ReCore gets a demo, and that’s the best way to experience it

Plus a beneficial patch

Those who are on the fence about buying ReCore have the opportunity to get pushed over to the other side. Microsoft has for its $40 budget title. The demo is unfiltered access to the first half hour of Joule’s journey through New Eden. Opting to buy unlocks the full game with no loss of progress.

It’s a savvy move by Microsoft because the first half hour of ReCore is really easy to love. Hell, the first several hours are easy to love. It’s not until much later that, in many’s opinion including myself, it all falls apart. Thirty minutes is enough time to be impressed by the platforming and engaged in the still-interesting combat. It’s undoubtedly the best way to experience ReCore.

On a positive note, anyone who jumps in today will be less frustrated as a result of the technical side. A 5GB patch rolled out that addresses, among other things, the lengthy load times. Weಌ put it to theཧ test and the load times are indeed improved.

Shifting Sands, ReCore‘s largest area, used to take more than two minutes to load; now it’s somewhere around 1:10. Interior areas are closer to 30 seconds rather than the full minute they were at before. On the whole, load times seem to have been cut by about half across the board. Also, fast travel within the same area is instantaneous now.

It’s not optimal, but it’s a vast improvement. Hopefully these load times won’t feel like quite the same slog when you’re just trying to track down another prismatic core. This patch doesn’t fix the late-game design, and that’s a burden the player will still have to bear the brunt of; with less waiting around, maybe that’s a little easier to shoulder.