A new feature introduced with the iconic Dead Space in its 2023 remake, released fifteen years after the original.
Older PC gamers will tell you that there was a time when it was possible to test a video game through a few "demo" levels that the developers themselves had extracted from the final game to promote it. These demos had the good taste to be distributed in video game magazines and then on the Internet, and if the thing was not perfect - the sequences chosen were sometimes very advantageous and not very representative of the game as a whole - it allowed to get a little more precise idea than a simple review written in three or four lines. It's also often much better than seeing any influencer putting themselves on stage doing anything to promote said video game.
Alas, the great era of playable demos is largely over and few studios still play the game... Well, we're probably stretching the point a bit since, with its Steam Fest, Valve's gaming platform has revived interest in playable demos with developers who are largely encouraged to create such playable sequences However, Valve is not content with this revival of playable demos and innovates with the introduction of the " free trial ". It's not about exploring a level selected by the studios to whet the appetite of the players, but about discovering the game by starting... with its beginning! The free trial allows you to start at the beginning of the game just like any other buyer would after checking out. At the moment, there are still many questions surrounding this feature introduced by the 2023 remake of Dead Space.
For example, it's not clear whether the player's progress will be retained after the 90-minute free trial. We can assume that it will be, but this remains to be confirmed. Also to be confirmed is the fact that this free trial is not a promotional offer with no future. Will Dead Space still benefit from it in a few weeks or even months? Will other games be included in this free trial? If so, it could also be seen as a way for Valve to limit its (expensive?) game refund system: Valve currently allows players to get a refund for a title within 14 days of purchase if they have played it for less than two hours. So there are a lot of questions around this free trial, but don't let it stop you from enjoying it: the 2023 remake of Dead Space is a real success, so don't delay to try it!
