The Last Half of Darkness series has been around for many years, and until now, its first-person perspective has been the one constant. However, the newly-released demo of Society of the Serpent Moon shows off the series' switch to third-person perspective for its upcoming installment in 2010.

In the new game, players control a man who receives a "strange package with a scrawled note, a mysterious map and your fiancee's ring with blood on it." She was last seen on her way to Antibes to "investigate a story on a series of vampire-like murders that have plagued the dark streets and alleys of the tiny European town. Your journey follows the path of clues left behind by your missing girlfriend, where along the way you will have to solve an ancient mystery and the source of evil causing the local townsfolk to turn into a rare breed of savage night-thirsty murderers."

The demo kicks off with a haunting scene that hints of what happened to the missing woman, before giving players control of the protagonist to begin his search for her based on the clues left behind. The 190 MB demo can be downloaded directly from the official website.

This sampler will need to tide you over for a while, as the full game is still some time away. Last Half of Darknes: Society of the Serpent Moon is currently scheduled for release in the third quarter of next year.