ARPG fans are liable to perk up their ears when the namePhantom Blade Zerocomes up. The fast-paced action-adventure game looks like a blend of the brutal combat of a FromSoftware game and the fluid, expressive gameplay ofsomething likeDevil May Cry—a simple but winning combination, if ever there was one.
But there’s still a lot to be revealed aboutPhantom Blade Zero, which is actually being folded into the Rainblood Chronicles franchise. The Rainblood Chronicles games are far more rudimentary than the flashy third-person action ofPhantom Blade Zero, with the first two entries being designed in the free-to-use game engine RPGMaker, but their relationship is notable nonetheless. Also worth noting isPhantom Blade Zero’s classification (by its own creators) within the wuxia genre, a category of media focused primarily on the adventures and chivalrous deeds of martial artists in ancient China. No doubt this wuxia influence will impact the game’s story and gameplay, both of which are being teased more and more as it inches closer to a possible release date.
Phantom Blade ZeroDirector Soulframe Lianghas big dreams for the game, suggesting that it could create a new sub-genre of “Wuxia Action Games.”
Phantom Blade Zero’s Gameplay and Story
Phantom Blade Zero Looks More Like Dynasty Warriors and Ninja Gaiden Than Dark Souls
Something that’s important to note, especially since the genre is seemingly getting more ubiquitous with each passing year, is thatPhantom Blade Zeroisn’t a soulslike. It’s fair to say that it takes a modicum of inspiration from FromSoftware’s catalog, as most modern action games do, but the slow, position-focused, stamina-managing combat of the so-called Soulsborne games is nowhere to be seen. Rather,Phantom Blade Zerois designed more around speed, aggression, and the execution of special skills.
Players can carry up to four weapons at a time:
Primary weapons have an ultimate attack known as a Power Surge that requires a resource called Sha-Chi to activate. Sha-Chi is also used to block and execute special moves, and is drained when taking damage: it is essentiallyPhantom Blade Zero’s replacement for stamina, and has a lot of parallels withSekiro’s posture mechanic. Certain enemy moves can also be parried or blocked at the perfect moment to teleport behind them—a maneuver called Ghostep. Combined, these mechanics promise to makePhantom Blade Zero’s combatfast, aggressive, and dynamic.
Developer S-GAME plans to implement a roguelike mode and a dedicated multiplayer mode as part ofPhantom Blade Zero’s endgame.
Phantom Blade Zero’s Story Is a Big Question Mark
Naturally, S-GAME has only drawn back the curtain slightly onPhantom Blade Zero’s narrative. Knowing that it’s part of the wuxia genre goes a long way toward illuminating its genre tropes and setting, but the game will also reportedly incorporate elements of the cyberpunk, steampunk, and horror genres as well. These disparate elements, both in terms of tone and historical accuracy, could either makePhantom Blade Zero’s storyexceptional or nonsensical.
The story will follow Soul, a highly skilled assassin for a shadowy organization known as The Order. The game kicks off with Soul being framed for the murder of The Order’s leader, and subsequently being killed before getting revived by a mystic healer. But as it turns out, this cure will only last for 66 days, giving Soul just a few weeks to find out the truth behind the mysterious murder and to seek revenge on those who wronged him. Again, this could be a bog-standard tale of vengeance, or something more interesting. Only a fullplaythrough ofPhantom Blade Zerowill reveal its ultimate narrative weight.
Phantom Blade Zero
WHERE TO PLAY
Phantom Blade Zero is a new character action game from developer S-Game that features the type of fast-paced combo-based gameplay popularized by series like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry. Its art style combines traditional Japanese iconography with the fantastical and horrific.
