It may not be a souls-like RPG, yet this game insists you face it on the hardest difficulty, because that’s where the bosses truly shine. S-GAME rejects comparisons to FromSoftware’s style, which is why Phantom Blade Zero pushes its boss encounters to near-infinite levels of challenge.

If there’s one title that has turned heads based on visuals alone, it’s Phantom Blade Zero. The Chinese studio S-GAME’s project looked almost too polished to be real, but with its dazzling graphics and kung-fu combat, it promises a major action spectacle. Still, one question lingers: is it a souls-like RPG? Not at all, though its bosses won’t go easy on you.

Unlike countless action games that try to imitate FromSoftware, director Qiwei Liang told PC Gamer that his ambitious debut isn’t a souls-like, even if half the industry seems obsessed with that trend. “People won’t understand exactly what it is until they play it,” he explained. What is clear, however, is that its bosses are designed with fighting games in mind.

On Hellwalker, All Bets Are Off

In the latest issue of PC Gamer Magazine (via GamesRadar), Liang explained that bosses like Huangxing, on normal modes, stick to recognizable patterns and fixed combos that players can learn after repeated attempts. That familiar “die, learn, conquer” cycle still applies – but only at the lower levels of difficulty.

Crank it up to the brutal “Hellwalker” mode, however, and Phantom Blade Zero’s bosses change completely. Enemies such as Huangxing are powered by AI modeled after fighting games, constantly weighing their options and executing precise, well-timed combos. This makes their attacks unpredictable, rendering memorization strategies ineffective.

Adding to the challenge, Huangxing uses a “lucky draw” mechanic, altering his combos depending on whether his last strike landed or missed, adapting his next move on the fly. Liang explained that this allows bosses to respond dynamically to player actions, creating tension closer to a one-on-one fighter than a souls-like duel.

Through these choices, Phantom Blade Zero aims to provide a deeply strategic combat experience, forcing players to adapt rather than rely on pattern recognition alone. Despite the hype surrounding its visuals and mechanics, S-GAME’s ambitious project still doesn’t have a release date.

Source: 3djuegos