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The Persistence

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The Persistence
Information
VR/AR Virtual Reality
Developer Firesprite
Publisher Firesprite
Platform PlayStation VR, PC VR
Device PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality
Operating System PlayStation 4, Windows
Type Game
Genre Horror, Shooter, Action
Input Device Gamepad (DualShock 4 on PlayStation VR; no motion controller support)
Game Mode Single-player, Co-op
Release Date 24 July 2018 (PlayStation VR); 21 May 2020 (PC, with optional VR)
Price US$29.99
App Store PlayStation Store, Steam
Website https://firesprite.com/games/the-persistence
See also: VR Apps and VR Games

The Persistence is a first-person science fiction survival horror game with roguelike elements, developed and published by the Liverpool studio Firesprite. It was released on 24 July 2018 as a PlayStation VR exclusive for PlayStation 4.[1][2] The player controls cloned bodies of security officer Zimri Eder aboard a colony ship caught in the pull of a black hole, and the ship's deck layout changes between runs.[2]

On 21 May 2020 Firesprite released a version playable without a headset on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. The PC version on Steam kept optional VR support for PC VR headsets, played with a gamepad rather than motion controllers.[3][4] An Enhanced edition followed in June 2021 for PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.[5] On Metacritic the PlayStation VR version holds a Metascore of 78, based on 28 critic reviews.[6]

Reviewed 6 October 2026. Release dates and platforms, Enhanced edition dates and features, PC VR headset support, companion app, controls, interview statements, Metacritic and OpenCritic scores, review quotes and every cited source re-opened. About review dates.

Gameplay

The game is set in 2521 aboard The Persistence, a colony ship.[7] According to Firesprite, the ship malfunctions during a jump and is caught by a black hole, and the corrupted Clone Printer begins producing mutated copies of the former crew. The player is Security Officer Zimri Eder, or more exactly a series of clones printed with her stored memories and personality, and must restore the ship and return it to Earth.[2] In Eurogamer's description, the clone is revived by the ship's engineer Serena Karim, and the player has to complete an objective on each of the ship's four main decks to restart the stardrive.[8]

Runs and progression

The ship's automated deck-configuring system is also damaged, so the layout of the ship changes each time the player dies or uses the teleporter between decks, along with the enemies, items and weapons on offer.[2] When a clone dies, a new one is printed. The player keeps unlocked schematics and collected currency, and stem cells spent between runs improve attributes such as health and stealth.[9][8] FAB chips buy items and upgrades at weapon Fabricators. Challenge rooms hold loot crates, and some crates contain Porter keys that let a player skip decks already completed.[8] Finishing the game unlocks a Survival Mode in which the player has 10 lives.[9]

Stealth and combat

Firesprite's own tips recommend stealth: in PlayStation VR the player can lean and peek around cover, and a short-range teleporter lets the player move between hiding places.[2] The starting weapon is the Harvester, which extracts stem cells from enemies at arm's length, and the player also carries a shield for blocking and parrying.[8] Firesprite said the ship carries 20 different weapons, including firearms, melee weapons and experimental "dark matter" prototypes, all of which can be upgraded.[2] Eurogamer singled out the Gravometric Hook, which grabs an enemy so the player can smash it against the walls by turning their head, and the one-use Ivy Serum, which turns an enemy into an ally.[8] UploadVR named the same hook, which it called the Grav Hook, as its favorite weapon.[9]

Companion app

Other people in the same room can join a session through an iOS and Android companion app that connects to the ship's engineering system, Solex. Depending on their choices, these players can help or hinder the main player: they can open doors, lure or freeze enemies, disable traps, tag enemies so they are visible through walls, turn out the lights, or spawn enemies and items. App players earn points that unlock more powers, and Firesprite noted that they can also be rewarded when the main player dies.[2][10] Sources give different player counts. In a 2017 interview Firesprite said up to four players could connect to the VR game,[11] while the 2020 Steam announcement for the PC version and Firesprite's game page both give up to two app players.[10][12]

Virtual reality design

On PlayStation VR the game is played only with the DualShock 4. The player aims by moving their head, walks with the left stick and turns with the right stick; vertical camera movement is left to head motion. Pressing a button triggers the short-range teleport.[9] Items are picked up by holding the gaze on them for a couple of seconds.[8] The game does not support PlayStation Move or the PlayStation VR Aim controller, which UploadVR's reviewer said he missed.[9] Eurogamer said that experienced players would be disappointed by the absence of motion controls, but praised the large number of comfort settings, which let players tailor the controls to their experience with VR.[8]

In a 2017 interview, Firesprite's Becky Brown said the PlayStation VR version had to run at 60 frames per second and that on PS4 Pro the game rendered at 150% resolution.[11] She described the level generation as built from several layers: modular room parts, rule-based placement of cover and hazards, detail passes and enemy spawning weighted by difficulty.[11] UploadVR's review noted a grainy image on the standard PS4 that was less visible on PS4 Pro.[9] In a 2020 GamingBolt interview, game director Stuart Tilley said the team wanted movement to feel familiar to players of first-person shooters and spent a year working on ways to reduce motion sickness; one experiment that gave the player a 3D nose to help ground them was not well received, as people "just thought it was weird".[13]

The PC release added VR support for the Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets; the current Steam page also lists the Valve Index and states that motion controls are not supported and a keyboard or gamepad is required.[10][14] When the PC version was announced in March 2020, Firesprite told The Verge that Valve Index support was still undecided.[15] The Enhanced update for PC added VR graphics settings and NVIDIA DLSS, which Firesprite said also works in VR.[16] Firesprite also included ray-traced reflections in VR as an experimental option that it said it would not develop further; according to the studio, ray-traced global illumination and shadows could not be enabled in VR because the game would not boot with them.[17] The PlayStation Store page for The Persistence Enhanced states that PlayStation VR is not natively supported in that version.[18] Patch 1.01 in August 2021 fixed VR comfort settings not being saved and stutter on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.[19]

Development

Firesprite was founded in Liverpool in 2012 and had made The Playroom for PS4 and The Playroom VR for PlayStation VR before The Persistence.[20] Stuart Tilley was the game director.[2] In the same GamingBolt interview, Tilley said that Dead Space and Alien influenced the game's gameplay, visual style and audio design, as did older games such as System Shock.[13]

Adapting the game for flat screens meant rebalancing controls, movement, environmental and combat interactions, and the user interface. Tilley said some mechanics had to be detached from the VR "look at" system based on head tracking, and the UI was redesigned because VR had offered more virtual space than a flat display.[13] He also said that VR had not been dropped and that the game was coming to the major PC VR platforms.[13]

Release

Firesprite announced the game as a PlayStation VR exclusive in March 2017.[7] On 31 January 2018 it set a 24 July 2018 release date, with a pre-order avatar pack and a discount for PlayStation Plus members.[2] On launch day the game was available digitally, and physical copies reached US and European retail the following day.[1] UploadVR reported a launch price of US$29.99.[9]

In March 2020 Firesprite announced versions for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Owners of the PlayStation VR version received the standard PS4 version free of charge.[15][4] The Persistence Enhanced was announced on 25 February 2021 as a free update for existing owners.[21] It was first dated for 4 June 2021, then delayed on Steam to 11 June "whilst we add a final touch of polish".[22][23] On 11 June 2021 Firesprite announced that it was out on PlayStation 5 and Steam and that the Xbox versions had been delayed.[5] The Enhanced edition added improved lighting and particle effects, a ray-traced "Quality" mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X, DualSense haptic feedback on PS5, and DXR ray tracing with NVIDIA DLSS on PC.[5] On Steam it also came with a free concept art book and soundtrack.[24]

Version Platform Release date Notes
Original (VR) PlayStation VR on PlayStation 4 24 July 2018 Digital; physical retail in the US and Europe from the following day[1]
Standard PlayStation 4 21 May 2020 Free non-VR update for existing owners; physical edition by Perp Games on 17 July 2020[3][4]
Standard PC (Steam) 21 May 2020 Optional PC VR mode; the Steam store lists 20 May 2020[3][14]
Standard Xbox One 21 May 2020 Physical edition by Perp Games on 17 July 2020[3]
Standard Nintendo Switch 21 May 2020 Physical edition by Perp Games on 31 July 2020[3]
Enhanced PlayStation 5 June 2021 Announced as out on 11 June 2021; PlayStation's game page lists 4 June 2021[5][18]
Enhanced PC (Steam) 11 June 2021 Free update for Steam owners[24]
Enhanced Xbox Series X/S 24 June 2021 Delayed from the other Enhanced versions[5][25]

Firesprite said that Perp Games would release a boxed PS5 edition of The Persistence Enhanced at retail in Europe only;[5] Perp Games announced the physical version for release in Europe from 11 June 2021.[26] Sony Interactive Entertainment announced its acquisition of Firesprite on 8 September 2021, listing The Persistence and The Persistence Enhanced among the studio's games.[20] As of October 2026 the game is still sold on Steam and the PlayStation Store at US$29.99.[14][18]

Reception

Aggregator Version Score
Metacritic PlayStation VR (PS4) 78[6]
Metacritic Xbox One (non-VR) 75 (13 critic reviews)[27]
Metacritic PC 75 (4 critic reviews)[27]
Metacritic PlayStation 5 (Enhanced) 71 (5 critic reviews)[27]
OpenCritic The Persistence (VR) Top Critic Average 78; 71% of critics recommend[28]

Eurogamer's Ian Higton called the game "an ideal purchase for VR horror fans" and said its roguelike elements gave it more gameplay than the average PSVR title. He praised the audio and the variety of weapons. His criticisms were the basic textures, repetitive enemy designs, backtracking after deaths and a fourth deck with emptier rooms and more forced combat that ended in a short, jarring climax.[8] David Jagneaux of UploadVR described it as "a dark, challenging stealth shooter that PSVR fans can keep coming back to for quite a while" and finished the base game in about seven hours.[9] PlayStation Universe gave it 9 out of 10. Its reviewer said the control options left him more comfortable than in any other first-person VR game he had played, and called it "the most essential game in its field on PSVR".[29]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Caroline Watson (2018-07-24). "Firesprite releases The Persistence for PlayStation VR". Firesprite. https://firesprite.com/news/firesprite-games-releases-the-persistence-for-playstation-vr-exclusively. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Stuart Tilley (2018-01-31). "Horror Roguelike The Persistence Lands on PS VR July 24". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2018/01/31/horror-roguelike-the-persistence-lands-on-ps-vr-july-24/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Caroline Watson (2020-05-21). "Firesprite releases The Persistence across multiple platforms". Firesprite. https://firesprite.com/news/the-persistence-out-now-across-multiple-platforms. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jamie Feltham (2020-04-22). "The Persistence Arrives On PC VR Headsets Next Month". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/the-persistence-pc-vr-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "The Persistence Enhanced out now for PC, PlayStation 5. XBOX Series X/S Coming Soon.". Firesprite. 2021-06-11. https://firesprite.com/news/the-persistence-enhanced-press-release. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Persistence VR". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-persistence-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Islem Sharouda (2017-03-13). "The Persistence announced for PSVR". Gamereactor. https://www.gamereactor.eu/the-persistence-announced-for-psvr/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Ian Higton (2018-07-24). "The Persistence review - a tense Sci-Fi Roguelike that's perfect for VR". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/the-persistence-review-a-tense-sci-fi-roguelike-thats-perfect-for-vr. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 David Jagneaux (2018-07-23). "The Persistence Review: Survival Horror Meets Sci-Fi VR Roguelike". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/the-persistence-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Firesprite Games (2020-05-28). "The Persistence: Multiplayer Companion App". Steam. https://steamcommunity.com/games/1140100/announcements/detail/2214028806016043072. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Ravi Sinha (2017-07-18). "The Persistence Interview: The Joys and Sorrows of Dying". GamingBolt. https://gamingbolt.com/the-persistence-interview-the-joys-and-sorrows-of-dying. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  12. ↑ "The Persistence". Firesprite. https://firesprite.com/games/the-persistence. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Shubhankar Parijat (2020-05-25). "The Persistence Interview - Turning A VR Experience Into A Non-VR One". GamingBolt. https://gamingbolt.com/the-persistence-interview-turning-a-vr-experience-into-a-non-vr-one. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "The Persistence on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1140100/The_Persistence/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Taylor Lyles (2020-03-09). "The Persistence will finally be playable without a VR headset". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/9/21171332/the-persistence-coming-to-ps4-pc-switch-xbox-one-after-being-psvr-exclusive-for-two-years. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  16. ↑ Firesprite Games (2021-06-01). "NVIDIA DLSS Support". Steam. https://steamcommunity.com/games/1140100/announcements/detail/3005569403393090988. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  17. ↑ Firesprite Games (2021-06-01). "Experimental Ray-traced Reflections in VR". Steam. https://steamcommunity.com/games/1140100/announcements/detail/3005569403406804788. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "The Persistence". PlayStation. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/the-persistence/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  19. ↑ Firesprite Games (2021-08-17). "The Persistence Enhanced: Patch 1.01". Steam. https://steamcommunity.com/games/1140100/announcements/detail/4509778749610023141. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Sony Interactive Entertainment to Acquire Firesprite". Sony Interactive Entertainment. 2021-09-08. https://sonyinteractive.com/en/press-releases/2021/sony-interactive-entertainment-to-acquire-firesprite/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  21. ↑ "The Persistence Enhanced Announced for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S". Firesprite. 2021-02-25. https://firesprite.com/news/the-persistence-enhanced-announced-for-late-spring-2021. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  22. ↑ Will Borger (2021-04-29). "The Persistence Enhanced Launches June 4th". GamingBolt. https://gamingbolt.com/the-persistence-enhanced-launches-june-4th. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  23. ↑ Firesprite Games (2021-06-01). "The Persistence Enhanced Available June 11th". Steam. https://steamcommunity.com/games/1140100/announcements/detail/3005569403389257431. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Firesprite Games (2021-06-11). "The Persistence Enhanced: Out Now". Steam. https://steamcommunity.com/games/1140100/announcements/detail/5061464089273485818. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  25. ↑ "The Persistence Enhanced". Xbox. Microsoft. https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/the-persistence-enhanced/9p5fnnlkrk0n. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  26. ↑ "The Persistence Enhanced - physical version release date". Perp Games. 2021-05-11. https://perpgames.com/2021/05/11/the-persistence-enhanced-physical-version-release-date/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 "The Persistence". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-persistence/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  28. ↑ "The Persistence (VR)". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/6402/the-persistence-vr-. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
  29. ↑ Neil Bolt (2018-07-24). "The Persistence Review - PSVR". PlayStation Universe. https://www.psu.com/reviews/the-persistence/. Retrieved 2026-10-06.
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