The Persistence Enhanced Review: Attack Of The Clones

I’m always hesitant when I hear that a title that was tailor-made for VR is getting converted to a flat-screen experience. With that in mind, I must admit, when presented with the opportunity to review The Persistence Enhanced (which I’ll just refer to as “The Persistence” from here on) on the PlayStation 5, I was skeptical as to how this survival horror rogue-lite would translate to a more traditional non-VR experience.

Thankfully, my concerns were misplaced. Whilst there is no denying that some parts of The Persistence have likely suffered as a result of the transition to flat-screen gaming, the rock-solid progression and gameplay loops still shine through to provide a compelling and addictive experience.

An Intergalactic Rogue-Lite

In terms of the narrative setup, players assume control of Zimri Elder, part of the security team aboard a starship that has become stranded at the edge of a black hole in deep space. Not only has the starship completely shut down, but its crew has also turned into a shambling army of mutated undead. Throughout the 10-12 hours it’ll take players to complete the campaign, Zimri must complete a handful of objectives on each of the ship’s decks, to restore functionality and find a way out of this precarious predicament.

Knowing very little about The Persistence before jumping in, I was curious as to how the developers, would weave the fundamental rogue-lite mechanics into the narrative, such as randomized levels and coming back stronger after death. Rather than shoehorn these genre staples in awkwardly, the developers introduced systems that thankfully make sense within the context of the world The Persistence inhabits. For starters, the ship, which is also called The Persistence, is equipped with cloning technology, that enables Zimri to take control of a new body every time she meets a gruesome end. As well as being at the cutting edge of cloning technology, The Persistence is also loaded with a self-configuration system that allows it to restructure and reshape its interior at will. The problem is, every time Zimri finds herself having to respawn into a new body, the malfunctioning ship has also changed its layout.

These may seem like small touches, but I’ve played a lot of rogue-lites/likes where the randomized nature of the levels, feels at odds with the rest of the experience. Justification for the existence of such mechanics can often feel odd, or worse, completely unexplained. Thankfully, The Persistence doesn’t fall into such a trap.

Grind, Kill, Die, Repeat

This neat and well-thought-out set-up would all be for nothing, however, if The Persistence failed to nail its meta-progression loops, which are absolutely integral to the success and appeal of any rogue-lite. On that front, The Persistence absolutely succeeds.

My favorite rogue-lites all struck a chord with me as a result of being able to do one thing; rewarding me for my time, even on those runs where I wasn’t able to complete an objective or see a run through to completion. The Persistence nails this component, constantly feeding you with various currencies that can be used to unlock permanent upgrades that enhance your survivability and combat capabilities on future runs.

A lot of this success can be attributed to the nigh-on perfectly balanced currency economy. Character progression in The Persistence is tied to three main currencies; Erebus Tokens, Fabchips, and Stem Cells. Erebus Tokens are used to unlock weapons and weapons upgrades at various terminals scattered around the halls of each level, whereas Fabchips and Stem Cells are used to purchase weapons and unlock more physical upgrades such as health boosts and upgrades to your teleport ability. Anything purchased with Erebus Tokens or Stem Cells results in a permanent upgrade for your character. Spend enough Erebus Tokens to unlock that electrified police baton, for example, and that will always be available for you to purchase with Fabchips in subsequent runs. Use your Stem Cells to upgrade your health by 100%, and you’ll have that benefit bestowed upon future clones of Zimri also.

Spreading upgrades across three separate currencies really helps the flow of the game and ensures you usually have something to show for each run. Even on those runs where, for example, I failed to secure enough Erebus Tokens to unlock the shiny new combat knife I had been eyeing up, I would come back loaded with Stem Cells allowing me to instead bolster the physical upgrade trees. No run ever felt wasted, with each death providing me with that dopamine rush of knowing that my previous failed effort would no doubt result in another significant character boost.

Complimenting the addictive nature of the in-game economy is the sheer amount of variety on offer in terms of upgrades and weaponry. The weapons truly are the star of the show here, ranging from pretty standard batons, knives, and guns to more eccentric contraptions like the insanely powerful spear gun and anti-gravity gun, which allows you to ragdoll enemies around the environment in hilarious fashion. The variety on show is commendable, and definitely encourages repeat playthroughs given the tools on offer encourage everything from stealth to all-out warfare with the undead mobs. The fact that I was able to complete a couple of levels during my first run hiding under desks, whilst I used a brainwashed enemy to do my dirty work for me, should tell you a lot about how much scope there is to get creative here.

I’m only scratching the tip of the iceberg as well. There is also the suit schematics that drop from enemies and provide passive buffs such as health regen or added melee damage, along with the clone modifications you eventually unlock, which again grant further passive buffs such as being able to harvest more stem cells from enemies or reduced equipment costs. The scope for build variety is truly immense and sure to please even the most hardcore fans of the genre.

Missing That VR Intimacy

You’ve probably guessed by now that I’m absolutely a fan of The Persistence. That isn’t to say that it’s without issue, however.

Level variety is, unfortunately, quite uninspired, despite the top-notch visuals and fantastic use of lighting at times. I mentioned earlier that the developers managed to provide to justify the inclusion of randomized levels, but, you would be forgiven for failing to even notice this when playing. Taking place across four of the ship’s decks, levels tend to blend into one another due to the repetitive nature of the rooms and corridors you will be venturing through the dark in. Even when starting a new run, with the ship having rearranged its decks, the procedural generation struggled to vary things up in an interesting fashion.

Enemy design is also somewhat lackluster. Poor AI and generic designs, unfortunately, begin to detract from the sense of tension that permeates through those initial hours. It’s a shame, too, because the audio design is top-notch; the creaks of the ship slowly falling apart, and the grunts and groans of unseen enemies are genuinely unsettling. However, when you actually see your foes up close and realize that the AI is extremely predictable and malleable, the illusion begins to fall apart somewhat.

I stated at the top that the issues with The Persistence likely relate to the jump from VR to flat screen. What I mean by that is, I really don’t think the issues I mentioned in the previous two paragraphs would detract as much from the VR experience. Having not played the VR version, I cannot say definitively, however, VR titles overcome a lot of their issues by placing you in that world. I have no doubt that if I was strapped into a headset, The Persistence would have terrified me, and the lackluster level design and questionable AI would have been the furthest thing from my mind. Horror games in VR instill a sense of panic like no other gaming experience is capable of. Removing that headset, though, immediately removes the intimacy from the equation, and as such, provides more ample conditions for viewing the experience through a critical lens. The reason I flag this is, if by some chance you have stumbled across this review with The Persistence being a game you are considering playing via VR, I think you can put slightly less stock in the issues called out above.

Conclusion

As a flat-screen experience, The Persistence is a title that I can’t help but feel is probably best played in VR, where its shortcomings are less likely to detract from the overall experience. That doesn’t mean, however, that if playing in VR isn’t possible for you, you should ignore it. Most importantly, The Persistence nails the fundamentals of the genre so well, with its compelling progression loops and vast scope for build experimentation, that it’s extremely easy to overlook any of the drawbacks.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available On: PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series S/X, PC; Publisher: Firesprite Games; Developer: Firesprite Games; Players: 1; Released: June 11, 2021; ESRB: M for Mature; MSRP: $29.99

Full Disclosure: This review is based on a code provided by the publisher.