When a Game Demo Becomes Part of the Game

One of the things I've appreciated most about modern gaming is the carryover demo, which allows you to transfer your progress from a game's demo to the full release when you decide to buy it. When developers do them well, they not only end up being the perfect hype tool for a game, but also allow players to get a head start on the full experience without losing the time they've already invested.

The first carryover demo I can recall goes back to 2013, when Sony released Soul Sacrifice on the PS Vita. In the PlayStation Blog post announcing the demo, they explained, “The demo is not only a great way to sample the full experience, but also to let you get a head start on that adventure before the game releases.” They also took the opportunity to explain that not only would your save data carry over, but you would receive an exclusive in-game bonus item for doing so.

Soul Sacrifice wasn't the last game to offer this type of experience on the PS Vita, either. Koei Tecmo would later embrace the concept with games like Toukiden and Toukiden 2, even using the term “Carryover Demo” to describe the latter.

You get the sense that when a developer chooses to offer progression carryover in a demo, they are confident in what their game has to offer and believe that players will want to experience more of it.

Over the years, we've seen different approaches to this type of demo.

The demo for Square Enix's Star Ocean: The Second Story R was particularly interesting, as you could play from the beginning of the game until completing Krosse Cave. Each save file had a three-hour time limit, and both story progression and character levels carried over to the full release.

Some of the best game demos I've experienced over the years have been for JRPGs. To me, one of the most generous demos I can remember is the prologue demo for Atlus' Metaphor: ReFantazio. It offered several hours of content, providing more than enough time to get a feel for the game's unique battle mechanics and gorgeous, fever-dreamish enemy designs. It was generous enough to convince me that the game was worth buying.

Carryover demos haven't been limited to RPGs, either. Mafia III also offered a demo that allowed players to transfer their progress to the full game, showing that the idea of letting players continue where they left off wasn't exclusive to the genre or simply a passing trend.

Of course, not every carryover demo lets you bring everything you've earned into the full game. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince takes a different approach, allowing eligible monsters to transfer while resetting their levels and attributes and removing certain talents acquired through synthesis. It's a reminder that developers can offer players a head start without allowing everything accomplished in the demo to carry over unchanged.

No matter how you look at it, one of the best things about carryover demos is that you don't need to replay the content you've already experienced when you purchase the full game. You can simply pick up where you left off, making the entire experience less tedious. For the longest time, I would avoid demos because I considered them a waste of time. I knew I'd have to replay whatever I had already played once I bought the full game. That's also why I try to avoid extensive gameplay reveal trailers, such as the one Sony showed for God of War at its State of Play event earlier this year. I want to experience the game for myself, rather than feel as though I've already seen too much of it before I've even started playing.

More recently, we've also seen timed game trials, which are a little different. These allow you to play the full game for a set amount of time, after which access expires unless you purchase the game or otherwise have access to it. Your progress carries over, but the ticking clock can make it difficult to relax, explore, or experiment with different approaches without worrying about how much time you have left. Rather than enjoying the experience at your own pace, you're constantly reminded that your time is limited.

Other demos, like the one for Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, leave me wondering why carryover progression is even necessary for an experience that can be completed in around 30 minutes. I suppose that, in this particular case, at least you won't have to go through the painful first boss encounter all over again when the full game arrives.

In closing, I wholeheartedly applaud the carryover demo, and I hope companies like Square Enix continue to release them. They've encouraged me to check out games I might not otherwise have considered playing, only to leave me wanting more. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, I'm looking at you!