A useful way to finish the demo

01Pass 1 — map the route

From the first controllable moment, move forward until you reach a Spirit Mirror. Turn the camera at each fork, identify any locked-looking path, then return to the last safe landmark before advancing. This creates a simple mental map: start → combat space → landmark → mirror → challenge.

• Interact with every obvious prompt once.
• At each fork, clear the shorter visible branch before committing to the main path.
• Write down only landmarks and doors, not guessed collectible totals.

02Pass 2 — complete the combat checklist

Choose one ordinary enemy and practise in a fixed order. First survive its full pattern without attacking. Second, use your safest defense three times. Third, add one short punish only when you can immediately return to a readable distance. Fourth, make one Issen or deflect attempt and then return to the safe response.

• Can you name the attack’s visible wind-up?
• Can you keep the camera on the threat?
• Can you repeat the safe defense three times?
• Can you recognize when not to force a precision counter?
• Can you collect souls without exposing yourself to another enemy?

03Pass 3 — inspect systems and the demo duel

Use the Spirit Mirror to read each available menu label. Test Oni Vision in a quiet spot so you can distinguish its visual feedback from combat pressure. For the Sasaki Ganryu challenge, give the first attempt to observation, the second to survival, and only the third to a measured punish. Return to the demo page’s official video when you need visual orientation—not a copied route.

04Minimum complete

1. Download and update the demo from your storefront (see the demo page). 2. Pick a control type and a difficulty. Leave them alone. 3. Play Kiyomizu-dera to the temple stage. 4. Beat Sasaki Ganryu. 5. If the file continues, play the Oni Refuge and beat Daidara. 6. Watch the end card. That is the Kubi Akari flag. Step 5 only exists on the August 2026 build. A June copy that still credits out after Ganryu is complete for the original file and may still write the charm — Capcom’s wording is “complete the demo,” and the original demo ended on that duel. Update anyway. The Refuge is free practice. Storefront links sit on the demo download page; the route sits on the walkthrough.

05Thorough complete

1. Land ten Issen in a single run until the left-side tally turns gold. 2. Beat Daidara a second time, or rely on the ten Issen, to open the Special Challenge. 3. Fight Byakue, The Hundred Defilements, at least once. 4. Practise one defensive lane on Ganryu until you can finish him without mixing tools. None of those four are required for the charm. They are required if you want launch week to feel like a continuation rather than a reset. The Issen page is the farm. The Ganryu and Daidara pages are the bosses. Byakue is documented on the Daidara page because that fight is the gate. If the Issen tally will not move, you are landing normal kills. Look for the afterimage. If Daidara will not spawn, you are on an old patch or you have not finished Ganryu. If Byakue will not spawn, you have neither a second Daidara kill nor a gold tally. Those three sentences solve ninety percent of “I can’t complete it” posts.

06After you quit

Leave the demo installed until you have launched the full game once and seen Kubi Akari in the charm list. Then uninstall if you need the disk. Demo souls and map flags will not come with you. Pre-order charms from your edition unlock on a different schedule, gated by Spirit Mirrors — do not panic if Lion Dog is missing on the first sword swing. The items page explains that gate. The how to play guide is the thing to read the night before September 4. The demo taught the verbs. That page reminds you not to forget them in a longer Kyoto.