Given how pricey gaming can be these days, the concept of ‘try before you buy’ is more important than ever.
That being said, it’s always irked me that PlayStation locks some of its most coveted demos and trials behind the paywall that is PlayStation Plus’ premium tier.
I suppose these are multi-hour trials more so than demos which can, in many cases, be a lot shorter.
Even still, it kind of defeats the point for me as the entire concept of a demo or trial is that it’s free to convince you whether to part with your cash.
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That’s not to say that all demos and trials are tucked behind a paywall on PlayStation though; in fact, the one I’d like to highlight today is completely free for all.
Who remembers 2001’s Gothic?
Well, you’ve perhaps heard that a remake is in the works at Alkimia Interactive, with the game being rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5.
Gothic 1 Remake isn’t set to launch until early 2026 but a free demo has now landed on PlayStation 5 to give you a taste of what will be on offer.
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The demo is available to download from the PlayStation Store right now and while it won’t transfer progress over to the full release, that’s for a very good reason.
This is actually more of a standalone prologue so it should introduce you to the world and characters in a way that doesn’t encroach on what unfolds in the full release.
“Welcome to the Colony – in this exclusive stand-alone prologue to the Gothic 1 Remake. Step into the gritty and unforgiving world of the Valley of the Mines as you experience a brand-new story through the eyes of Nyras on his first day in the colony,” reads the synopsis.
“In this sneak peek into the immersive world of Gothic, you’ll embark on a short quest that introduces the atmosphere, iconic characters, and the opening area of the game. Explore the colony at your own pace – talk to fellow inmates, uncover secrets, and engage in combat as you get a taste of what’s to come.”
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I’m a big fan of demos of this variety, that offer you something new and unique as an extra incentive to play.
From what I can see, this demo should take you 40 to 60 minutes to complete, so it’s not going to be something that adds too much damage to your backlog.
The demo is also available on Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam, if those platforms are more to your preference.
Topics: PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Sony, Unreal Engine