Firesprite shares five tips to help you survive a malfunctioning ship populated by mutated clones of your former crewmates.

Hello, PlayStation VR fans! Stuart Tilley, Game Director at Firesprite here with some exciting news. I’m pleased to announce that The Persistence will be releasing on PlayStation VR on July 24, 2018! What’s more, there’s a new trailer to check out, as well as a pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus members.

If you don’t know much about The Persistence just yet, here are five things that will make you an expert.

1. Dying Isn’t the End

The Persistence is a roguelike, and chances are you are going to die a lot. You play as Security Officer Zimri Eder. Well, sort of. With each new life, you play as a fresh clone with her Engrams (her memories and personality) restored. With each new life comes the opportunity to re-sequence her DNA to create more powerful clones in the future.

The game is set aboard The Persistence, a colony ship that suffers a malfunction during a jump, landing it in the inexorable pull of a black hole, wreaking havoc on the ship and corrupting the Clone Printer, which is now creating mutated copies of your ex-shipmates.

You are the last survivor. Your mission? Restore functionality to The Persistence and somehow make your way back to Earth.

2. Stealth is Your Friend

The Persistence is totally overrun, and these mutants won’t think twice about beating you to a pulp. Keep out of sight and out of trouble, leaning-and-peeking in PS VR to stay aware of dangers, perhaps taking time to learn enemy behaviors and coming up with new tactics for your next run.

Movement uses smooth FPS controls, so getting around is really easy, and you’re equipped with a short-range teleporter which is perfect for moving stealthily between cover.

3. You Can Fight Back

If you prefer to be the hunter rather than the hunted, you’ll want to seek out weapon fabricators. Here, you can purchase any of the 20 different weapons carried onboard, including firearms, melee, and even some top-secret experimental ‘dark matter’ powered prototypes!

You can upgrade each of them, and you’ll need to as you explore deeper into the dark and terrifying depths of The Persistence.

4. Every Life is Different

The automated deck-configuring system has also been corrupted, so every time you die or activate the teleporter between decks, the layout of the ship changes. Every life plays out differently, with different enemies to face, items to find and weapons to buy and upgrade. Taking time to understand the ever-changing world around you is crucial to staying alive.

Deadly hazards are likely to get the better of you if aren’t paying attention, so learn to use them to your advantage. Try presenting yourself as tasty human bait to lure a mutant over an explosive floor plate for an easy kill!

5. You Can Call Your Friends

Your friends can help out by connecting to the game (local play only) with their phone or tablet and hacking into Solex, the ship’s engineering system.

Once connected, players get powerful control over the game, including abilities to lure enemies, open doors, and disable traps. By helping you, your friends can upgrade their Solex system to unlock even more powers, like the ability to freeze enemies to help you escape.

But beware, sometimes your friends get big rewards if you die! With the ability to spawn new enemies and make them attack, can you really trust your friends to help you out?

Pre-order The Persistence now, and receive a super cool concept art Avatar Pack of some of the mutants, and a discount if you are a PS Plus member.

Keep an eye on PlayStation.Blog for more details on The Persistence before launches on July 24.