I’d like to say «the wait is over», but not yet, not yet!
Still another month to go, but I didn’t come empty-handed today too.
First, there’s a new trailer focused on the demo! Here it is!
Second, let me tease you a bit with what you can expect from the demo:
20–40 minutes of doggo playtime (I know a guy who played for an hour, but I guess that’s an edge case);
A huge portion of the first chapter «Sniff around and find out!». (I know, I promised the full first chapter, but, trust me, with all the new stuff, it is too much for a demo, and I really want to save some mysteries for the full game);
After completion you can still explore the rest of the demo location, which is not small!
4 memories to find with 4 photographs and stories from Hyde. 2 are quite easy to find, others — you gotta shtick your nose in some places!
Most of the core mechanics and game activities. Note, it’s a first chapter, that is naturally introductory, so a lot of mechanics will become more important later in the game and also harder. And I saved some good stuff for later!
3 NPCs with dialogues, 2 of them are quest-givers, so if you like to talk to dogs and cats, you can! Another one will meet you again later in the game!
Snackos (only apples in the demo, because, well, my dog loves apples!) and water points. These only replenish energy for a fixed amount, while later in the game there will be others too, with various effects. Also, no direct sleep mechanic.
A hidden hat! Later it will be a set of hats, one per chapter, that will represent a side of Hyde’s character.
Several secrets and weird jokes. One of the «secrets» is an in Memoriam to my fallen friend, Fish. You will pay him a visit most likely, so say hi to the rascal!
Gamepad compatibility. It feels great with the gamepad! (No direct PS gamepad support yet, unfortunately). Also, goes brrrr, if you know what I mean.
Steamdeck compatibility. Same as gamepad!
2 languages, English and Ukrainian. Others will come later, depends on a lot of stuff.
No achievements. I’ll be honest, I have them. But I decided to exclude one more variable (in fact more than one — how will demo achievements transfer to the full game and will they; also — it is better to have a taste of the game and have fun, than hunt a broken achievement, amirite! But they gonna be in later demo (maybe) and definitely in the full game (like 100%).
Some other things I forgot to mention or decided not to!
Last but not least, I’ve refreshed the key art and screenshots, so they now make the right impression on all fronts!
Anyway, save the date and I’ll keep you posted!