After getting unceremoniously pulled from the PlayStation Store, the Stellar Blade demo launches for real this week

Earlier this month, a demo for action-RPG Stellar Blade hit the PlayStation Store and was pulled moments later, but now weeks later Sony has finally confirmed that the real launch of that demo is coming very soon.

The Stellar Blade demo launches for real on Friday, March 29 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 2pm GMT. As game director Hyung Tae Kim explains on the PlayStation Blog, "the demo takes place from the very beginning of the game when Eve, a member of the 7th Airborne Squad is sent to Earth on a mission to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba, up to the first boss fight." There's also "a little surprise included for players who complete the first stage."

Your progress from the demo will carry over to the full game which, for my money, is the best trend in modern gaming. Dragon's Quest 11 set a new bar with its 10-hour demo, and meaty demos for games like Final Fantasy 16 have kept the trend alive. Heck, Nintendo even got in on the act with that Pikmin 4 demo. Giving those curious about a game a chance to try it out and letting those who've already been sold on it the opportunity to play early? That's a win-win.

The original release of the Stellar Blade demo earlier this month was nuked hard. Not only was it delisted from the store, players who had already downloaded it had their access revoked, a move PlayStation didn't even make during the infamous P.T. kerfuffle. The demo was available just long enough to introduce a host of thirsty fans to the punishment of the NSFW skin suit, however.

Stellar Blade dev, also known for butt-jiggling game Nikke, says he "put special attention" into the female lead's back because that's what players see most of the time.

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