Bookending 2024′ Summer Game Fest live event in style was S-Game’s hack-and-slash action-RPG Phantom Blade Zero. Combining the methodical swordplay of Bloodborne with the fluidity of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, this dark Chinese fantasy tale swiftly became one of the highlights of the show. Fortunately, The Nerd Stash had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with a demo build during SGF. And we were mighty impressed with what we played.
The Phantom Blade Zero demo didn’t feature any major story beats or exposition per se. Instead, it focused heavily on the moment-to-moment combat players can expect to see in the final build, as well as a couple of boss encounters to help spice things up. Up top, it’s worth mentioning that the controller that we used during the demo was a PlayStation 5 DualSense.
We kicked things off with a basic tutorial running us through the controls. Thankfully, if you’re a fan of Soulslike titles, you’ll likely feel pretty familiar with how the game plays. From quick attacks with Square to heavy attacks with Triangle to jumping with the X button, it didn’t take long to gel with the controller layout. That said, one slightly unusual input was in regards to sprinting, which involved pressing the R1 button and clicking in L3. Plus, it took a few moments to get used to dodging with the R1 button as well. Not exactly biggies, but something that jumped out to me.
After manoeuvering up a seemingly inaccessible wall with the jump button, your protagonist — named Soul — takes on his first rudimentary enemy. Initially, what struck me was how fast-paced the combat really is. In essence, the second-to-second action is like playing Bloodborne but sped up by x2. Furthermore, there seems to be much more of an emphasis on stringing together combos, much akin to, say, Devil May Cry. These combos are largely quite straightforward to achieve. For instance, hammering the Triangle button three times delivered a series of rapid attacks that whittled away our enemies’ HP reserves. Thankfully, you can cancel out of combos by dashing away from your foe at the right moment.
Interestingly, players can switch between weapons on the fly. In the demo, we had the option to select either a one-handed katana or dual-wield two smaller short swords. On top of this, you also have access to a Secondary weapon dubbed a Phantom Edge, which is basically a large cannon that deals significant damage and staggers your adversaries to boot. Thing is, it takes a while to charge this bad boy up and also possesses a finite amount of ammo. Still, it definitely came in handy with the boss encounters!
Speaking of bosses, the first big bad we went toe-to-toe with in the demo was an axe-wielding chap called Tie Sha the Frenzy. While he did boast some devastating attacks, he telegraphed his strikes and was largely a big ol’ pushover, especially compared to the other bosses on show. Suffice to say, we managed to nail this hostile in one go.
The next segment comprised of just a sole boss: Commander Cleave. It’s here where the game signposts a major mechanic that you’ll need to understand to truly reign supreme in Phantom Blade Zero: Parrying. Yes, much like 2019’s award-winning hit Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it quickly becomes clear that timing your parry correctly is a key strategy that you’ll need to employ in S-Game’s upcoming slice ’em up. Not only does parrying shield you from any incoming damage, but it also inflicts a critical hit to your foe. We found that timing your parry just before the enemy makes contact with your protagonist was the sweet spot.
Our third and final boss came in the shape of Huangxing, the Sunken Pillar of KunJun and he was easily the hardest boss in the entire demo. In fact, we never actually managed to defeat this one in the time slot that we were allotted. This mysterious foe was armed with a longsword and a flail-like bladed weapon that could instakill you if you aren’t paying attention… by slicing your head clean from your body. Seriously, I still have nightmares.
What makes this boss encounter even more unique is the fact that you can use the environment to gain an upper hand. More specifically, by running up the pillars within the boss arena, you can execute a snazzy jump attack that can take your opponent by surprise. Very handy!
Overall, from the 20-minute demo, Phantom Blade Zero made an incredible impression on me, and is undoubtedly one of my most anticipated games from the entire SGF show. While it’s confirmed to not be a traditional Soulslike per se — the PR rep went on record to say they’re still unsure whether they’re going to implement a Souls currency in the game — its slick combat, diverse weaponry, and distinctive dark fantasy art-style is extremely appealing. This especially rings true when you consider that this game’s Vice President is none other than one of FromSoft’s former art directors — Michael Chang — who worked on Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls II.
Sure, it still seems a long way off — the SGF demo appears to be a vertical slice of the game — but there’s plenty to be excited about. Right now, though, it’s seemingly quite early in development. In fact, Phantom Blade Zero doesn’t actually even have an official publishing partner yet, which is surprising to say the least. However, we can confirm that S-Game is in “early talks with a Western publisher,” according to PR at the SGF event. Whatever the case may be, Phantom Blade Zero is shaping up to be one of the big-hitters coming down the pipeline, especially for those looking for a polished fast-paced action experience with an absolutely stellar art-style.
