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Tis’ the season to play tiny chunks of upcoming games, apparently, as today both Sony and Square Enix are releasing demoes for their upcoming games Gravity Rush 2 and Nier: Automata.
Gravity Rush 2 isn’t due to be released until January 18th 2017 in the UK, but Sony has announced that a demo for its topsy-turvy action adventure game will be made available for the game later tonight.
Arriving at 6pm UK time on the PlayStation Store, players eager to get a first taste of the game will be able to go down two different paths in the demo, one being aimed at newcomers to the series while the other will be for those more familiar with the game’s gravity-manipulating platform mechanics.
If one demo release wasn’t enough today, then players will also be able to treat themselves to an early peek at the PS4 version of Square Enix and PlatinumGames’ upcoming action RPG Nier: Automata.
The game doesn’t launch on PS4 until March 10th in the UK, but the hour-long demo will let players get to grips with the game’s high-paced action-orientated combat before culminating in an epic boss battle. A PC launch is also planned for Nier: Automata, but there’s currently no word on when that will arrive.
Game demos have been on the rise in recent months, with Japanese publishers taking a noticeable lead over their western counterparts. Capcom, for instance, has updated its Beginning Hour demo for Resident Evil 7 multiple times since it first came out in June 2016, with the final ‘Midnight Ver’ update arriving just a few weeks ago on December 3rd.
Final Fantasy XV also had an extensive cycle of demos before its eventual release last month. It began in March 2015 with Episode Duscae, which was bundled in with the PS4 and Xbox One release of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, and then a year later Square Enix released the Platinum Demo, a free download for all PS4 and Xbox One owners that showcased several of the game’s systems. Japan was also treated to the Judgment Disc demo just weeks before launch, allowing players to play the first chunk of the game for free.
