Stellar Blade demo launches this month, for real this time

After Stellar Blade’s kerfluffle involving the accidental release of its demo, developer Shift Up has announced the actual release date for the action title’s demo. It’s taken several long years of only a couple of trailers with little information in the lead up to its debut, but players will finally be able to step into Eve’s wedges to take on fleshy monstrosities this month.

When is the Stellar Blade demo coming out?

The news came via a post on the PlayStation Blog for Director Kim Hyung Tae. The demo will be available on March 29, 2024.

The demo will cover the opening act of the game as Eve, a member of the 7th Airborne Squad is deployed to Earth in an effort to fight back the Naytiba and bring the planet back under human control. Covering the basics and tutorial sections, players will be able to familiarize themselves with Stellar Blade‘s gameplay before it launches on April 26, 2024. Additionally, progress in the demo will carry over to the game.

I’ve been eyeing up Stellar Blade since it was announced during the 2021 PlayStation Showcase, when it went under the moniker of Project Eve. Information has been scant, but the PlayStation 5 exclusive has been picking up traction due to the attention it places on protagonist Eve’s body. The design, overall story, and gameplay are largely influenced by Nier: Automata. Unless Stellar Blade proves to be just as compelling, it could be seen as a knock-off. Alternatively, if you were a fan of the former, then odds are you’ll be a fan of the latter.

Those who were able to download the leaked demo made sure to post videos online, and you shouldn’t have any issues finding them. While it looks phenomenal from a graphical standpoint, it does seem a bit generic in every other area. The footage out there also makes it impossible to gauge what kind of game it’s supposed to be. Is the combat meant to be slow and meaningful, or is that just the result of someone learning the ropes?

There are a lot of questions I want answered, and I’ll make sure to spend some time answering them when the Stellar Blade demo drops on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.