Phantom Blade Zero review – the first kungfupunk video game

Phantom Blade Zero – it’s like a Soulslike (S-Game) One of the most anticipated action games of the year mixes Chinese Wuxia action with stunning graphics and some very odd story elements, but is it a Soulslike or not? The sudden emergence of high quality, console-orientated action games from China is one of the more unexpected industry changes in the last five years. An oversaturation of the mobile market seems to be one of the root causes but perhaps the greater mystery is why so many of them are Soulslikes, all of which look very similar, with the same charcoal black colour schemes and fantastical enemies. 2024’s Black Myth: Wukong has been the biggest hit so far, although it’s debatable whether it counts as a Soulslike or not. Phantom Blade Zero developer S-Game insists that their game definitely doesn’t, although a first, and second, glance at any footage suggests otherwise. It certainly has a more complex and fluid combat system than anything by FromSoftware, although the influences from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, in particular, are still obvious. Devil May Cry has been used as a point of comparison pre-launch but that’s something of a stretch. Phantom Blade Zero’s combat is never quite that complex and its weapons are more strictly melee based. Also, the exploration and role-playing elements are more involved than you’d expect of a pure action title in a game that tries, and largely succeeds, to forge its own path. Phantom Blade Zero has many positive elements, but the plot and dialogue is not one of them. The broader stokes are very straightforward, as you’re cast as an assassin in ancient China, who is framed for the murder of your group’s leader and then hunted by all the other members. At the beginning, you’re mortally wounded and have a magical heart transplant, that will only last 66 days if it’s not replaced. That’s all fine but the game is apparently part of an existing series, originally on mobile, and there’s constant references to people and concepts that it never bothers to introduce. You can work most of it out as you go, but it feels disarmingly like the story’s started when it’s already halfway through. It’s a particular shame because when it does delve into your character’s backstory it does so via some very nicely animated cut scenes and, in one memorable sequence, by using shadow puppets. Want GTA 6 news? Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for the latest GTA 6 news, reviews of new games you should play and exclusive analysis of the biggest stories of the week. Unfortunately, the key word with Phantom Blade Zero is inconsistency, and there’s no one element of it that manages to excel all the time. One minute the graphics look top of the range and the next like an old Xbox 360 game (the cart chase right at the beginning is shockingly bad on several levels) and while S-Game has been keen to show off the animation, there’s still things – such as jumping up after climbing – that look very unconvincing. The combat system is based around the Chinese concept of wuxia, so while you’re generally using realistic-ish weapons and some real martial arts moves, that’s mixed in with lots of physically impossible feats of acrobatics and magic. The basics are much as you’d expect from any third person melee game, since they’re based around light and heavy combos, but there’s a big emphasis on switching between attack and defence in an instant, with few unstoppable animations. There is still a stamina gauge though, because of course there is, and the need to whittle that down can make the combat seem quite mechanical at times, as you defend constantly for a few seconds and then attack for a similar length of time, as if you and your opponent are politely taking turns. Combos can last for quite a while and this often ends up with you pushing an enemy against the wall of whatever area you’re in, only for the enemy to start their attack phase and suddenly it’s much harder for you to get out of the way than if you’d been in an open space. Different types of enemy moves flash different colours, just like Sekiro, and must be defended in specific ways and there’s also the occasional QTE sequence. And yet this sits aside pleasingly freeform elements, like constantly swapping between your two primary weapons, and a third limited use one, to keep your own stamina gauge high. The combat is definitely unique (S-Game) The distinction between Soulslike and general action role-player has always been largely arbitrary, but it’s hard to understand why S-Game don’t want to describe Phantom Blade Zero as one, given the looping level design is very similar. There’s also a strong emphasis on boss battles, where the difficultly level suddenly spikes. In fact, most ordinary enemies are far too easy, which is not only boring but means you don’t get much real practice with the combat outside of boss fights. However, unlike a From game, there’s no long walk to retry a boss battle and, unusually, you can restart it in its second phase if you get that far, rather than having to start from the beginning. Surprisingly, enemies do not respawn after saving at a bonfire equivalent, so you often end up travelling through completely empty landscapes after your initial exploration. And yet the biggest diversion from the Soulslike norm is simply that there’s three difficulty levels that you can change at any time. As tough as they might be, as with most Soulslikes, the boss fights are undoubtedly the best part of the game, with a hugely imaginative collection of opponents. They range from humanoid fighters to giant monsters to weird puppets (puppets and the threads that hold them are a recurring visual metaphor) with the art design becoming increasingly more fantastical as you progress, as more steampunk elements are added to the story. There’s a lot of good stuff in Phantom Blade Zero but viewed as a whole it feels poorly balanced and awkwardly fitted together. Some of the problems are so obvious it’s strange that the game got this far, and became so polished in other areas, without anyone noticing the mistakes. Overall, we enjoyed it more than Black Myth, but the inconsistency of the experience makes it difficult to recommend unreservedly. Whether it’ll end up fulfilling its potential via patches, or simply a sequel, we’re not sure but we’re already looking forward to Phantom Blade One. Phantom Blade Zero review summary In Short: Inconsistent and poorly balanced but the combat system has some interestingly unique elements and whether you consider it a Soulslike or not the boss battles are a real highlight. Pros: Fun combat, with an impressive range of different weapons and some excellent boss battles. Generally good visuals and more quality of life options than normal for this sort of game. Cons: Uneven difficulty and even combat has its issues. Non-boss enemies are strangely ineffective and the lack of enemy respawns is a mistake. Terrible storytelling. Score: 6/10 Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed) and PCPrice: £54.99Publisher: S-GameDeveloper: S-GameRelease Date: 29th October 2026Age Rating: 16 Not based on a true story (S-Game) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. 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