"Phantom Blade Zero is Not a Soulslike" – Hands On Impressions

Summary

Sitting down to playPhantom Blade ZeroatSummer Game Fest’s Play Days event, the first thing the game’s director told me was that, contrary to some assumptions, the title is not a Soulslike. Rather,Phantom Blade Zerohas more in common with a fast-paced character action game likeNinja GaidenorDevil May Cry.

WhilePhantom Blade Zerowon’t launch until at least 2026, developer S-Game brought a vertical slice of the game to give a sense of the combat. What was available involved a quick tutorial, one combat sequence with some basic enemies, and a few boss fights. With combat this fast and visceral, and a visual style that’s wildly detailed but unbelievably violent,Phantom Blade Zerois sure to be on a lot of gamers’ radars. And what I played was more than enough to solidify the game’s place as one to watch in the future.

phantom blade zero summer game fest hands-on

Phantom Blade Zero is Fast, Beautiful, and Bloody

Combat inPhantom Blade Zerois of the familiar, light and heavy attack combo variety. Players will alternate between pressing triangle or square to mix up attacks and activate flashy combos and have the player character hacking away at enemies in stylish ways. Players can switch between two weapons with the press of the d-pad, and S-Game promises that there will be over 20 different options in the game. For the demo, we had access to a few weapons, from the massive jagged blade seen in thePhantom Blade ZeroSummer Game Fest trailer to smaller dual blades that allow for faster attacks.

The faster pace ofPhantom Blade Zerodoes call to mind the likes ofNinja GaidenorDevil May Cry, as do Phantom Edges, ranged weapons that the character can mix into their combos. Two were available during the demo, an arm cannon that looks like a tiger’s head and can charge up for a more powerful blast, as well as a bow that sends out quick arrow hits or has its own charged option.

Offense inPhantom Blade Zeroseems to be as important as defense, with the game relying on blocks and parries to mitigate enemy damage. Timing a parry just as a Brutal Move (indicated by a blue spark on the enemy’s weapon) connects will trigger a counterattack that results in a flurry of bloody slashes. There is also a perfect dodge that lets you Ghoststep behind the enemy and get a backstab in.

For a little extra style points, players can trigger a move called Power Surge, which is like an auto-combo filled with slashes and spins and deals a ton of damage. However, “damage” can come in two different forms for both the player and enemies. Each enemy and the player character has a Shai Chi meter that deteriorates as they block attacks. Should that meter deplete completely, then the enemy/character is left open and vulnerable to big damage strings. But depending on how much you mix up your combos and positioning, it’s possible to damage an enemy or boss before they can block. Conversely, if you don’t block it’s easy to lose a lot of health quickly and need to use one of a limited number of healing items.

Strong Offense and Defense Give Phantom Blade Zero a High Skill Ceiling

Stringing everything together highlightswhat makesPhantom Blade Zeroso exhilarating to play. Pulling off flashy combos, timing perfect parries, and stringing in a Power Surge to extend openings is extremely satisfying and turns seemingly insurmountable odds in your favor. According to the devs, there is a high skill ceiling for Phantom Blade Zero where the best players are going to be able to defeat bosses in less than a minute. As long as they can correctly time parries and dodges, even bosses won’t stand a chance.

That isn’t to sayPhantom Blade Zerodoesn’t put intimidating foes in your way. The mix of familiar Japanese iconography with the grotesque and horrific is what makes the art style of the game appealing, and allows for some truly memorable boss (and boss weapon) designs. Easily the most memorable was a boss with a massive kusarigama-like weapon where the ball end had an opening with a bunch of metal teeth on the underside. To kick off the fight, the boss would send the ball and chain above the player and slam it down. If you didn’t dodge at the right moment, the ball would land on the character’s head and chew it up like a medieval garbage disposal.

Phantom Blade Zero’s director describes the gameas “kung fu punk” - mixing steampunk and cyberpunk esthetics with Asian designs. There is no doubt that the imagery in the game is striking (and very violent), but it’s the fast-paced combat that sets it apart from some similar-looking titles. Of course, this was only a vertical slice, so the approach to design could change beforePhantom Blade Zeroreleases in 2026.

It’s rare that a game gets a hands-on demo for media when it is so far out. ButPhantom Blade Zerosure made an impression with itsinitial PS5 trailer reveal, subsequent gameplay trailer, and now this hands-on opportunity. It may not be a Soulslike, but if the full game matches the quality of this small sample,Phantom Blade Zerois going to be a massive hit like one.