There's good news and bad news when it comes to 3 Cards to Dead Time, the story-driven casual game sequel to 3 Cards to Midnight. The good news is, you can play it now! The bad news for those anxiously awaiting the previously-targeted Halloween deadline, for now you'll have to make do with a playable demo.

All Hallow's Eve does figure prominently in the story, however. In 1929, a man calling himself "The Magician" disappeared suddenly with a select group of guests in a small town in Maine. Today, haunted by dreams of a ghostly woman she doesn't know, Jess Silloway is drawn to a bed & breakfast at Beacon Bay along with a group of enthusiastic ghost hunters. Once there, the mystery begins to unravel for her as "something starts to feel...familiar..."

Like its predecessor, 3 Cards to Dead Time is more of a word game than a traditional adventure, challenging players to deduce riddles and find connections between themes in objects on screen. The demo takes place at the start of the full game, offering a brief tutorial and introducing the unique form of gameplay.

The 85 MB sampler can be downloaded from the official website, though not directly. To access the demo, you'll need to register your email address before a download link is provided.

The full version of 3 Cards to Dead Time is not far off, as the game is in its final polishing stage prior to release in another month.