Share This Article
This was a super fun week, with MegaMan StarForce and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. finding their way onto my Nintendo Switch. But one of them was not in my sight at all until I played the demo.
The demo for Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. did everything it should’ve done. It provided me with a few fighters to play with in the Arcade mode and, most importantly, showed how easy it was to pick up and play, unlike its strongest competitor on Switch 2, Street Fighter 6.
Overall, it told me about the game, let me play it, and let me judge it for myself, which turned me into a buyer.
Not to mention the demo was made available shortly before the release of the game, making sure that people like me that loved it would follow through with the full release.
I’m aware that this could’ve backfired on them pretty hard, though. People could’ve been disappointed and lost all interest in purchasing it, but depending on the situation, the risk is worth it.
A Good Demo Sells Games
If I look back at the recent games I bought, most of them had demos available, such as Monster Hunter Stories 3, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined.
And these games all have one thing in common. They are all good JRPG games, and the publishers are confident in releasing a demo for the players. They just needed a slight push since the JRPG genre isn’t the most accessible usually.
But even so, not every game is good, and not making a demo available makes me think less of the publishers once they release games in poor condition.
One clear example I have is Herdling. I loved the gameplay trailers and decided to purchase it blindly on day one. And what I found was a game that clearly wasn’t optimized for the system.
It had bugs, performance issues, and even crashed a few times. The most notable one is at the end of the final run of the game.
Had the game released a demo, I would not have purchased it.
But since I wasn’t happy with it, I could’ve gotten a refund, right?
Getting a Refund on the Nintendo eShop Is Nearly Impossible
Getting a refund on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop is not easy. It’s not like on other platforms like Steam, where you press a button, make the request, and shortly get a refund on your account, ready to buy another game.
With Nintendo, if you search “Nintendo eShop Refund” on Google, you will find an official link with this information:
“We are unable to provide refunds or exchanges for mistaken purchases and/or if you don’t like the game. Also, when you purchase digital content in the Nintendo eShop, at the time of your purchase, you consent to Nintendo beginning with the performance of its obligations immediately, before the cancellation period ends, and you acknowledge that you will thereby lose your right to cancel at that point.”
Honestly, this doesn’t sound legal at all, since Nintendo needs to abide by the laws of the countries they are doing business in, and it’s advisable to contact Nintendo through email or support chat directly to request the refund either way.
The Nintendo eShop has over 16,000 games, and only ~8% have demos available, and if this is the policy they want to follow, then demos should be mandatory.
However, this would affect smaller indie studios when considering the extra time it would take to develop or prepare the demo version of their games.
Should Every Nintendo Switch 2 Game Have a Demo?
In a world where Nintendo’s refund policies are shady at best, yes, they should.
But even if they were more “cool” with refunds, having a demo out still makes your game more discoverable, like Virtua Fighter 5! If your demo is polished and filled with great content for the player to experiment with, there’s a high chance you’ll convert me into a buyer.
Thanks for reading this quick thought piece, and if everything goes well, I’ll be seeing you again next time with brand-new content!
