The Persistence Reviews

The Persistence is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
May 24, 2020

The Switch version of The Persistence managed to exceed my expectations in every single way. Not only it’s a good proof that you can also port former VR games to a non-VR environment, but it’s also a fun horror-themed roguelike with great visuals and environmental design running pretty well on such underpowered hardware.

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May 28, 2020

The Persistence doesn’t break a lot of new ground, but it is a tense sci-fi rogue-lite with some interesting ideas and solid throughout.

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8.2 / 10.0
Apr 27, 2020

The Persistence, developed by Firesprites, is a first-person survival horror all within a procedural rougelike. And all this with high-quality 3D graphics and a terrifying atmosphere. What The Persistence offers is a space survival experience filled with horror, anguish and frustration. The main flaw would be that due to being procedural, the scenarios become repetitive. The game offers replayability by expanding difficulties when completing. And a series of Challenges outside the campaign. I see it as a game that if you like survival horror you should buy.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 12, 2020

Given the game’s small size on the hard drive and its very affordable price, it is almost impossible to bypass what The Persistence offers, especially for those looking for something different in the survival horror genre.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 1, 2021

The Persistence has some very real design and technical issues. Despite this, I found it worth dealing with them because it also has an addictive gameplay loop, a fun challenge, and a brilliant atmosphere when playing in VR. I certainly recommend it, but feel it could be much better than it is.

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4 / 5.0
Feb 8, 2022

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.

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7.5 / 10.0
May 25, 2020

Previously an exclusive for the PlayStation 4, The Persistence seeks to meld the roguelike genre with horror while bringing it all to VR. The recent...

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7 / 10.0
Jun 17, 2021

The Persistence Enhanced is well worth checking out if you’re a horror fan, especially if you also like a bit of stealth. Those fond of roguelikes will no doubt get a kick out of it too. However, the game’s repetitive nature alongside its clunky and often unfair combat will likely result in some frustration, and maybe even cause some to give up on their bid for freedom. Players who do see their journey to its end, though, will find a welcome assortment of complimentary modes that will entice them to go back for more deck exploring action.

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8 / 10.0
May 20, 2020

With a simple but engaging upgrade system; enough weapons and gadgets to make James Bond blush; and a great parrying mechanic that brings an unexpected rhythmic element to combat, this is one title that warrants a purchase even without any fancy VR setup. Repetition with enemy variety and level structure may mar the experience for some players, but it's easy to overlook these faults when the core game has so much to offer.

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7 / 10.0
May 23, 2020

The Persistence may not fully escape its VR origins, but it's a good game that's worth your time without it, provided you can endure the slog of the last areas.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 1, 2020

The Persistence is a game built of components that any fans of the horror and sci-fi genres will recognise, in a format that merges seamlessly with them to make an absorbing and challenging game.

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Digital Chumps
Scott Vogt
Top Critic
7.2 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2018

The Persistence is a great entry into the survival horror genre, and I feel that it is best enjoyed in the original VR format. For those entering on Xbox side of this game, this is definitely one I would pick up and take in, even though you won't get that same immersive VR experience from it. The game still offers a great story and an insane amount of difficulty, which will challenge most experienced players. While it is rather short, the addition of ever-changing maps does add to the 'freshness' of the short game, as no playthrough will be the same. Definitely worth a go.

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65%
May 20, 2020

A sci-fi horror that gets better with perseverance, The Persistence is worth delving into, despite more than a few frustrations. Give it time, though, and you'll ultimately discover a rewarding roguelike experience.

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Jun 11, 2021

A spoonful of VR would help the medicine go down.

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Mar 20, 2020

These are minor design flaws, however, and most can be overlooked because the rest of The Persistence is simply astounding. It's not just a successful port from VR to console and PC, it's a terrifying and unique roguelike/first-person horror hybrid. And every experience will be a new one, which means there's nearly endless scares to be found within. The Persistence is horror gaming done right, and that has little to do with whether it's VR or not.

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8 / 10
Jun 18, 2021

The Persistence is a unique and unsettling sci-fi horror roguelite that does an excellent job of transferring its tense atmosphere and absorbing gameplay loops from its original VR form to the Nintendo Switch. There are tons of weapons and toys to tool around with as you run the gauntlet, the permanent aspects of the gameplay are refreshingly generous and survival mode and New Game+ provide a properly stiff challenge for those who prefer their roguelites to be tough as nails. Firesprite Games has done a fantastic job of porting the entire ghoulish affair over to Switch, with flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes; overall, this is another very strong addition to the console's ever-expanding collection of excellent roguelite experiences.

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8 / 10.0
May 20, 2020

Roguelikes aren't for everyone, but The Persistence manages to show that a few tweaks to the usual experience can make wonders for accessibility. With a great atmosphere, intriguing setting, and great mechanics that allow for a variety of play styles, The Persistence is a more than worthy game for both roguelike diehards and those looking to finally get into the genre.

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7 / 10
May 20, 2020

The Persistence is worth playing overall, but the game is unfortunately plagued with artificial difficulty solely to pad out the length.

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80 / 100
May 22, 2020

Still, this version of the game does have enough depth, strategy, and replayability to make it a solid, worthwhile addition to your game library.

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GameMAG
Top Critic
7 / 10
May 21, 2020

The Persistence is a good game for fans of space horror, which without PSVR lost a little effect of immersion. However, it is still interesting to play, especially if you get used to the monotonous generation of levels.

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