Phantom Blade Zero offers moments that evoke the golden age of martial arts cinema with its fluid and cinematic kung fu-style combat. These instances showcase astonishing animations and creative choreography, making players feel as though they've stepped onto the set of a classic film. However, persistent balance and quality-of-life issues ultimately detract from the experience.
Set in the Wulin, a fantastical martial underworld populated by various factions and feuding sects, the game casts players as Soul, an outcast warrior on a revenge mission. The narrative involves betrayal, a protagonist with limited time to live, and malevolent entities from another world. While the story's ingredients are standard for a fantasy epic, its delivery is hampered by overwhelming lore dumps, often presented through text-heavy collectibles. Many characters offer platitudes and truisms that do little to connect with the underlying plot, making it advisable for players to let the narrative wash over them.
Combat Mechanics
The core gameplay loop borrows heavily from FromSoftware's Souls-like titles, evident in elements like checkpoint bells and multi-stage bosses with one-shot attacks. The combat system emphasizes precise dodging of red attacks and parrying of blue ones to break an enemy's guard and enter a punishment phase. This high-octane approach is reminiscent of Sekiro, and players not fond of this dodge/parry style may find the game challenging.
Phantom Blade Zero refines this formula with "Soulslite" adjustments. It ditches a traditional stamina bar for "sha-chi," a resource that depletes when blocking, parrying, or using heavy attacks. This system allows for quicker offensive and defensive maneuvers without the usual stamina constraints. A key mechanic involves a two-weapon system, encouraging players to switch between armaments to manage their sha-chi, as each weapon has its own depleted bar. This is particularly useful for executing heavy hits or preventing guard breaks. The parry and dodge windows are notably generous, a crucial feature given the speed of enemy attacks. Furthermore, the ability to cancel nearly any move into a parry prevents players from being caught in attack animations at critical moments. A merciful feature allows players to re-enter boss fights at the start of their second phase if defeated, reducing the sting of failure.
Weapon Variety and Progression
The game features a diverse array of flashy weapons, each with unique abilities. One sword, for instance, requires the player to "tank up" on alcohol before enabling ranged attacks. Other weapons include pole-like swords for charging through enemies, twin swords that orbit the player, and those that can summon earthen flowers to drain an opponent's sha-chi. Mastering these weapons involves understanding their unique combinations, which are unlocked through upgrade materials found in the world. "Soul tempering" weapons can unlock powerful latent abilities, transforming underpowered arms into viable options. Secondary weapons, known as "phantom edges," serve as tools to overcome specific challenges like high boss guards or unblockable attacks. Players can experiment freely with weapon upgrades and downgrades early on without losing materials, though later-game downgrades incur tokens.
Against regular enemies, these weapons feel exceptional. The combat flows seamlessly, allowing players to parry blows, lower guards, and execute enemies, often taking out two at once with well-timed QTEs. The sheer variety of execution animations, which often utilize the enemy's own weapons, keeps encounters fresh even dozens of hours into the game. On the "pathfinder" difficulty, regular enemies are generally well-balanced, providing a sense of flow while still punishing reckless aggression.
Boss Encounters and Balance Issues
Boss battles, however, present a significant imbalance. On "pathfinder" and even the more accessible "wayfarer" difficulty, bosses often feel "spongy." Weapons that excel against common foes become ineffective, resulting in minor damage during punishment phases and leading to long, repetitive fights. The game struggles to effectively communicate the specific strategies or "keys" needed to defeat certain bosses. For example, an early boss with a spiked shield inflicts bleeding when attacked, signaling the need to break the shield with a phantom edge. However, using the axe phantom edge yields minimal results, leading players to believe they've missed something. The solution, often requiring sustained attacks or charged versions of phantom edges with lengthy wind-ups, is not clearly conveyed. Similarly, a water phantom edge, described as effective against fire types, proves ineffective in practice. This lack of clear feedback and the bosses' resilience make many early to mid-game battles feel artificially extended.
Developer S-Game released a substantial update shortly before the review embargo, addressing performance, bugs, and combat stats, aiming for a smoother difficulty curve. While this update may have improved some aspects, the review notes that boss sponginess, particularly in early mandatory fights, persisted in testing. The effectiveness of player actions against bosses may be slightly improved in the launch build, but the core issues were still apparent in the pre-patch version.
While boss battles can sometimes fall into predictable defend/attack patterns, some stand out. Encounters with multiple smaller enemies allow for more damage output, and certain memorable battles introduce unique mechanics, such as a boss firing missiles like a bullet hell or a fight that takes place on poles with cannon fire. The latter, in particular, is described as visually stunning and a moment of pure fun.
Exploration and World Design
Exploration in Phantom Blade Zero is rewarding. The world map is rendered in traditional hand-painted ink wash style, with mists parting to reveal new areas. Navigating these landscapes requires players to observe their surroundings and find hidden pathways. The game incorporates Metroidvania elements, encouraging players to return to areas with newly acquired phantom edge weapons to unlock previously inaccessible locations. However, the game can sometimes overdo this, with clusters of locked areas appearing in quick succession, which can be disheartening. The lack of enemy respawns means that backtracking through cleared levels can feel empty.
Technical and Quality-of-Life Gripes
Despite its strengths, Phantom Blade Zero is marred by a gradual accumulation of minor issues. An essential key is easily missed due to its orange glow near a fire of the same color. Players can get caught on geometry, leading to combat against walls. Bosses have been observed hopping outside their arenas to attack players from behind invisible walls. Certain side quests provide map misdirections, causing players to circle aimlessly until an unrelated quest is completed. Severe frame rate dips occur in specific areas, which is detrimental to a fast-paced action game. While the latest patch aims to address these issues, including escaping bosses, performance, and quest guidance, the side quest loop remained problematic in testing. The frame rates appear to have improved post-update.
Conclusion
Phantom Blade Zero presents a complex picture. It excels in animation, environmental design, and moments of incredible combat fluidity, especially in street fights with multiple opponents. However, the jarring shift in pacing and effectiveness during boss battles, coupled with narrative shortcomings and a host of technical and quality-of-life issues, dilutes its overall impact. While patches may continue to refine the experience, the game's potential is currently held back by balance and polish concerns, leaving its impressive arsenal of weapons feeling somewhat dulled.