Red Dead Redemption 2 is getting DLSS support, as is Rainbow Six Siege. DLSS support has also been confirmed for upcoming sci-fi survival title Icarus, which will also support Global Illumination. LEGO Builder’s Journey is launching for PC on June 22, and will support both ray tracing and DLSS. Meanwhile, upcoming first person horror puzzle title DYING: 1983 will support DLSS and ray-traced reflections, shadows, caustics, and Global Illumination. Sci-fi horror shooter The Persistence, which is getting an “Enhanced” update soon, will also be adding DLSS and ray tracing on June 11.

Nvidia has also released brief videos showing the updates in action for Rainbow Six Siege, Icarus, LEGO Builder’s Journey, DYING: 1983, and The Persistence. Take a look at all of them below.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.

"The Persistence was exclusive to PlayStation for a period of time, but having such favorable feedback from players and reviewers was a crucial factor in deciding to bring the game to a much wider audience."

When The Persistence first came out, it was met with great reception on the whole, with particular praise being given to its strong atmosphere. That, of course, is something its VR-centric nature was hugely responsible for. In dropping VR, how have you ensured that the game retains that strong atmosphere and sense of place?

This was one of the key questions we asked ourselves when making the decision to bring the game to consoles and PC. We were 100% insistent that the game had to be full of tension and scares as this is part of the fun of the game! We had additional horsepower available in non-VR, so we were able to look at lighting and post processing effects to create really atmospheric environments and tailor those to the various platforms. If you couple that with the excellent sound design and music from the original VR release which really added to the sense of dread and foreboding as you made your way through the decks of the somewhat doomed starship, we felt confident that we could deliver an experience that was worthy of the original. One thing we would like to clarify is that we haven’t dropped VR in this massive update; The Persistence is coming to the all major VR platforms on PC too! We’re really happy to bring the game to as many players as possible.

Was it always the plan for you to eventually release a non-VR version of The Persistence, or was it something you only started considering once the game had released and was out in the hands of players?

We had always believed that the core stealth and action gameplay, the ‘live-die-repeat’ gameplay loop, and atmospheric setting should still be able to make a brilliant and unique sci-fi horror game irrespective of the platform the game was released on. The Persistence was exclusive to PlayStation for a period of time, but having such favorable feedback from players and reviewers was a crucial factor in deciding to bring the game to a much wider audience.

How much adjusting and rebalancing have you had to do for the game to ensure a smooth transition from VR to non-VR gameplay?

It has been something we’ve worked really hard on as it wasn’t as easy as one would think! Adjustment has mainly been in the areas of visuals, controls and UI. Our goal was to maintain parity between VR and non-VR for the players, so a lot of the work involved was around rebalancing controls, movement, environmental and combat interactions along with UI elements and presentation. For example, some of the VR controls were based on a “look at” system based on player head tracking in VR which we had to unhook. We also had to redesign UI elements so that they were tuned for non-VR interactions as we have a lot more virtual space to play with in VR, so we had to redesign these areas to fit a flatscreen area.

"We set ourselves a lofty goal at the start of level development of “a procedurally generated ship that feels hand crafted.” It turns out this is a massively difficult thing to actually achieve!"

The duality of scripted horror and procedurally generated environments both having a big role to play in The Persistence is an interesting one- how does the game maintain a balance between those two while ensuring that the two elements don’t feel like they’re clashing with one another?

We set ourselves a lofty goal at the start of level development of “a procedurally generated ship that feels hand crafted.” It turns out this is a massively difficult thing to actually achieve!

We implemented the procedural level creation system as early as possible in development and we continued to iterate and polish it throughout to get that balance right. We made sure that the designers had all variables to do with the level generation, enemy and item population at their fingertips, enabling them to iterate and test it as much as possible.

Each deck needs to have a believable flow to it, you can’t have a scientist’s bedroom connected directly to a mining facility! As such, a deck would have an agreed flow, for example it might start in the Personal quarters, then journey though recreational, and relaxation areas before reaching functional areas that give a sense of progression but also make that journey believable.

Over the top of the procedural generation we then layered in a few hand-crafted areas – such as the IRIS room on deck 1 – which allowed us to add in the key story beats where we were confident the game would benefit as a whole.

The Persistence’s sci-fi horror setting gives off strong Dead Space and Alien vibes- how much of an influence did those two – or other similar media properties – have on you during development?

Both Dead Space and Alien are very close to our hearts, and both influenced us in terms of gameplay, visual style and audio design – as did classics like System Shock. But the influences are varied and broad – we are sci-fi geeks as the end of the day!

We have strived to carve out own niche in the genre, adding new twists with the roguelike loop in a high production values game, and bringing other players in to the action with the companion app (available for Android or iOS devices), where you can have your friends help or hinder the action! 

With this re-release, are you also taking the opportunity to rework or fix any issues that may have been brought to your attention by players or critics when the game first launched?

We updated the game a number of times in the past to fix feedback we have received from players and critics, but bringing the game over to other controllers caused us a number of issues which needed addressing for this release. With all the sticks on the controllers being very different – in terms of the dead spot, the range of travel, and accuracy of data we have had to make individual modifications for each platform to get the authentic experience.

For those who will be experiencing the game for the first time, roughly how long is an average playthrough of the game?

Typically, a playthrough tends to be 8-10 hours, but it we have found that it can vary quite significantly as the game is pretty challenging. A point of pride within the dev team is being able to go from new game to end credits in less than 1 hour! Speedrunners, take note. 

"Both Dead Space and Alien are very close to our hearts, and both influenced us in terms of gameplay, visual style and audio design – as did classics like System Shock. But the influences are varied and broad – we are sci-fi geeks as the end of the day!"

Obviously, having a non-VR version of the game means that more people get to experience it- do you think that barrier of entry is one of the biggest challenges the VR medium faces?

I think the beauty of VR is that if offers some entirely brand-new game experiences for players, and it’s up to individuals to decide if they want to invest in the hardware to give them these all new adventures. There are plenty of cost-effective ways to experience VR and decide if it’s for you.

The concern that nausea might be an issue is something that developers have been increasingly good at reducing or eliminating for players, through clever implementation or the style of games which we make. In The Persistence, we were insistent that the character movement would be familiar to lovers of FPS games, so we spent a solid year working on creative methods to reduce motion sickness – which I think we did a tremendous job at. Not all our experiments were successful though, at one point we gave the player a 3D ‘nose’ to try to help ground you in the game, but people just thought it was weird!

If you were to recommend one of The Persistence’s two versions to someone who has access to both, which one would you pick? Would you say the game retains all its strengths to the same degree as what it delivered in VR?

I think it depends on your playstyle as to which version you should try.  The game was designed to give you regular opportunities to take a break and to come back for another push. In VR the game is a little bit more intense, so you might want to enjoy that for a shorter time than if you were to play on console/PC.

We think the game is great fun either way, and with VR being optional on platforms which support it, you can continue you save game progress in regular or VR play!

Will the game will feature Xbox One X and PS4 Pro-specific enhancements? Is 4K/60 FPS on the cards?

Yes, we’re pleased to say that the game runs at 4k/60fps in Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro hardware and we have enhanced lighting, post processing and VFX for those platforms.

"We think the game is great fun either way, and with VR being optional on platforms which support it, you can continue you save game progress in regular or VR play!"

How is the game running on the original Xbox One and PS4, in terms of frame rate and resolution?

The game runs at 1080p/60fps on the original Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in non-VR. It was very well optimized when we developed it for VR.

What are the docked and undocked resolution and frame rate of the Switch version?

On the Nintendo Switch platform, it runs in 720p at 30fps undocked and in 1080p docked with a variable resolution to ensure the 30fps is constant. The Nintendo Switch version looks incredible – we have pushed to get the visual quality as close to the original PlayStation 4 release as we can.

Given that next-gen consoles are right around the corner, have you given any thought to next-gen ports for the game?

Of course, we’d love to look at this, but we’re focused on this release right now. Watch this space!

Last year we got a pretty interesting VR experience in The Persistence. The game combined survival horror, first person shooting, and roguelike elements where you are assaulted by random monsters on a spaceship in the far future of 2521. It was once only available to those with a VR headset on Sony’s console, but now it seems it’ll be open to a much wider audience soon.

As announced by publisher Prep Games and developer Firesprite Games in a blog post, a non-VR version of the title will be available across multiple new platforms. The original release was exclusively for PSVR, requiring use of the headset. Now you can experience the horrors of space without one.

The non-VR release will also come with some enhancements, including improved post-processing effects and more detailed environments. Meanwhile, it will also feature a new “tailored” user interface and altered controls.

The Persistence will release in its non-VR version for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC some time this summer. It is available now for the PS4 via PSVR. Those who own that version will get the non-VR one free of charge. We did an interview with the developers back when the game first came out, and you can read about that through here.

When it comes to genres that are suited to Virtual Reality, horror has to be right up there. When the whole point of a genre is to scare you, simulating being in a situation can enhance that experience (though some may feel it enhances it past the point of being bearable). One such game was The Persistence, a shooter with rogue-lite features that was released last year for PlayStation VR. It combined shooting and stealth in a futuristic setting for an immersive, dread-filled time. Now, the game is getting an update, which includes access for non-VR users.

The Persistence: Complete Edition was announced today via the trailer below. If you purchase it, you will get the game as well as all updates released, also giving you the option to play without a VR headset. It will also include a new update for PS4 Pro users to play the game in 4K and 60 FPS. The update will be free to all current owners of the original release.

The Persistence: Complete Edition, and the update for base game owners, will come out Summer of this year.

Golem

Highwire Games’ Golem follows the tale of a child who uses magic to navigate the ruins of the Endless City. The actual combat, which is 1:1 with player reaction in terms of blocking and attacking, and movement look interesting. However, it’s the talent involved, namely former Bungie composer Martin O’Donnell and designer Jaime Griesemer along with former Valve artist Travis Brady, that has us interested. Golem has recently been delayed but we’re looking forward to how it turns out.

Long story short, you awaken on a ship teeming with dead crew members attempting to fix things. When you die, the ship’s layout changes and you assume a different crew member’s identity. GamingBolt got in touch with Firesprite’s Becky Brown to learn about the game, what sets it apart from other first person horror titles and much more.

"The power-ups in the game serve the crucial role of adding variety to each life you play. But just as importantly, they turn the tables on the mutated crew."

Of the many VR games to release, what sets The Persistence apart?

There are many unique features that set The Persistence apart. Firstly, it’s a full game designed and tuned specifically for VR, from the core player movement and stealth gameplay, through to many of the power-ups, like the anti-grav smash.  Another standout feature is the game’s companion app, Solex, which lets up to 4 non-VR players influence the gameplay on the phones or tablets – distracting enemies, discovering secrets, and leading the player through the ship.   It’s also a rogue like, with players dying often and waking a different character on each life.

What inspired the game’s sci-fi setting? Can you tell us a bit about the story?

It’s fair to say that here at Firesprite we are all massive sci-if geeks, so it was a no brainer for us. We had themes of loneliness and helplessness which we wanted to play with, which guided us when creating the back story and game structure.  The Persistence is the first ship to travel faster than light and is 17,000 light years from earth. If something goes wrong, then there is no rescue, there is nobody to save you, there is no hope.

And it’s after the catastrophic incident that the game starts. The crew have been mutated, with huge physically and mental aberrations. They’ve killed anyone not affected and are now wandering the ship. You need to find out how and why the incident occurred and somehow try and patch up The Persistence to get her home…

The items sound pretty interesting from the Stem Cell Harvester and Gravity Bomb to the Rage Serum. What other weapons will players across and what was the thought process when creating them?

The power-ups in the game serve the crucial role of adding variety to each life you play. But just as importantly, they turn the tables on the mutated crew. Under normal circumstances, you are their prey, weak and slow compared to them, but the power-ups flip this relationship on its head.  The fabricator machines on board the Persistence create power-ups.

The latest cool additions to the fabricators are the ‘anti-grav smash’, where you gain telekinetic powers and lift up enemies and smash them in to the floor and ceiling by moving your head (which is SO satisfying!) and the ‘chainsaw teleporter’ which was inspired by telefragging opponents in Doom! With this power-up you get a limited time to teleport on top of the mutants, liquidizing them! In total, there will be around 25 unique power-ups.

"Each ‘room’ is made up from various parts, such as pillars, floor plates, archways, door portals etc."

Did rouge-lite games inspire the “respawning as a different crew member” mechanic? How does controlling a different crew member pan out narratively in the long run?

The Persistence has a lot in common with rogue-lite games. That means each character you play is somewhat disposable, as you don’t spend enough time to bond with them. You spend a lot of time in the company of IRIS, the ship’s computer, and get to know her really well. She has a story of her own that you discover as you play, and it turns out she wasn’t immune to the effects of the incident that mutated the crew…..

What kinds of upgrades can players purchase from the stem cells collected?

The stem cells that you harvest and collect are used for 2 different things that you need to strategise on. In the short term you can spend some to enhance and wake a ‘better’ member of the crew for your next life – for example, they might be weapons trained, allowing all weapons to be more effective. You get a choice of 3 crew members each time, with 1 of them being free, but with no enhancements. In the longer term, you can save up and invest in permanent upgrades to the crew members, permanently increasing core stats such as movement speed or hit points.

Given the game’s procedural generation elements, how does the environment change? How do you avoid repetition or the general feeling of deja vu?

Each ‘room’ is made up from various parts, such as pillars, floor plates, archways, door portals etc.  The next layer added to this is the locations of cover objects based on tuned gameplay rules.  Then comes the hazard placements such as purge machines or explosive panels.  There is a detail pass which fills the area with additional objects and environmental story telling. When the basic layout is done, then enemies are spawned based on difficulty weighting for the challenge they offer. Pacing is also an important part of this puzzle, so we create areas with no danger to give the player a breather, or a room full of loot and danger to tempt them in to taking big risks!

At this stage, The Persistence appears more first person shooter than sci-fi. Could you tell us about a few of the survival horror elements?

This is mostly down to pacing and progression of the game. At many points you are hopeless compared to the enemies, often running for your life or skulking in cover to avoid them whilst looting the ship to try to find something to give you an advantage. It’s pretty scary!

"VR games need big power! Drawing the scene twice (once for each eye) and at a constant 60fps whilst maintaining AAA quality requires some serious horsepower."

What can you tell us about the companion app and the sort of player vs. player-like gameplay it provides? How does it add to the overall tension of the main game?

They big idea behind the Solex companion app can be summed up as ‘who do you trust?’. Up to 4 players can connect to the VR game and they decide if they want to help or hinder. Helping the player out is the regular way of playing with Solex, with every helpful act rewarding XP to unlock new abilities on their tablet. Highlighting an enemy or hazard will show a big red flashing number telling you how much XP you will lose if the player is damaged by it – however – once in a while, it displays a big flashing green number of how much XP you will GAIN if you can lure the VR player in to taking damage from that hazard.

The Solex players have the ability to affect the gameplay which can help the VR player avoid damage or to lead them right in to it. A typical example is the ability to drop a temporal effect in to the ship that attracts enemies towards it – on one hand, this can be done to drag enemies away from where the VR player is heading, but on the other hand they could use that power to lure enemies right to where the player is hiding!

As someone who is working on the PS4 Pro, what kind of advantages do you think it will bring to VR due to its added technical prowess?

VR games need big power! Drawing the scene twice (once for each eye) and at a constant 60fps whilst maintaining AAA quality requires some serious horsepower. And this is what PS4 Pro gives developers. It allows us to oversample the screen resolution to create sharper images and use more complex models and shaders to make games look truly stunning in VR.

What is your target frame rate and resolution on the base PS4 and PS4 Pro?

60fps is absolutely non-negotiable. PS4 Pro will render at 150% resolution to create a super sharp and crisp image.