While music in games tends to be created after other elements like gameplay and visuals are set in place, S-Game took a different approach for its upcoming action game Phantom Blade Zero. In an interview with PCGamesN, composer Caisheng Bo spoke about how the music for some of the title’s boss fights was created before the bosses were even designed.
“The music is very important. Unlike other games, music isn’t an afterthought. [In other games] you have to finish the game first, or at least you have to reach a certain point, and then you find a musician to compose for the game. But for Phantom Blade, it’s completely different. Like I, for some boss fights, I composed the music first.”
This came down to the trust that creative director “Soulframe” Liang had in Bo’s ability to create the right kind of atmosphere for these battles. “Okay, this sounds good. Yeah, let me create a boss to match your music,” Bo recalls Liang saying.
“I think for the line dance boss, it was back in 2023. [Liang] asked me to compose a piece. I was like, ‘Do you have the art design?’ He’s like, ‘No, nothing. Just give me something. Just inspire me.’ I was like, ‘Okay,’ but we didn’t end up using the piece; it was too early. So, for Phantom Blade Zero, since we’ve started as an indie game developer, we’re used to that kind of workflow.”
Speaking further about the style of music in Phantom Blade Zero, Bo discussed how he wanted to “blend the traditional Chinese stuff with the modern side of China.” Along with this, his preferences for metal and EDM also played a big role in shaping the game’s overall soundtrack, since he could blend these genres with traditional Chinese instruments to create unique sounds.
“I’m a big fan of rock music, big fan of metal, and electronic dance music. So, I want to bring all that goodness and blend it with the Chinese instruments. I don’t think a lot of people have done it, which is a shame because a lot of Chinese instruments, like the musicians, the players, they’ve always been trained to play the old pieces, the pieces created 500 years ago. So, I told them [the musicians] I wanted to do something new, and they were like, ‘Yeah, sure, let’s do it.’ It’s a great opportunity to sort of innovate and get the fresh stuff out there for everyone to listen to.”
Interestingly, some of the music didn’t make its way into the game. Rather than discarding these pieces altogether, however, S-Game decided to include them in the Deluxe Edition of the game, which gives players access to an in-game music player where these tracks can be heard. This also includes other interesting tracks, like one that blends jazz with traditional Chinese music.
“If you order the deluxe edition, there will be a music player inside the game, and you can still hear that piece. So yeah, sometimes I go too far, and also, I’ve done a jazz piece with traditional Chinese instruments, and it sounds really weird. It’s also included in the deluxe. We just couldn’t find anywhere for it to go in the game.”
Phantom Blade Zero is coming to PC and PS5 on October 29th. For more on the game, take a look at a recent trailer showcasing The Hunt. And while you’re at it, check out our thoughts about how Phantom Blade Zero could steal 2026’s final act.
