![]() Additionally there are Challenge Records as well as Glass Cannon where you only have one life. In terms of replayability the game supports several game modes: Campaign, Survival, Campaign+ (available after finishing the Campaign mode), and Permadeath which opens up after the completion of a campaign with less than ten deaths. Finally the app has a cool art section with 58 pages of game art. The phone must be on the same network as your console however and is only accessible via WIFI. The app can be used to allow co-op play with you and a friend. The app also supports a minimap of the room you are in and allows you to find more credits to get more abilities. The Persistence also has a nifty Companion App that you can download onto your iOS or Android phones that gives you an extra ability to freeze enemies. Often the monsters are much further away, in an adjacent room, even though they sound like they are just around the corner. The only flaw in their implementation is how they sound spatially. The monster vocals have a lot of great range and are unsettling. Excellent work is done with the voice work of not just the two remaining survivors but the monsters themselves. There is a lot of ambient noise be it machinery, air flow, or unexpected clanks and bangs. To get the full effect, headphones are highly recommended. On the sound front, the game does a great job, especially with the ship noise. This one always brings a smile because the hearts are so incongruent with the sterile yet spooky ship environments. Placing an enemy under Ivy control is a hoot visually because it’s like striking them with a cupid arrow – Valentines heart pour out of the enemy and fill the air. Another fun upgrade is Ivy which allows to control a single enemy to protect you against other assailants. It is very viscerally satisfying to grab an enemy with this device and slam them from deck to ceiling. There are also upgrades available for weapons including one that is a homage to the gravity gun from Half-Life, called the gravhook. Any upgrades that are powered by dark matter such as your personal shield and invisibility are leveled up on this tree. The categories are self-explanatory except for dark matter which is a type of energy. Scattered throughout the ship levels are fabrication machines that allow you to upgrade in four categories – health, stealth, dark matter, and melee. One would hope to end up in a better location but you could land somewhere that puts you in deeper trouble. If things get really hectic, as a last ditch resort you can randomly teleport with the downside of not knowing where you will end up. You can maneuver out of a jam when surrounded or get behind an enemy for offensive purposes. The second type of teleportation is for moving past obstacles/debris and more importantly, as a combat skill. ![]() Two types exist: the first is through stations scattered throughout the ship levels and the second is a personal one that allows you to move a short distance within line of sight. Besides walking, teleportation is also available. As your skill level increases, your radar improves making navigation much easier and reduces the chances of unexpected encounters. You do have a form of radar, which can only be used sparingly at first, which allows you to ping and locate enemies in close proximity. Obviously this puts you at risk, especially early in the game. This is done with a taser-like device which requires the player to be in close proximity to the target. In order to increase your skills, you will need to gather items scattered throughout the ship and stem cells from the mutated monsters roaming the ship. And die you will, for your character starts out weak with little in the way of the defensive/offensive capabilities. Serena will also print a new instance of you after each death. She also acts as your guide and mentor helping you with the mission goals and providing information about the ship layout and tech. Your resurrection is possible by the ship’s only other survivor, Serena Karim – a ship engineer, who charges you with the rescue mission. These ‘monsters’ are running amok through the ship damaging systems needed for escape. Things have taken a dark turn on the Persistence – defective cloned versions of crew members have been generated due to damage suffered by the ship upon hitting the gravity field of the black hole.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |