With an exorbitant weapon selection, intricate combat, and a serious dashing of kung fu pedigree, Phantom Blade Zero is shaping up to be one of 2026’s defining action games. Developer S-GAME has been slowly lifting the lid on what you can expect, with a gameplay deep dive revealing everything from its unusual resource management to the countless ways you can customise your build. This one has all the makings of being a hit, but if you’re still considering whether to pick it up at launch here are fifteen things you need to know.
Donnie Yen is Creative Consultant
Any doubt Phantom Blade Zero doesn’t have some serious martial arts pedigree behind it are quickly dispelled by legendary actor and filmmaker Donnie Yen, whom S-GAME has acquired as a Creative Consultant. Known for his roles in Ip Man, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and John Wick: Chapter 4, Yen has shaped Phantom Blade Zero’s kung fu style and action design. He also brings Mó Yuan to life through facial and motion capture, lending his likeness and physical performance to one of the game’s boss characters.
S-GAME Has Coined Its Own Genre: Kungfupunk
S-GAME describes Phantom Blade Zero’s distinctive aesthetic as Kungfupunk, blending traditional martial arts with steampunk machinery and body modification. It’s an unusual combination, and one we suspect came out of the game’s weapons and character designs, where the developer has clearly aimed to mix familiar kung fu influences with something more unconventional. With over fifty bosses reported, there’ll likely be plenty of martial arts masters wearing industrial upgrades to overcome.
Sha-Chi Is The Key to Combat
Underpinning Phantom Blade Zero’s combat is Sha-Chi, a resource combining stamina, posture, and a skill meter. Crucially, however, it’s shared between you and your enemies, meaning you’ll both need to manage it carefully. Heavy attacks and blocking consume Sha-Chi, with you being left vulnerable to being broken if it’s exhausted completely. Landing basic attacks, successful defensive manoeuvres, and well-timed counters can replenish it, making the moves you execute important for resource management and killing enemies alike.
There Are More Than 55 Weapons To Discover
By the campaign’s conclusion you’ll have amassed more than 30 primary weapons and 25 secondary weapons, the latter known as Phantom Edges. Each offers distinct ways to approach encounters, and can be combined with upgrades and accessories to tailor your build to the playstyle you want or the specific situation. Switching your primary blade, too, restores some or all of your Sha-Chi. And, despite this ability operating on a cooldown, you’re encouraged to alternate between your blades mid-fight, becoming a master of many weapons.
Enemy Attacks Are Colour-Coded
Phantom Blade Zero uses colour-coded enemy attacks to help you get a read on your opponent. Blue-flashing Brutal Moves can be blocked, but doing so will drain a significant amount of Sha-Chi. Perfect parrying, instead, is considerably the more favourable option, with it restoring two bars of Sha-Chi while accelerating its regeneration. Elsewhere, red-flashing Killer Moves cannot be blocked or parried, so you’ll need to dodge these instead.
Ghoststep Rewards Perfect Parry Timing
There’s another benefit to perfectly parrying those blue-flashing Brutal Moves: Ghostepping. Also executable via a precise Killer Blow dodge, Ghoststep allows your character Soul to reposition behind his opponent for a counterattack. Successfully Ghoststepping a Killer Move also grants a damage buff for your next hit, meaning that mastering the timing of that technique could prove decisive. One thing is for sure: practicing composure will be more rewarding than hammering the attack button.
Iron Fists and Hammers Can Break Tough Guards
As per deep dive coverage, you’ll encounter opponents throughout Phantom Blade Zero whose guard cannot be broken by your favourite bladed weapon. Iron Fists and Hammers, then, are particularly effective against enemies who prioritise defence, proving themselves as a reliable, blunt-force alternative. Experimenting with your loadout is already something that’s encouraged, but facing heavily guarded opposition suggests mixing up your arsenal is a surefire necessity.
You Can Fight With Cannons and Flamethrowers
Your arsenal spreads further beyond traditional martial arts weaponry too, with Phantom Edges containing some particularly unconventional options. Cannons and flamethrowers, for instance, are among the tools available, expanding close-range swordplay to mid-range, area-of-effect, high-damage dealing assaults. Given the variety of equipment on offer, there’s room to find some devastating combinations. And, there’s something decidedly evocative about a martial arts master who brings fire to a sword fight.
Skill Trees and Accessories Shape Your Build
Phantom Blade Zero contains a compendium of skill trees, with nodes which unlock additional skills, weapon forms, and techniques. Meanwhile, weapon upgrades and accessories let you fine-tune your build further. And, the customisation options don’t stop there; summons can also assist you in battle. Between them, your blades, your firepower, and expanding moveset, Phantom Blade Zero looks to offer a playstyle for absolutely every scenario. The interesting thing to observe, come the game’s release, is how S-GAME manages to balance all these different permutations.
Reforging Lets You Respec Your Customisations
With so many possible customisations, it’s likely that you’ll want to spend time mixing and matching your options. To ease any concerns that you’ll have to commit yourself to a particular path, S-GAME has incorporated a reforging system which allows you to recover the materials you’ve invested in your weapon upgrades to reinvest elsewhere. You’ll need the Reforging Talisman, but the flexibility it offers will be welcome in a game with such extensive customisation.
Phantom Edges Can Unlock New Areas
Phantom Edges, as well, aren’t just your secondary weapon. Certain examples also function as keys, opening up areas that were previously inaccessible. This gives you a practical reason to return to a location you’ve already cleared, as equipment you subsequently acquire may reveal routes or secrets that you couldn’t reach earlier. With multiple lock-and-key combinations showcased so far, keeping track of previously inaccessible paths could pay dividends later. Hopefully the game includes a option to mark points of interest on the map.
Four Difficulty Options Tweak The Challenge
Phantom Blade Zero ships with four difficulty options: Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, Hellwalker, and Sixty-Six Days, the latter the most punishing difficulty which ties into the game’s narrative. The entire range, though, is designed to accommodate different experience levels, beginning at the accessible Wayfarer. Difficulty doesn’t just scale damage numbers though; Hellwalker, for instance, offers tougher encounters through more advanced, adaptive enemy intelligence.
PS5 Version Utilises Hardware-Specific Features
Phantom Blade Zero’s PS5 version supports several of the console’s hardware-specific features, including 3D audio, adaptive triggers, and haptic feedback. As shown in the gameplay deep dive, these capabilities give encounters a more tactile feel, with the sensation of drawing a bow and arrow, for exampl tied to the DualSense’s trigger resistance. S-GAME has also confirmed enhancements for the PS5 Pro, although the studio hasn’t detailed exactly what those improvements will include.
Release Date, Prices, and Pre-Order Bonuses
Phantom Blade Zero launches on October 29th, with pre-orders available for the Standard Edition at $59.99 and a Digital Deluxe Edition at $69.99. If you pre-order, you’ll unlock the Treasure Basin accessory and Legacy outfit, although both of these items can be earned through normal progression.
PC Requirements
As per the game’s Steam page, to play on PC you’ll need a minimum Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU and a GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 5500 XT GPU. Recommended spec, meanwhile, details an Intel Core i5-10600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU. Whatever your hardware setup, you’ll need 16GB RAM.
