Of 25 trailers proven throughout Wednesday’s PlayStation Showcase, the one most followers appear to be speaking about the subsequent morning additionally was the one most out-of-the-blue. It’s Phantom Blade Zero, from S-Game, and its style/type/options are additionally kitchen-sink troublesome to explain.
We’ll do our greatest to carry you in control on this intriguing journey, which at the very least seems to current gamers with trendy, sword-and-melee fight set in a world primarily based on feudal China.
What is Phantom Blade Zero all about?
It is an motion role-playing game that ought to delight followers of latest motion role-playing video games like Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, particularly as they share themes from Asian tradition.
But Phantom Blade Zero layers on so much of its personal lore with a placing mix of martial arts and steampunk. “Be the Dark Raider exiled by ‘The Order,’ embark on the path of vengeance, and uncover the darkest secrets of Wulin!” says its official YouTube itemizing.
A PlayStation Blog put up from S-Game founder Soulframe Liang after the Showcase stated, “‘Phantom World’, the universe that the game is set in, is a universe where many kinds of powers converge. You’ll find Chinese Kungfu, intricate machines reminiscent of steampunk, arts of the occult, and intriguing stuff that doesn’t quite fit into any of these categories.”
The player-protagonist, known as Soul, is an murderer who’s framed for the homicide of the chief of The Order. After being mortally wounded, Soul’s life was saved by a magic healer, however just for 66 days. So, there’s a race in opposition to time by way of the game’s narrative to defeat the enemies of The Order and produce justice to these accountable.
As for the game’s visible presentation, Liang stated, “The dark/bleak visual style that you’ll see a lot in the game is a deliberate decision. A bleak world makes characters with hearts of gold really stand out.”
Otherwise, S-Game’s web site is mum, leaving issues to teasers and screenshots. An excellent place to search for extra is a newly created subreddit, the place followers have pulled out elements of the trailer and highlighted what they assume Phantom Blade Zero will ship every time it launches.
Image: S-Game
Image: S-Game
Image: S-Game
Image: S-Game
Image: S-Game
Image: S-Game
Is Phantom Blade Zero a Soulslike game?
That’s a query so much of followers are asking, given its comparisons to Sekiro and Wo Long, however Liang says Phantom Blade Zero isn’t essentially a Soulslike game.
“We are huge fans of the hack and slash genre,” Liang stated. “What’s extra in style at the moment is ‘strategic action game’, similar to Soulslikes and Monster Hunter. They select to gradual issues down a notch or two, giving gamers extra time for strategic pondering.
“But that approach doesn’t convey the kind of action fest we have in mind,” Liang added, “namely, the sleek, breathtaking moves in Kungfu movies back in the 1990s.”
Who is S-Game, the developer of Phantom Blade Zero?
S-Game is a studio primarily based in Beijing. Phantom Blade Zero (and Executioners) appears to be its first Western launch.
If that is Phantom Blade Zero, is there one other Phantom Blade game, too?
S-Game additionally the developer of Phantom Blade: Executioners, a side-scrolling “dark Kungfupunk action game” for Android, iOS, and Windows PC. That game has been playable in a number of closed beta exams and is listed as “coming soon” on Steam.
You can watch gameplay of Phantom Blade: Executioners under for a style of S-Game’s 2D motion chops.
Liang stated that the Phantom Blade canon his studio created consisted largely of video games launched on cell gadgets in China, not the West. The Phantom Blade sequence developed out of one other game known as Rainblood: Town of Death, an indie game developed by Liang in RPG Maker and launched in 2010.
When is Phantom Blade Zero’s launch date?
The game doesn’t have one but. Wednesday’s trailer was the first anybody ever heard of Phantom Blade Zero, and the trailer didn’t give a launch date or window.
Is Phantom Blade Zero a PlayStation unique?
The game’s official web site lists PlayStation 5, Steam, and the Epic Games Store as platforms, so sure, it seems to be a console-exclusive title for PlayStation.
