Today Square Enix announced that a demo of NieR: Automata will be released in Japan on December 22nd. That's certainly a lovely Christmas gift.

The demo will be for PS4, and will be publicly distributed to anyone with a Japanese PSN account. It will be titled "DEMO 120161128."

This trial version will feature mostly action combat, giving players a chance to test PlatinumGames' signature style. You can see three screenshots of the demo at the bottom of the post.

The heroine 2B will be ordered to attack the ruins of a factory left behind by the human race, with the objective of destroying a giant superweapon belonging to the machine life forms. Incidentally, the giant robot in question is the one showcased at the beginning of the PlayStation Experience trailer.

At the moment, the release date for a western version of the demo has not been announced. Yet, Square Enix promised it will come, and we simply have to wait for a confirmation on the date.

In any case, you'll be able to download the Japanese version simply by using a Japanese PSN account on December 22nd.

I actually had a chance to try the game's action combat during a hands-on session at Gamescom, and it felt great. I can't wait to get my hands on it again. In the meanwhile, you can check out the latest trailer and the games's lovely limited editions.

But without further ado, I leave you with the screenshots, which incidentally include a very nice view.