Of 25 trailers released during Wednesday’s PlayStation Showcase, the one most fans seem to be talking about the next morning was also the most unexpected. It is Ghost Blade Zeroof S-Game, and its genre/style/characteristics are also difficult to describe.
We’ll do our best to bring you up to speed on this intriguing adventure, which at the very least seems to present players with elegant sword and melee combat in a world based on feudal China.
What is Phantom Blade Zero?
It’s an action role-playing game that should delight fans of recent action role-playing games like Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceAnd Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyespecially since they share themes of Asian culture.
But Phantom Blade Zero layers on a lot of its own traditions with a striking mix of martial arts and steampunk. “Be the Dark Raider exiled by ‘The Order’, embark on a path of revenge and uncover Wulin’s darkest secrets!” says his official youtube list.
A PlayStation Blog post of S-Game founder Soulframe Liang after the presentation said, “’Phantom World’, the universe in which the game takes place, is a universe where many kinds of powers converge. You’ll find Chinese Kungfu, intricate machinery reminiscent of steampunk, occult arts, and intriguing things that don’t fit into any of those categories.
The player-protagonist, called Soul, is an assassin accused of murdering the leader of the Order. After being mortally wounded, Soul’s life was saved by a magical healer, but only for 66 days. Thus, there is a race against time through the game’s narrative to defeat the Order’s enemies and bring justice to those responsible.
Regarding the game’s visual layout, Liang said, “The dark/gloomy visual style that you’ll often see in the game is a deliberate decision. A dark world really brings out the characters with hearts of gold.
Otherwise, the S-Game website is mum, leaving things to teasers and screenshots. A good place to look for more is a newly created subredditwhere fans have excerpted parts of the trailer and highlighted what they think Phantom Blade Zero will deliver every time it is launched.
Is Phantom Blade Zero a Soulslike game?
That’s a question a lot of fans are asking, given his comparisons to sekiro And Wo Longbut Liang said Phantom Blade Zero is not necessarily a Soulslike game.
“We are big fans of the hack and slash genre,” Liang said. “What’s more popular today is ‘strategic action games’, like Soulslikes and Monster Hunter. They choose to slow things down a notch or two, giving players more time for strategic thinking.
“But this approach doesn’t reflect the kind of action fest we have in mind,” Liang added, “namely, the sleek, jaw-dropping moves of Kungfu films in the 1990s.”
Who is S-Game, the developer of Phantom Blade Zero?
S-Game is a Beijing-based studio. Phantom Blade Zero (And Executioners) appears to be its first Western release.
If this is Phantom Blade Zero, is there also another Phantom Blade game?
S-Game also the developer of Phantom Blade: Executioners, a side-scrolling “dark Kungfupunk action game” for Android, iOS and Windows PC. This game has been playable in multiple closed beta tests and is listed as “coming soon” on Steam.
You can watch the gameplay of Phantom Blade: Executioners below for a taste of S-Game’s 2D action chops.
Liang said the Phantom Blade canon created by his studio largely consisted of games released on mobile devices in China, not the West. The Phantom Blade series evolved from another game called Rainblood: City of Deathan indie game developed by Liang in RPG Maker and released in 2010.
What is the release date of Phantom Blade Zero?
The game doesn’t have one yet. Wednesday’s trailer was the first no one has ever heard of Phantom Blade Zeroand the trailer did not give a launch date or window.
Is Phantom Blade Zero a PlayStation exclusive?
Games official site lists PlayStation 5, Steam, and the Epic Games Store as platforms, so yes, it appears to be a console-exclusive title for PlayStation.
