The Persistence is an upcoming rougelike shooter from Firesprite Games, the studio behind The Playroom VR. Set to release July 24th, the procedurally generated title aims to present an interesting mix of asymmetrical gameplay by allowing a single VR player to do the heavy lifting while others connect via their phone or tablet and disable (or enable) traps, baddies, and scavenge for goodies.
Update (July 23rd, 2018): Firesprite recently revealed a gameplay trailer that gives us a quick look at how the game’s smartphone app will work, which lets you play couch co-op style with friends.
https://youtu.be/6ah35_jqplg
Original Article (February 2nd, 2018): Set aboard an out-of-control science and research vessel called ‘The Persistence’, you’re tasked with combating the now mutated crew of survivors, the results of a failed teleporter experiment. One more problem; The Persistence is also being pulled into the gravity of the collapsing star, and it’s your job to save the ship.
While you can fight back against the zombie hordes with its many guns, the blogpost announcing the game puts special emphasis on the need for stealthiness. According to the blogpost, locomotion is “smooth FPS controls,” but you’re also equipped with a short-range teleporter which is “perfect for moving stealthily between cover.”
Using a phone or tablet (local play only), your friends can also join in on the fun by ‘hacking’ into Solex, the ship’s engineering system. Here, your headset-less friends can decide to help you, or cash in on a big payday if you die by spawning new enemies and make them attack.
The Persistence is currently available for pre-order at $30.