Steam Dark Souls-Esque Free Offering Is Not One To Miss

If you’re a Steam gamer and fan of the Soulsborne sub-genre, then you might want to check out this game for free right now.

As much as many of us love Christmas, it can also be a very stressful time of the year for many reasons, which is why the level of distraction that video games can offer is evermore important, regardless of whether we play on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo or mobile devices.

Sure, video games will not get rid of your real-world problems, but what they will do is take your mind off those problems, even if it's for a minute or two.

Free games are beneficial in more ways than one

However, if we can play a video game for free, even if it’s a mere snippet, it not only offers that much-needed distraction and a good dose of welcome fun, but it also gives us a clear indication whether or not that game is worth a full purchase.

We’ve all wasted money on a game that looks fantastic in the trailers (which is the purpose of a trailer, after all), so while not completely eradicating that risk, a free playable demo at least reduces that risk, even by a little.

Thankfully, places such as the PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo digital stores offer tons of free demos. And one such demo found on the Steam store is called Shadereap, developed and published by the indie studio, Zeneki.

Shadereap kind of looks like what Dark Souls and Bloodborne would be if they were a side-scrolling game.

Shadereap, Zeneki

One for Dark Souls and Bloodborne fans!

“An ordinary farmer loses his family when monstrous creatures overrun the world. Now he must fight, solve puzzles, and search for a way to save his daughter,” reads the description of the game on Steam.

“The player must walk a path of redemption and vengeance: fighting hordes of twisted creatures, exploring the fallen world, uncovering the secrets of the catastrophe, and searching for a way to save his daughter. Every kill, every choice, every drop of blood — a step toward truth, or toward madness.”

Shadereap does not have a full release date at the time of writing; its Steam page just says "coming soon". But you can add it to your Steam wishlist to be notified when it’s ready to launch. Hopefully, that launch isn't too far away, considering that it has a playable demo.