https://youtube.com/watch?v=kwJTpJjLJi4

it's really a mixed bag of a demo. in short, I think it's worth the few hours of gameplay there to formulate your own opinion if you're a fan of the series, bearing in mind that this isn't the final version of the game

the good:
- the system for differential diagnosis is new and interesting, feels more like a video game mechanic than what I tend to expect from patho
- I didn't personally experience many performance issues, it's a pretty take on the town
- the concept of the apathy-mania meter is interesting, feels in-character for Dankovsky
- very intrigued by this prospect of moving through time
- in general, the energy fits the vibe I'd expect from the utopian, especially when contrasted against p2

the mixed:
- the segments spent in the capitol are slow and weak, imo
- the execution of that apathy-mania meter is, at best, poorly balanced. I played this demo twice, the first when it launched and it was inordinately difficult to keep apathy under control, then again recently and I barely had to think about it at all. just tuned weirdly
- and related, I'm a little concerned by the lack of traditional survival mechanics (hunger, exhaustion, etc.). they may just be excluded from this demo because there obviously has to at least be one for immunity/infection and you can feel the limits of a stamina pool, but then those things need to be balanced against the mental health meter. should be interesting to see how they go about this

the bad:
- I agree with the sentiment I keep seeing, that fast travel feels incredibly out of place in a patho game. especially fast travel by default. it's convenience at the cost of immersion. still, I'm hoping this is just for demo purposes
- weird that you can't really talk to the townsfolk
- I've thought a lot about it and I don't think it's in the spirit of the series to be able to swap perspectives (talking to Dankovsky instead of as him)
- Dankovsky's spoken lines when you interact with the world are ridiculous, like immersion-breaking levels of ridiculous, and WAY too frequent

The constant feeling of absolute panic is unbearable. I love it.
Can't wait for the whole game to come out. This is very important work.
Good job, IPL!