravenous clutches of the nearby black hole. 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-peeking in PS VR to stay aware of dangers, perhaps taking time to learn enemy behaviors and coming up with new tactics for your next run. Movement uses FPS controls, so getting around is really easy, and you’re equipped with a short-range teleporter which is perfect for moving stealthily between cover.

The Persistence offers players a brutal take on survival-horror that integrates an innovative rogue-like design into the genre, with its forthcoming console and PC release marking the first time this chilling experience has hit the 4K flat screen. 

By taking the original VR release and adding support for flatscreen play, this fresh version of The Persistence heightens the tension thanks to enhanced environments and post-processing effects, all working seamlessly with tailored UI and controls. Firesprite Games is also pleased to announce that gamers who already own the PlayStation VR version will also receive these features via an update on PS4 for no extra cost.

“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. “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.”

Marking the release this summer, Games Publisher Perp Games will publish physical editions at retail on the three console platforms simultaneously with the digital launch from Firesprite Games. 

“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. 

The automated deck-configuring system has also been corrupted, so every time you die or activate the teleporter between decks, you'll face a new ship layout, different threats, and new opportunities. With each new life, you play as a fresh clone with her Engrams (her memories and personality) restored, and the opportunity to re-sequence her DNA to create more powerful clones in the future, like increased speed, health, and stealth that will help you stay alive long enough to complete the game, so 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! And die you will — death is an integral part of the gameplay loop.

As for weapons, your trusty sidearm is the Stem Cell Harvester, which syphons precious cells from enemies, with fatal results. The Gravity Bomb drops a miniature black hole to devour nearby mutants, while a Rage Serum injector grants you temporary super-strength for hand-to-hand pummeling. There are more conventional firearms, too, including a pistol that fires dark-energy-infused rounds.

If you prefer to be the hunter rather than the hunted, you’ll want to seek out 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.

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, sometimes your friends get big rewards if you die! With the ability to spawn new enemies and make them attack, can you really trust your friends to help you out?

Already available for PSVR, The Persistence is coming to PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this summer.