PHANTOM BLADE ZERO

Less Sekiro, more Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

- Harvey Randall

I got to sit down and play Phantom Blade Zero at Gamescom, and came away feeling quite impressed. Judging by the reactions of my fellow demotriers, one of who managed to beat it a whole seven minutes before me (I’m not upset), it’s looking to be a sleeper hit.

Phantom Blade Zero comes from S-Game, and it’s the studio’s first major effort and, as PC Gamer’s own Rich Stanton noted last year, it’s also inspired by an RPG maker game the team made back in 2010 named Rainblood: Town of Death. S-Game has since been pretty eager to draw a line between Phantom Blade Zero and soulslikes – revealing that while it’s certainly drawn inspiration, it’s definitely its own thing.

Having got my mitts on it, I’m in full agreement. Phantom Blade Zero feels, in spirit, a lot more like Team Ninja’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty – taking the trappings of FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and reinventing the genre into a wuxia action romp, like a hefty dash of God Hand or Ninja Gaiden thrown in the soulslike soup. It’s a genre diversion that I’m gleeful – downright kicking my feet and giggling – to see flourish.