Close Menu
  • Gaming
    • All Gaming
    • Nintendo
    • PlayStation
    • Xbox
    • PC Gaming
    • Card & Tabletop
    • VR
  • Features
    • Editorials
    • Interviews
    • The Anime Pulse
  • Guides
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Anime & Animation
    • Movies and TV
    • Books
    • Manga & Comics
    • Toys
    • Geek
    • Culture
  • Previews
  • Reviews
    • All Reviews
    • Video Game
    • Anime & Animation
    • Movie & TV
    • Comic Book & Manga
    • Tech & Gear
    • Food
    • Book
    • Toys
    • Tabletop and Card Game
  • Podcasts
    • A-01 Podcast
    • Nintendo Entertainment Podcast
    • Spectator Mode Podcast
  • Contact Us
X (Twitter) YouTube RSS Bluesky Discord
X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube Bluesky Discord
The OuterhavenThe Outerhaven
  • Latest
  • Features
  • Guides
  • Previews
  • Reviews
    • Video Game Reviews
    • Anime & Animation Reviews
    • Comic Book & Manga Reviews
    • Films & TV Reviews
    • Tech Reviews
    • Tabletop and Card Game Reviews
    • Toy Reviews
  • Gaming
    • PlayStation
    • Nintendo
    • Xbox
    • PC Gaming
    • Retro Gaming
    • Tabletop
    • Virtual Reality
  • Entertainment
    • Anime & Animation
    • Comic Books & Manga
    • Films & TV
    • Original English Light Novels DB
    • OELN DB
    • Culture
    • Books
    • Toys
  • Tech
  • Podcasts
    • A-01 Podcast
    • Nintendo Entertainment Podcast
    • Spectator Mode Podcast
The OuterhavenThe Outerhaven
Home»News»Gaming News»S-Game Confirms Phantom Blade Zero Is Not a Soulslike and Reveals Game Inspirations

S-Game Confirms Phantom Blade Zero Is Not a Soulslike and Reveals Game Inspirations

By Keith MitchellJuly 23, 2024
Phantom-Blade-Zero-sgf 2024-header

During Summer Game Fest 2024, I finally had a chance to get some hands-on experience with the upcoming title Phantom Blade Zero, which you can read about here if you haven’t already. This happens to be a game that many people have been referring to as a Soulslike, despite my hands-on experience and subsequent discussions indicating that this wasn’t correct. I get it, it looks like a Soulslike and that’s what people have been keen to label it.

Recently, I had a chance to catch up with Will Chen, the head of publishing at S-Game, the developer of Phantom Blade Zero, to get more information regarding the title. Specifically, what type of game it actually is, the demo that was playable at Summer Game Fest 2024, and upcoming plans for the demo. During this conversation, he was keen to point out again that Phantom Blade Zero is not a Soulslike, but has taken some inspiration from the genre.

“After Summer Game Fest, we have received much encouragement and praise, as well as plenty of great advice on how to improve the game,” stated Will Chen. “Our game is still in the mid-development stage, and the reason we are releasing the playable demo at this phase is to showcase that our combat system is as fascinating as the first trailer.”

“Additionally, we want to validate our judgment and insights into action games, so we have taken three primary considerations for our game:

  • Combat: We are not making another Soulslike game. We want our players to experience fast-paced, heart-pumping, combo-driven, and aggressive combat. This includes a large arsenal of weapons, each with unique mechanics.
  • Level design: We did take some inspiration from Soulslike games, such as multi-layered maps, multiple approach paths, and hidden nooks and crevices.
  • Storyline: We are drawing inspiration from Resident Evil and Alan Wake to create creepy vibes structured around carefully designed scenes. Besides that, we aim to have appealing characters, engaging linear storylines, and extraordinary cinematic graphics.

Considering all the elements, our game can be understood as integrating the lite versions of three games: Devil May Cry 5 Lite, Souls Lite, and Resident Evil 4 Lite.”

Those are some very good games to create a new game off of, and If you had played the demo, you would automatically said to yourself that the game is very Devil May Cry-like, with some Nier: Automata, Sekiro, and Ninja Gaiden tossed in. Perhaps labeling the game a Soulslite feels better, but to me it still feels like more of a hack-and-slash. Then again, S-Game is the developer, you’ll have to trust them on what their vision is.

When discussing the demo, Will Chen pointed out that while the demo only had access to three bosses, the full game will feature many more, as well as over 30 weapons in the game, special combat modes such as wagon defense, and engaging storylines. He stated that the Phantom Blade Zero demo will also make an appearance at Gamescom 2024, so if you haven’t had a chance to check out the demo yet and are heading to Gamescom, definitely try to get some hands-on experience.

Phantom Blade Zero is being developed for the PS5 and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), and currently, there isn’t a release date as of yet.

Phantom Blade Zero S-Game Soulsite soulslike
Keith Mitchell - Headshot-PS_Gear_400x400
Keith Mitchell
  • X (Twitter)
  • LinkedIn

Keith has been a fan of geek culture and video games ever since his father gifted him his first gaming console many decades ago and has used this love of for the genres to start The Outerhaven. Keith keeps follows on the ongoings of videogames, anime, comics and technology, and while he has been writing about these topics for the past 14 years, he has been a gamer and tech guy for 30 years.

Latest Posts

Marvel Zombies Trailer Drops, Disney Plus Release Date Revealed

September 2, 2025

Scar-Lead Salvation Is Now Available On Xbox

September 2, 2025

Mario Kart World Has Insane Attach Rate On Nintendo Switch 2

September 2, 2025

Fire Emblem Awakening Arrives on Nintendo Music!

September 2, 2025

PAX West 2025 Preview – Valor Mortis Reinvents the Soulslike in First-Person Combat

September 2, 2025

Techland Reveals PC and Laptop Specs for Dying Light: The Beast

September 2, 2025
About Us • Our Team • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Review Policy • Ethics Policy 
Work With Us • Reviews on Open Critic • Reviews on CriticDB
Copyright @2025 The Outerhaven Productions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.