SlashZero Demo Launch Notes

On 3 September 2026 Streetlamp Studio posted Demo Launch Announcement & FAQ on Steam and appeared in PlayStation’s State of Play. This page recaps that news post: clock times, wipe rules, new roster beats, secret bosses, and the developer stream. For how to spend the hours in-game, use the demo guide instead of this recap.

State of Play, 3 September 2026

State of Play showed a new story trailer and named a Spring 2027 full launch. The trailer frames HIEROS-I, Lord of the Void, as an entity that can use the Imaginary to write new laws across timelines. Timehackers exist to stop that collapse. The same broadcast pointed players at a time-limited demo on PlayStation 5; Streetlamp mirrored that window on Steam the same afternoon.

Spring 2027 is the public launch window. Steam’s product page still shows Q1 2027. Those two labels are not a contradiction yet — one is a season, the other is a store quarter — but they are not a calendar day either.

Demo window and wipe

Streetlamp calls the build a time-limited, data-wipe test. Every player can download it on Steam and PlayStation during the window. Steam players grab it from the SlashZero store page (full game app 4061170; demo app 5099550).

Clock	UTC
Start	3 September 2026, 15:15
End	23 September 2026, 15:00

When the window closes, all save data is deleted. Do not plan around cloud backups outlasting the demo app. Screenshot Blessing stacks, boss routes, and Hamlet unlock steps if you want a personal note for 2027. Streetlamp has not promised that those notes will map one-to-one onto launch builds.

The studio estimates more than ten hours of play. That is a content budget, not a speedrun timer. Players who only clear Sector 7 will not see Hamlet or the secret-boss layer.

What this build adds versus the March playtest

The first playtest (27 March–9 April 2026) offered about two hours with Nyx and Fina, English and Simplified Chinese audio, and Windows-only PC access. The September demo keeps those two Timehackers as the default pair and adds:

• Hamlet as a progress unlock, not a day-one select
• Secret bosses, including Erik and Ye
• A longer loop with camp clues after a completed run
• UI and subtitles in French, German, Japanese, and Korean on top of English and Simplified Chinese

Playtest saves do not carry into this demo. This demo does not carry into the full game.

Hamlet

Hamlet is a stage robot teased in the June 2026 PC Gaming Show trailer. The demo is the first public build where he is playable. He fights at close range with a longsword and shield that can be reconfigured mid-combo, which is a different job from Nyx’s dual blades and Fina’s guns.

Streetlamp’s news post says Hamlet unlocks as you progress. The wiki’s step-by-step lives on how to unlock Hamlet — completed loop, then camp clues (including Rui at the Fortune Chip). Do not expect him on the first character select screen.

Secret bosses: Erik and Ye

Erik shows up early as the enemy who severs a Timehacker’s link to Silver and ends the run. The demo lets you return later with Blessings and kit upgrades for a full rematch. Treat the first loss as script, not a skill check you must cheese on attempt one.

Ye is gated behind a chain of Ye-related story events. Streetlamp’s post does not list a single map marker. If you have not finished those events, the boss will not simply appear because you wandered into a late sector.

Players who push the challenge layer can also meet HIEROS-I, the Timehackers’ primary target. Routing, tells, and rewards belong on the secret boss guide, not in this news recap.

Developer livestream (4–7 September 2026)

Streetlamp scheduled a demo livestream for 4 September 2026, 11:00 UTC (04:00 PDT), with re-airs through 7 September 2026. Game director Jun planned to walk core combat, the new demo content, and player questions. Watch it on Streetlamp’s Steam broadcast / YouTube if you want kit explanations from the people who authored the strings. The stream is commentary, not a second download.

PC and input notes from the Steam FAQ

• OS: Windows only for the PC demo. No macOS or Linux listing.
• Input: keyboard and mouse plus controllers. Streetlamp recommends a pad. PlayStation and Xbox controllers are both supported in the test.
• Steam Input: if face buttons do nothing, open Library → SlashZero → Properties → Controller and toggle Override between Enable and Disable Steam Input, then restart.
• Languages: English and Simplified Chinese with full audio; French, German, Japanese, and Korean as interface and subtitles.

Minimum and recommended boxes are unchanged from the store page. Copy them from system requirements rather than from memory: 8 GB RAM on both tiers, DirectX 12, GTX 1050 / RX 560 min, RTX 2080 / RX 6700 XT rec.

What this recap is not

This is not a drop table, not a Blessing tier list, and not a promise that every September event reward will exist at launch. Streetlamp’s post is a test announcement. The demo guide is the play plan; unlock Hamlet and secret bosses are the hunt pages.

After 23 September 2026, 15:00 UTC, the install itself goes away with the saves. Keep your own notes if a Blessing trio or Erik route felt worth rebuilding. Streetlamp has not dated a follow-up test, so the next official clock on the wiki is the Spring 2027 launch window unless a new Steam news post says otherwise.