Demo for PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade appears, and quickly pulled, from PlayStation Store

A demo for the PlayStation-published action game Stellar Blade briefly appeared on the PlayStation Store on Friday.

The demo, which arrived without any fanfare from Sony or developer Shift Up, was live for around 30 minutes before being pulled offline.

Those who downloaded it were also locked from playing after this period, but not before one user captured and uploaded a full 40 minute playthrough, which can be viewed below.

Developed by Shift Up and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Stellar Blade is a third-person action adventure game set in the new future. The game has a release date of April 26.

The game takes place in the “not-too-distant future” in a world where mankind has been driven from Earth by an invading force called the NA:tives.

To reclaim Earth, players step into the shoes of Eve, the survivor of a paratrooper squad deployed from the Colony.

“The Earth, embodied with such graceful graphics that take full advantage of PlayStation 5’s power, will convey unprecedented vibes that stand out from other post-apocalyptic worlds,” director Kim Hyung Tae claimed in a PlayStation Blog post following the release of the game’s first trailer.

“As you accompany Eve throughout the game, you get one step closer to the secret hidden in this unusual world. Combat in Eve is deliberate – including attack, defense, and evasion – while remaining fluid and zestful. The only way to survive is to grasp the attack patterns of various enemies and counter with precise timing.

“Continue the flow of battle after parrying and evading by weaving in multiple combo skills. Taking down enemies culminates in a spectacular and amusing display of power. The DualSense wireless controller’s haptic feedback amplifies this experience by manyfold. From the sensation of the blade slicing into the enemy to the exceptional skills that tingle your hands.”