PlayStation, in all its disc-hating glory (don’t look at me – check the chat replay for yourself), debuted a new State of Play recently, but the star was a single game: Phantom Blade Zero. Following a very impressive extended trailer, which developer S-Game assured was just the beginning, the Deep Dive showcased a lot more new gameplay.
There was a lot to take in, from the world’s scale and the sheer variety of weapons to the utter poetry in motion that is combat – including boss fights like the Lion Dance Grandmaster, which you have to see. We received a closer look at the locations that make up the Phantom World – serene environments contrasting with dark warehouses with dozens of hanging puppets and ominous towers where foul experiments take place. And let’s not forget S-Game’s rather clever take on permadeath mode.
It’s difficult to select one thing that truly stood out – even the story carries its fair share of intrigue, as we learn more about Soul’s circumstances and the origin of his whole “66 days to live” condition. But what really stood out is the world design. There’s a real sense of immersion when you’re given a cloth map and told to figure out the rest by exploring. Personally, I want to know what’s going on with the lake, because you can’t tell me that there’s something that large and mysterious without something interesting to be had. It almost reminds me of the Lake of the Nine, and if there are a few small locations off the mainland with their own encounters and secrets, I will be very happy indeed.
Then again, creative director Qiwei “Soulframe” Liang assured that secrets abound around every corner, and based on the sights alone, I’m inclined to believe him. A brief peek at Pangzhen revealed tons of points of interest, and fast-travel points were only one part of the equation.
If that didn’t seem insane enough, there’s a button at the bottom right that says “Switch Map.” Given how many players can collect, does that mean every single one is bustling with this much to explore (especially since the Mandate Encampment appeared that way)?
We’ll have to find out for ourselves, but just seeing the exploration made me happy because it’s not flat. You’re not running from one end of the straight and narrow to the other. There’s a sense of non-linearity – of grappling, climbing walls, running across rooftops – that makes the world feel alive. That’s before really going off the beaten path and discovering that the developers left something to find. Based on the few snippets, you’ll have to break down walls and really dig around for secrets. Even if we’ll only get a sense of how packed the world is by actually playing, everything showcased feels like the tip of the spear.
Which brings me to the really impressive part: How everything has come together. The total package, if you will, which truly earmarks this as a Wuxia epic unlike anything we’ve seen in video games. In that respect, it feels like Phantom Blade Zero has shattered expectations once more – which didn’t seem possible less than a week after its last showing, but here we are. But rather than focusing on a single thing, it’s the sum that’s greater than its fascinating parts. The total package, if you will, which truly earmarks this as a Wuxia epic unlike anything we’ve seen in video games. In that respect, it feels like Phantom Blade Zero has shattered expectations once more – which didn’t seem possible less than a week after its last showing, but here we are.
It’s not just from the buzz coming out of State of Play – which stands out as perhaps one of the few videos on PlayStation’s channel to have comments on the game itself – or the positive response across social media in general. There are plenty of titles which can offer impressive visuals, stellar combat, rewarding exploration, an interesting story, fantastic music, and solid progression mechanics. The rare few provide all of these and more, be it in the attention to detail or the sheer amount of quality content on offer.
Phantom Blade Zero, however, seems to fit into that even rarer pantheon where the whole is greater than the sum of its excellent parts. Executing on the core vision is just as important as anything else. Several years ago, it would have been easy to break apart everything that makes the experience what it truly is. Oh, that’s where the action RPG part comes from. Oh, it’s a character-driven hack-and-slash title. And so on, down to the action-adventure gameplay.
And while many of those facets remain true today, S-Game has pushed to deliver its vision of Wuxia in every single department. The visuals look incredible, but fluidity is just as important as fidelity, whether it’s in a fight with a group of lackeys or engaging in a brutal dance-off against the Lion Dance Grandmaster in a performance for the ages. The sheer number of weaponry is impressive, but ensuring that each has a unique identity beyond a simple skill or passive trait elevates them beyond the average action RPG.
As intricate as the boss fights have been, packed as they are with killer moments, it was clearly important to the development team to add a little something special for those seeking a challenge. Hence the higher difficulties, which feel like you’re in a fighting game, having to be aware of your own tactics and mix things up, lest you get heavily punished. I have some doubts about how deep this could really go – there’s no substitute for real humans, after all – but the fact that S-Game implemented something like this means it wants its bosses to be more than just a bunch of fancy patterns.
However, what really impressed me after this State of Play is that, once again, this is only scratching the surface of what Phantom Blade Zero has to offer. Granted, that’s more than intentional, right down to S-Game blurring ability descriptions and the different movesets that each weapon has to offer. It doesn’t want you to know what they do – it wants you to feel things out first-hand. Which would have made even more sense if it dropped that long-awaited demo, but hey, you can’t win ’em all.
With each showing, it feels like the pressure is only mounting on the development team to deliver. For no fault of its own, it’s releasing Phantom Blade Zero into a release space dominated by so many big titles. Despite how different it is from Control Resonant or Onimusha: Way of the Sword, there will doubtless be comparisons. Heck, just by launching weeks away from Grand Theft Auto 6, there’s a risk that some will choose to wait and see how it fares over the long term rather than picking it up immediately.
And yet, I don’t think that really bothers S-Game. It doesn’t feel like there’s been a genuine desire to one-up the competition so much as surpass the high bar it’s set for itself. Agree to disagree on whether its particular brand of action appeals to you, but after this State of Play, it feels like Phantom Blade Zero has finally conveyed its vision of what kungfupunk really has to offer. And that’s more than enough heading into its late October launch.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
