I'm a big fan of the Vita. I have Soul Sacrifice fully-paid on pre-order. I was so excited to play the game, I even converted a spare memory card into one that could be used to download the demo from the Japanese PSN store. I played the first three levels of that demo, loved it, and like many of you I was eager to download the English demo when it came out on the PSN store.
And it's a really terrible demo.
Why? The demo is not really a demo. Rather, it is the first chapter of the game. You wouldn't know that by looking at the demo's icon, since it says "Demo". The PSN store listing mentions nothing regarding the fact that the demo is, in fact, the first chapter of the full game. The only reason why I was aware it was the first chapter was because the designer, Keiji Inafune, made it known on the Playstation Blog (found here: http://blog.us.playstation.... Otherwise, I would have just assumed it was a demo like any other game demo.
The demo introduces you to the evil sorcerer, the magical book, and the threat of eventual destruction. After the first few battles, you also unlock the unexpectedly enthralling Lore section, which lets you read Grimm-style fables explaining the history of the game's regions and foes. It's actually quite a hefty demo, offering several battles (which can be replayed as often as you like), a dozen different spells, and even several multiplayer battles to engage in jolly co-operation with friends via ad hoc or online lobby. Additionally, once you've beaten the bulk of the solo battles, you'll open up the option to craft new spells using the components of weaker spells, gouge magical sigils into your skin to boost various stats, and assign super-powered Black Rites that deal incredible damage at the cost of marring your body. You also will begin to unlock AI companions that can fight with you.
All of this sounds amazing, right?
Well, it is. The game is fantastic. I already knew I was buying the game (hence the pre-order), but after my fifth battle, I thought to myself "Gee, if someone was coming into this demo without any prior idea of what the game was about, they'd probably never buy the game".
What I mean is that the demo doesn't let you get to the meat of the action like a demo should. It will take about 30 minutes (more, if you read the Lore entries like I did) to get to the point where you've unlocked the multiplayer and customization options. To get there, you have to fight through incredibly quick battles while seeing no glimpse of the game's hidden depth. The game does, in fact, have quite a great deal of depth, but you wouldn't know that if you made your judgement based on the first few battles.
Something that sticks out like a sore thumb is that the initial batch of battles are very short. As long as you've played...any third-person action game ever, you will be able to easily beat the first three battles in about 90 seconds each. Yes. 90. Seconds. Each. It takes longer to actually listen to the mission intros and load the mission than it takes to fight them. BUT! This applies only to the first few missions. As you progress, the missions gain a more respectable length, but if you don't get to this point (due to a short attention span or misguided disappointment), then you'll never see the bigger bosses or tougher missions just a few moments away.
It's cool that your progress carries over to the full game, but you wouldn't know that unless you'd looked it up online. Once again, there is no mention anywhere that your progress can be imported into the retail release of Soul Sacrifice. Perhaps this would have been a good thing to mention.
The fact that the multiplayer and the customization were both locked behind a half-hour of tutorial missions is another huge blunder. Again, unless you read the demo description on the PSN store, you might not have even learned that Soul Sacrifice supports 4-player co-op either ad hoc or online. The customization has a lot to offer, but your options at first are choosing between a few spells and choosing how your character appears. Everything else is unlocked after beating more missions.
Let me be clear: Soul Sacrifice is shaping up to be a fantastic game. I love the combat, I love the art style, I love the background lore, I love the customization, I love the enemies. I love the fact that (if the Japanese version is any indication) Sony will be supporting the game with dozens more free downloadable enemies to slaughter. HOWEVER, unless you've been following this game closely, you might be sorely disappointed by what the demo seems to leave out. In this way, the demo may actually chase away more people than it attracts. I appreciate Keiji Inafune's benevolence in letting us import our progress into the full game, but perhaps the demo should have consisted of a big, epic battle right away to give you a taste of what the game can offer. Instead, we were (unbeknownst to many of the demo's downloaders, I'm sure) given the first chapter of the game, complete with boring tutorials and slow startup.
If you try the demo, be mindful of the things I mentioned. I'd hate for the game to lose appeal due to a bad "demo".
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I personally like being able to play the actual game and not only the highlights. Take for instance the Bourne videogame, The demo was the best parts of the game. You could play the demo and think "oh hey this game is awesome" and than play it an realize it sucks. But if you could play the full game, or even just 30 mins of the full game, you would know it's bad. To many demos show off only the "best" parts. I would rather be able to play the real game and if I don't like it, than I know I won't like the game. With a demo there is always the wonder if that is how the game is going to be, or if that was just the highlights.
Ok so maybe it should have been called a trial version instead. Not worth crying about. It's a deep game and 10 minutes is too short for a game like this since westerners are not used to monster hunter games like japan is, so some of us need a slow and steady introduction on how to play it.
Your complaint has just been answered.
I agree. I just started playing the demo and couldnt help but think it was a bit long winded for a demo.
They should have just done a couple of big fights similar to the one you do in the opening with magasur.
I'm not sure I agree personally, I think it's a great demo. It gives you a couple of easy matches to get you used to the controls ect before it puts you up against say, the jack o lantern. You mention this as a negative, and that the game should drop you into the heart of the game straight away, but I feel that may put people off in itself as some of the boss' can be a tough challenge for a new player.
I felt the tutorials and early missions were needed but didn't outstay their welcome. I hate hand holding games & boring tutorials, but like you say these fights are over in very little time so I just saw them as a way to get used to fighting some enemies
"It's cool that your progress carries over to the full game, but you wouldn't know that unless you'd looked it up online. Once again, there is no mention anywhere that your progress can be imported into the retail release of Soul Sacrifice. Perhaps this would have been a good thing to mention. "
I agree with this though, it's a cool feature & it may have persuaded a few people to pick up the game
played the first 2 hunts(or whatever its called)the rat and cat ones and enjoyed the hell out of it, still mostly confused but I have it paused on my vita at home and I am looking forward to continuing after work. I thought it nice to have the game from the start, can't wait to try the MP as well.