Elta: Defy All Gods has a free demo on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam, and its first boss is waiting at the end. Afterburner Studios’ action-platformer now has a February 2, 2027 release date, but you can try its opening without buying the game or placing a preorder.
The demo puts you in control of Victus, a warrior monk searching for the dragon-god his people have lost. It takes you into Lerna, a frozen world of old ruins and abandoned machinery. The publisher describes the opening as a session of less than an hour, ending with a fight against Kan Loa’s Chosen. That is the demo’s scope, not the length of the full adventure.
What you can try in the demo
This is a brawler with room to explore, rather than a straight sequence of arena fights. Victus attacks at close range, while the platforms and gaps between encounters make movement part of the challenge. The demo trailer shows him launching into enemies, crossing industrial platforms and using bright bursts of magic against groups.
Watch how often the footage moves from a jump into a fight. A chain of platforms sits above a deep drop, while the combat cuts keep enemies close enough for punches and kicks. If you usually choose action games for their movement, that combination is worth trying before deciding whether to buy the full game.
The opening also introduces Elta, the small dragon riding with Victus. Finding this companion is part of the monk’s mission, not a separate creature-collecting activity. The longer adventure follows their attempt to help a people who have spent centuries in exile.
Three stances, magic and a growing dragon
Afterburner describes three martial-arts stances, each with its own skill tree. Combat builds energy that can be spent on larger magical attacks. Victus’ moves are designed around hand-to-hand fighting instead of a sword being the default answer to every enemy.
Elta develops alongside Victus and gains elemental abilities. Those upgrades have two uses: giving the pair more options in combat and helping them reach places they could not get into before. That makes the dragon relevant to both halves of the game, rather than a mascot who disappears when a fight starts.
Traversal abilities include a double jump, dash, wall run and grapple. New movement skills can change where you are able to go, so reaching a ledge is not necessarily the same thing as clearing a room of enemies. The full game spans three non-linear science-fantasy worlds, including icy cliffs, desert canyons and islands in the clouds.
Game director Ian Cofino points to martial-arts films and Dragon Ball Z among the influences. That fits the trailer’s big magical attacks and close-range strikes, but the free demo is where you can judge the timing and controls for yourself. Afterburner also says the PS5 version uses DualSense haptics for impacts and platforming.
Price, release date and the preorder outfit
The full game costs $29.99 in the U.S. on Steam. Focus Entertainment estimates a 15-to-20-hour adventure; that is the publisher’s estimate for the finished game, not a promise about how long every player will take. The February 2 launch covers PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Preorders include Vanguard Armor, a cosmetic outfit for Victus. It is a different appearance, not an announced extra combat stance or a shortcut through the demo. You do not need to preorder to play the free opening.
Afterburner previously made Dreamscaper and is developing Elta with Focus Entertainment Publishing. For now, the useful next step is straightforward: choose the demo on your platform, try the opening fights and platforming, and see whether you want to continue with Victus and his dragon when the full adventure arrives.
