Review | Phantom Blade Zero

A Phantom review

Phantom Blade Zero is an action role-playing game developed and published by Chinese studio S-Game, released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 29 October 2026. It sold over 4 million copies in just three days. S-Game is owned by Tencent, and this is their first AAA game. Their previous titles were the pay-to-win Phantom Blade games 1–3, which aren't really worth mentioning.

From the first trailer, I was hooked. That's when I stopped watching any new content reveals. I just had to play the game.

If you plan to play the game on PS5 Pro, there are a couple of enhancements available:

• PSSR upscaling instead of the base console's TSR, delivering significantly sharper image quality in motion and cleaner anti-aliasing.

• Ray Tracing toggle.

• Visual Modes: Performance (targeting 60 FPS), Balanced (targeting 40 FPS at 120Hz, although still prone to uneven frame pacing), and Graphics/Quality (targeting 30 FPS).

Stick with Performance mode. This game really needs fluid motion. It's basically Sekiro on steroids, with fast-paced action all over the place. I had zero issues or bugs, so I guess the "Zero" in the title stands for a polished game! There were a couple of issues, but they've already been patched, so more on that in the sections below.

If you're looking for a soulslike action game full of boss fights and probably some of the prettiest scenery in the genre, this will definitely scratch that itch.

The game looks unreal! It still suffers from "invisible walls", but that's not really important when you see how all of this looks.

Story and the characters

I'm glad this section comes first so I can just get it over with. I didn't like the story or the characters. In my opinion, the story lacks depth, the localization is poor (just look at the picture with the "pipa" mention), and most of it is told through files and memos.

I had a hard time figuring out who was who, and the game simply throws everything at you without providing much background at times. Maybe my limited understanding of Chinese mythology is the issue, but then again, I imagine many players will have the same problem.

You can basically think of the game's story as a bunch of possessed generals and warriors who oppose you and need to be cut down. That's how I looked at it while admiring the scenery.

Soul, the protagonist, is a cool guy, but that's also the problem. He just acts cool and calm all the time, and I had no idea why. Nor was I particularly interested in learning more about his background. The game doesn't try particularly hard to get you hooked, either.

The best part is that you won't find any pointless fetch quests here. Every bit of content feels like part of the main path, with its own animations and new locations that look and feel so damn good. I haven't seen anything quite like it before. If they had given us something to actually care about and connect with, this could easily have been one of the best games overall, not just in the genre. I simply didn't care about anyone in the game.

And the music is average. There are some tracks that really hit the spot, but most of it is just atmospheric background music that isn't particularly worth mentioning.

Kudos for the design of basically everything! I have 200+ screenshots, and choosing just 25 for this review was the hardest part.

Game design, exploration

For me, this is a typical soulslike game with Sekiro-like combat, although it's much easier and more action-oriented than challenging. It's all about exploring maps, finding shortcuts, completing quests, and beating bosses. The game offers plenty of weapons, accessories, and medicine bottles that heal you (and regenerate at travel points), all of which can be upgraded.

Having a map like this is a huge plus for me. It shows where you are and not much else, so you still need to explore on your own. Any quest you discover gets marked, but you won't know its exact location. It's such a wonderful feature, giving you all the benefits without holding your hand. A handholding approach would have been a recipe for disaster.

The maps are also fairly large. They feel like mini open-world areas, although they're still mostly linear. The connectivity and progression are great. I was constantly checking for secret passages and hidden areas, and there are plenty of them. They're not required, but they help with extra EXP and items.

My biggest gripe here is probably the number of maps (the one with the lake could have been ditched), along with the reuse of the Crimson Forest under a blanket of snow later on. That felt unnecessary, and my last few hours spent chasing 100% completion became a bit tedious because of it.

Without going for the true ending, which requires completing all quests, you can probably beat the game in around 25 hours. Getting close to 100% completion takes around 45 hours.

Another downside is that you can max out everything you're interested in around the halfway point. Exploration is still fun afterwards, but the rewards start to feel redundant because you don't really need anything else.

Poor localization and a confusing story are the main reasons I felt so disconnected from the characters and the narrative.

Combat

Good news: the problems I had have been patched! Bad news: I'll still take them into account because I played most of the game on version 1.

My biggest issue was that the combat had no real "weight". When you attack or parry, everything feels a bit flat. It should have some impact to it, but that was simply missing.

It's also very "floaty". You constantly seem to fly towards your opponents to reach them, while the character's body movements feel like you're controlling a puppet, with arms and legs that are a bit too bouncy and unnatural. The combat felt really weird at first.

You get used to it, but these things matter. A lot.

After the patches, all of that feels much better, so no worries there. It's a fast game, and you'll be mashing buttons a bit (which is a minus for me), but it's so damn satisfying when you parry attacks and break an enemy's guard.

That's when it's time to unleash your best movesets and special weapon attacks to drain enemy health as quickly as possible. Well, that's the basic formula for every fight: stagger, defend, attack. But it feels like much more than that because every fight is different. I felt like I could attack while also parrying, and that's not something I've come across before. It's fresh, it feels great, and it's fast and furious.

You also need to switch between your two weapons, which helps replenish stamina. It's a must in some fights unless you want your guard broken most of the time.

The fun factor is high, and the game isn't particularly difficult. You can even play on Easy. I don't really see the point, but hey, options are options!

Having two weapons, plenty of others to find, upgrade, and use (each with its own combos and special attacks), accessories like a huge axe or a bow, and medicine bottles that can buff and heal you... It's basically everything we've seen in Souls games combined into one package. It works well, and it feels good.

Unfortunately, although I see all of this as a huge plus, things started getting a bit boring towards the end of my 45-hour playthrough. It's cool to have numerous boss fights and decent enemy variety, but ultimately, they start to feel a bit similar, and the strategy is almost always the same.

If you don't mind that and simply love the new designs for every fight, you'll have no issues. For me, it was really fun, but only up to a certain point. Basic enemies can also become a bit of a drag because they're really easy and mostly serve as filler along the way.

Oh yeah! I absolutely approve of the idea that enemies don't respawn after you kill them until NG+! And when you die during a multi-phase boss fight, you continue from the phase where you were killed. There's also no penalty for losing EXP. It all works really well!

The combat is so fun and addictive, full of decapitating moves.

Side Content

I don't want to repeat everything I've said so far, so I just want to give a big shout-out to the side content. It feels like another main part of the game, with new locations and NPCs. Their stories are just as fleshed out as the main storyline, and some of the boss fights were actually more impressive than those in the main campaign.

You'll want to collect blue flowers and other upgrades to increase your HP, stamina, attack, and so on. You'll also want to upgrade your accessories and weapons to unlock new moves and activate special "soul tempering" abilities for each one.

The reset mechanic is perfect. You can experiment with all the weapons and get them back to max level in a matter of seconds, provided you have the required items.

Also, to get the true ending, you need to complete all the side content (purple quests), which is definitely advisable. I felt that the overall balance was good, although the rewards can be a bit too generous. I finished the game with 7 million extra EXP, having already maxed out most of what I was using around halfway through the game.

One more thing: some quests are missable, so make sure you check which ones. If you're aiming for all trophies, you can easily mess things up (like I did).

NG+ is surprisingly easy. I have no idea why, but I had no issues with any of the fights.

So much to love, with plenty of inspirations and good design choices. And it just looks so damn good!

Conclusion

Phantom Blade Zero is one of those games that gets almost everything right, except for its story and characters.

The combat is fast, satisfying, and incredibly fun, the level design encourages exploration without holding your hand, and the side content feels just as meaningful as the main campaign. Add some of the most impressive environments I've seen in a soulslike game, and you have a seriously impressive package.

It's not without flaws, though. The story is forgettable, the characters lack depth, the music is average, and the combat, despite being incredibly enjoyable, starts to feel repetitive after 40+ hours. There are also some unnecessary reused areas and a few progression issues that could have been handled better.

Still, I had a fantastic time with it. S-Game has delivered an impressive first AAA title, and there's a lot to love here. If they can build on this foundation, improve the storytelling, and give us something more meaningful to connect with, their next game could be something truly special.

For now, Phantom Blade Zero is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys soulslike games, spectacular boss fights, satisfying combat, and simply exploring beautifully crafted worlds. It might not be perfect, but it's a hell of a first attempt.