Developers from the Chinese studio S-Game offered all visitors to the gamescom 2024 exhibition the opportunity to play a demo version of Phantom Blade Zero. Fragments of gameplay were published by the PlayStation and GameSpot YouTube channels, as well as some other publications.
Image source: S-Game
In the demo, you can fight regular opponents and three bosses – Tie Sha the Frenzy, Commander Cleave and Huangxing, nicknamed The Sunken Pillar of Kunlun. The latter is armed with the legendary Chinese weapon – the flying guillotine – and can easily behead the hero.
Among other things, the video allows you to evaluate one of the main features of the game – “super complex and fast combos” in the spirit of Devil May Cry. The hero’s arsenal includes more than 20 types of weapons, including paired and single swords, bows, axes, spears and a hand cannon in the shape of a wild beast’s head.
Battles with these bosses were already demonstrated in June as part of the Summer Game Fest 2024, but the latest videos caused players no less delight than the previous ones. Users especially liked the detailed animations, smooth transitions between movements, high speed of battles and sound effects.
«Watching the early recordings, it was hard to believe that these segments were playable,” Gregulah admired.
«It looks exactly like the trailer, although everyone doubted that this was real gameplay,” admitted QuanNguyen-bk4pn.
«This game is reminiscent of the E3 cinematic trailers from 2012-2015,” wrote mohdsalmand1385. “We are finally entering the next-gen era.”
In the June preliminary reviews, journalists noted not only the impressive graphics on Unreal Engine 5 and well-developed combat mechanics, but also the consistent balance of difficulty.
«“S-Game understands what makes soulslicks special, and implements this in Phantom Blade Zero without excessive complexity that might scare off casual players,” said TechRadar journalist Ural Garrett.
In Phantom Blade Zero, players will take on the role of Soul, an elite assassin of The Order, unjustly accused of murdering its patriarch. In 66 days, the hero must uncover the conspiracy and prove his innocence.
The action role-playing game combines elements of kung fu punk, steampunk and the occult. The structure of the game is reminiscent of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – a semi-open world, not too large, but offering a variety of routes. It will take 30–40 hours to complete the main story (including secondary quests and high-level content, it will take much longer).
Phantom Blade Zero will be released on PC (Steam, EGS) and PlayStation 5. Release dates have not been announced. Some time before the premiere on Steam, a prequel, the side-scroller Phantom Blade: Executioners, will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android. Previously, the authors confirmed that they would make another presentation at the Tokyo Game Show in September.