PS5 drops cyberpunk inspired free game taster with near-perfect 5/5 rating

If you’re on the lookout for a cyberpunk-inspired game that blends the adventure and survivors-like genres, you’re in the right place.

An upcoming 2026 release has launched a new free taster on the PlayStation Store, with all PlayStation 5 gamers now able to sample the promising Ember and Blade.

Developed by LINE Games Corporation, Ember and Blade sees players step into the shoes of an “immortal hunter” who’s dead set on taking down the archdemon Asmodeus.

Players will need to “cut through bullet-hell swarms” as they “clash with soulslike bosses” and “harness celestial blessings” in this high-octane title with neon-hued cyberpunk stylings.

“As a demon hunter bound to temporary immortality through an angel’s pact, you enter the realm where the archdemon Asmodeus has been sealed for centuries and encounter Ariella, the lone guardian of its seal,” begins the game’s synopsis.

“Entangled in her tragic fate, you must carve through endless demons and face the question—can destiny itself be defied?”

As a survivors-like, expect tons of on-screen enemies at once; when I say that Ember and Blade is high-octane, I mean it. Succeeding in battle requires precision and a quick-thinking mind.

LINE Games Corporation

You’ll be equipped with plenty of devastating attacks though, with angels granting the player character unique heavenly powers.

These work on somewhat of a reroll randomised system, so every run within Ember and Blade looks completely different, forcing you to think up new strategies.

Ember and Blade boasts really competent game design and looks fantastic - and by all accounts should play fantastically too, as developers have already taken tons of player feedback on board.

Ember and Blade’s “Demo 2.0” features a completely reworked combat system

This isn’t the first time that Ember and Blade has dropped a demo, but this latest attempt has reworked the combat system to appease those who felt it was a little dull the first time around.

The team added combos and stamina into the mix, while also reworking each weapon’s action set.

“We built entirely new VFX specifically for combos, redesigned the camera work to enhance impact and hit feel, and refined boss targeting rules and input buffering for a smoother experience,” wrote the game’s director, known as STEEL.

“Once the core changed, everything layered on top of the original action system began to fall out of sync. We reworked Blessings from the ground up, starting with how they’re obtained.

“For monsters, we rebuilt everything from hit reactions to death animations, which ultimately led us to replace the AI logic as well. As a result, we couldn’t leave map routes, UI, or balancing untouched either.

“In the end, we revisited almost every part of the game, and the overall play experience in this demo has changed significantly.”

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The hard work seems to have paid off as on the PlayStation Store, the demo is currently sitting at a near-perfect score of 4.56, correct at the time of writing.

An impressive 83% of players have awarded the demo a perfect score of five out of five.

Again, Ember and Blade hasn’t locked in a final release date beyond aiming for a 2026 release.

However, we do know that the title will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.