Experience a Taste of Dead Space on Steam, for Free!
Steam is the biggest marketplace for PC games, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfected the formula. For a long time there’s been a way to “try before you buy”, but it’s had issues. The old (well, I should say “current”, since it’s not been replaced yet) policy was that if you have below 2 hours of playtime with a game, and have owned it for less than 2 weeks, you can get a full refund. Technically free, but you still have to fork over the money. And if you speedrun the game to completion and claim a refund anyway, the devs may feel a bit ripped off.
But something new is coming. Something that, right now, is only available for the excellent Dead Space remake. 90 minutes of gameplay, exploring as much as you want, as deep into the game as you want, for free.
90 minutes seems like plenty of time for your average player to solve all their unresolved questions. Will the game run well on their system? Is the gameplay something they’ll enjoy? How about the story? The overall vibes? You’ll get a taster sample of each one, with plenty of time to soak it all in, but you’ll have to fork over the cash if you want a full meal.
Right now, it’s unknown how far Steam intends to go with this system. It could just be for select games, ones where a 90-minuite unrestricted tester is enough to get what the player and developers want. It could be a limited-time offer, as a way of using FOMO tactics to draw players in. or maybe they just make it standard policy. Only time will tell, but for now, one thing is certain: the opening 90 minutes of Dead Space are free to experience!