Try before you buy
The Stranger of Paradise demo has been extended through the end of May, via the PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S platforms. The news comes by way of a tweet directly from the official account for the game, which details the platforms for the Stranger of Paradise demo, and the date (May 31).
Speaking as someone who did enjoy the game as an action-centric romp: this is the kind of thing that could really use a demo. Not only is the tone and cast of characters polarizing, but it’s also a highly action-oriented game, and if you haven’t been playing the Nioh series, Team Ninja probably isn’t on your radar in 2022 as a studio that can handle a good action system. Their output after Ninja Gaiden II (2008) was spotty at best until 2017’s Nioh, which was their comeback of sorts (amid peppering in help with Nintendo Musou brawlers alongside Omega Force).
As a reminder, Square Enix reiterated in the extension notice tweet that you can carry your demo progress over to the full game. While it’s clearly a marketing upsell tool, it’s also a matter of convenience! Back in my day we played demos on discs, sometimes for hours, and had to start all over!
And funnily enough, most of those lengthy demo sessions were with Squaresoft games: and occasionally, the Konami sidequest. My most-played demo by far is the Metal Gear Solid 2 disc that came with Zone of the Enders, and it’s not even close.
