However it looks, Phantom Blade Zero is no Soulslike

Phantom Blade Zero is a far deeper action game that it appears and I only got to scratch the surface with the game's first five hours.

Whether it's the setting, the presentation, or the gameplay loop shown up to this point, some have looked at the upcoming Phantom Blade Zero as another in a long line of Soulslike action games. However, Beijing-based developer S-Game (named for founder and CEO Qiwei "Soulframe" Liang) has been adamant that its game should not be classified alongside the Dark Souls imitators of the world, that its Wuxia-inspired combat is a totally different animal. I was recently invited to a preview event in the heart of Los Angeles for a first hands-on with Phantom Blade Zero, where I would have to draw my own conclusion. And, indeed, this game is certainly no Soulslike.

In Phantom Blade Zero, players engage in Wuxia-inspired combat, meaning there's a heavy emphasis on martial arts and mastering various weapons. As the sword master Soul, they'll wander the land of the Wulin and learn the ins and outs of combat. At the start of the game, combat focuses on striking and dodging, but not necessarily parrying. Parrying is definitely a mechanic and it does offer advantages, like preventing the drain of the player's Sha-Chi resource meter. However, parrying is not the main mechanic and instead complements the game's combo system.

I got a much better idea of the combat's flow when surrounded by multiple foes. There are lengthy combo strings, typical of an action game, but the parry system doesn't disrupt the overall flow. Whenever there's a flash, it's time to hit the parry button, which allows Soul to move behind his foes. This gave me the impression that the combat wasn't so much Soulslike, but slightly closer to something like Batman: Arkham Asylum, at the risk of using an oversimplified explanation. Parry opportunities don't come around a lot, so players are going to spend a lot more time using the block button before finding a chance to strike.

What sets Phantom Blade Zero apart from other games like it is its Sha-Chi resource meter. When the meter is full, players can unleash powerful attacks associated with whatever weapon they have equipped. However, the same meter is used for blocking. Therefore, knowing how to manage the meter is essential. With that said, switching to Soul's second equipped weapon will fully restore the Sha-Chi meter. That means players are fully encouraged to put together massive combos and freely switch weapons in mid-combo, making sure to watch the cooldown meter that's tied to weapon-swapping. It's a balancing act that I hadn't fully mastered by the time I was done with the game, but one that I had fun learning as the game went along.

While the game starts off with Soul and a sword he calls Sanguine, Phantom Blade Zero will feature many more weapons (primary and secondary, the latter known as Phantom Edges) as the story unfolds. Some of them can be picked up from downed bosses. For example, a fearsome assassin known as The Hunt can be spotted about one to two hours into the game going a rampage with a Chain Sickle, which is basically twin blades tied to a chain. Before that, a hulking brute can be found wielding a giant hammer. All of these weapons will control differently on the battlefield, some working better in situations with multiple foes and others working better in scenarios against larger enemies with heavy shields. Many of them are going to be suited to different playstyles. Some of these weapons can be also used in the field, like the Chain Sickle, which works as a makeshift grappling hook and allows Soul to reach new areas.

While I was able to get far with Sanguine and a fairly standard arsenal, it appears that I only got a small taste of what's to come. In fact, recall that the State of Play Deep Dive teased dozens of weapon combinations and fighting styles. While I got to play around with several swords, bows, and hammers, there's still a lot of other fun stuff waiting deeper in the game, like cannons and weapons that spew fire. Fighting styles are also tied to some of these weapons. As much fun as it is to play around with Sanguine and the standard sword fighting techniques, I wasn't quite able to reach the Sword Fanatic boss known as Hua Qianxiao, who fought with the drunken blade style. The fact that his sword, which is unlocked after his defeat, grows stronger while in a "Tipsy" or "Drunk" state tells me that I've only scratched the surface of this game's weapons and their potential.

What dazzled me most about Phantom Blade Zero was its world, beautifully rendered into a paradox of peaceful meadows and villages that were often soaked in blood. The weather effects, the flora, the architecture, the waterfalls, and the world's overall layout is beautiful enough to get lost in. In fact, I got lost more than once, as it's possible to go off the beaten path without meaning to. There's a lot of land in the Wulin to explore, especially after backtracking (through a helpful fast travel feature) with certain weapons that work in the field, and a lot of that land features numerous hidden bosses and powerful weapons.

While I spent four to five hours with Phantom Blade Zero, that was all enough time to cover Chapter 1, meaning there's much more that awaits later in the game, including many more weapons and new fighting styles that are tied to them. While I experienced one way to play Phantom Blade Zero, there will be substantially different ways to do battle as the story progresses. Whatever way you wind up playing S-Game's action romp, just don't call it a Soulslike. Phantom Blade Zero will release on PC and PlayStation 5 on October 29.

This preview is based on an early PlayStation 5 build played on-site at a private press event in Los Angeles. Transportation was provided by S-Game. The final product is subject to change.

Sign up for our monthly roundup of exclusive content, top stories, and updates from Shacknews - once a month, no spam.

Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.