As promised, Phantom Blade Zero is indeed making the news today, having been featured in this morning’s State of Play.
The developers have kept some of the deeper gameplay systems under wraps until now. State of Play offered a glimpse into how players can customize their combat setup and express their unique playstyle in this dark wuxia action game. The team has been looking forward to sharing more about the Wulin and Donnie Yen’s involvement in the game. The Wulin is a dark wuxia world rife with conflict and intrigue, where the protagonist, Soul, will encounter citizens in need during his travels. Interacting with them and completing side quests may open up new story paths and deepen our understanding of this perilous martial world. Secrets are hidden throughout the Wulin, waiting to be uncovered as we learn the truth behind the events that set the story in motion.
As we explore the Wulin, we’ll unlock more than 30 main weapons and 25 secondary weapons known as Phantom Edges. We can upgrade our weapons and pair them with different accessories to create our desired build. Want to take down enemies from afar? Use summons to assist you in battle? We’ve got plenty of options. We can express ourselves freely through combat as we fend off assassins, those who have succumbed to darkness and martial arts masters who plot against us. Defeating certain enemies will expand our arsenal, giving us even more ways to take on challenging foes. There’s no need to worry if we second-guess an upgraded weapon or want to change our build. We can always reforge it to get the materials back and invest them in something else.
The range of difficulty options allows both new players and the most experienced action game veterans to tailor their experience. If we simply want to enjoy the story, Wayfarer mode is perfect. However, if we want a greater challenge, we can try Hellwalker, which features more advanced and adaptive enemy intelligence, or Sixty-Six Days mode, which is not for the faint of heart. To capture the spirit of authentic kung fu, Donnie Yen serves as S-Game’s creative consultant and brings Mó Yuan to life through facial and motion capture. Through his likeness, performance and creative guidance, Donnie has helped bring the essence of kung fu cinema into our hands. This has been one of the most exciting aspects of developing Phantom Blade Zero, and the team has been eager to share it for a long time. Encountering Mó Yuan will certainly keep us on our toes.
Phantom Blade Zero will be released on October 29 for PlayStation 5 and PC.
