Playable Characters and Species

Playable species in the demo

In Demo 7.0.1, the playable character is an Experiment. Full-release teasers point to three possible species: Experiments, Milkies, and Dunes. Treat those teased choices separately from the current demo roster; a teaser does not make every species playable in the demo.

The player character is the one you control during a run. Survivors are different: they appear as non-player characters in lifepods and can trade with you. Survivors may appear as Experiments, Milkies, or Dunes, so seeing a species as an NPC does not mean it is currently selectable. Keep the distinction between “appears in the game” and “available as a player character” clear when choosing a species.

Characters you may meet

The demo also includes enemies such as Shade Crawlers, Cave Ticks, Sand Stalkers, Thornbacks, Elder Thornbacks, Overgrown Ticks, and Tentacle Plants. These are encountered as part of the world, not chosen as the player's species. Snow Striders, Manifestations, and Grabbershrooms are described as command-spawned rather than naturally encountered in the demo.

The Observer has a separate role. It follows the player slightly offscreen and is not interactable. That makes it different from both a playable species and a lifepod trader. A character's presence in the story or world does not by itself mean you can select it for a run.

Choosing a character

For a current Demo 7.0.1 run, choose the Experiment. Regard Milkies and Dunes as teased full-release options unless a later game version makes them selectable. Check the version shown in the game before following roster details from a different release; the available characters reference distinguishes the demo roster, teasers, Survivors, and non-player encounters.

This version boundary matters when comparing guides or discussing an update. An NPC species may be present before it becomes playable, and a teaser may describe a planned option rather than a feature already available. Separate those cases when describing the roster so a player knows what can be selected now and what is only indicated for the full release.