While I’m sure many of you have seen the title Phantom Blade Zero during several PlayStation showcases and, most recently, the Summer Game Fest 2024 showcase, I was fortunate to get some hands-on with the title. And I can confidently tell you that this title is not a Soulslike. I can also tell you that the game is lots of fun.
I say this, as many had assumed that it was, based on what we previously saw and the game’s design, but with 20 minutes of game time under my belt, I can say that it isn’t. Of course, the S-Game team member who was on hand confirmed this. I mentioned to him that people assumed it was Soulslike, to which he stated the game has some elements of the genre, but the combat was not one of them. I believe it was best mentioned as Kung-Fu Punk, where S-Game has taken elements from martial arts combat and combat mechanics from recent action RPGs.
Thanks to S-Game, I finally got hands-on with Phantom Blade Zero, complete with me smiling non-stop. I was presented with a tutorial level as soon as I started the game. It’s here that shows that this game is so far removed from a Soulslike that once people finally get a chance to play the game, they’d see that it wasn’t the same kind of game. For example, attacking uses multiple fast-paced attacks, such as pressing a button in concession or with other buttons. It’s nice to be able to perform simple combat strings or more complex ones and get a scene of satisfaction either way.
The protagonist in the game also has access to multiple weapons and can switch between them on the fly, similar to that of Nioh. In the demo, I had access to short blades, an Odachi, another sword I couldn’t identify, a secondary bow to attack from a distance, and a monstrous Tiger Cannon that could be charged up to three levels to do massive damage.
The protagonist and enemies have a stamina meter, which is basically a stance meter that can be depleted by constantly attacking, causing them to block your hits and vice versa. Once empty, you can dish out some massive damage. Once their life is nearly non-existent, an option to perform a finishing move is presented with a button icon appearing over the enemy. If you can perform this attack before killing the enemy via traditional means, you’ll dish out a stylish move that includes striking the enemy with multiple hits. It looks really cool to see it in action.
There’s also a way to parry almost all attacks in the game, except for red or killer attacks, which will plummet you if you try. If you successfully parry attacks, you can follow up with a deadly riposte that I felt I was abusing at times. It only took me a few tries to get the parry method down, and it feels good where it is right now. As for those pesky killer attacks, while you can’t parry them, if you time your dodge just right, you’ll perform a ghost step, putting you behind the enemy and setting you up to inflict massive damage.
Check out 12 minutes of Phantom Blade Zero Gameplay from Summer Game Fest 2024.
Phantom Blade Zero’s combat resembles that of Nier: Automata, Sekiro, and Ninja Gaiden. It’s visceral and fast-paced, allowing players to be creative on how they want to attack versus being stuck performing the same attacks repeatedly. Lastly, trying to turtle in this game will kill you quickly since you’ll deplete your stamina gauge, get opened up, and then it’s game over.
After speaking with the S-Game team on hand, I mentioned my thoughts to them, and they were spot on. The team’s goal was to provide an action game, but they didn’t want to do a Soulslike title, as so many of them were available. This is also why the typical stamina gauge isn’t in the game. S-Game wants players to move and attack at a whim and doesn’t want them bogged down by having any restrictions in place. In addition, there haven’t been any recent action titles that do what Phantom Blade Zero does, which is paying homage to the action games of the past and showing that not only does this genre still have plenty of life, but if done correctly, can shine as bright as other titles can.
I didn’t get to check out anything outside of combat, but I can confirm that enemies don’t respawn when they are killed, even after you die in combat. Whether that stays that way remains to be seen.
Even though this was just a demo created for the event, the game looked and played great. Despite that, S-Game mentioned that the game still has a way to go before they feel it is ready. The game is also running on Unreal Engine 5. I forgot to ask what system the game was running on when I spoke to the staff on hand. I’ll make sure to inquire about that when I return to Summer Game Fest.
Right now, I genuinely feel that S-Game has something special here. I wish I had more time with the game; 20 minutes wasn’t enough. I will try to schedule more hands-on sessions during the event to see what I missed, but I’m unsure if that will happen. Sadly, the team at Summer Game Fest 2024 was also mum on whether the game would receive a demo.
If you’re tired of all the Soulslikes that are available and want a change of pace, keep an eye open for Phantom Blade Zero. If what I experienced is any indication, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Phantom Blade Zero is in development for the PlayStation 5 and PC. Before you ask, there will be no Xbox version of the game. However, a release date has not yet been finalized.
