Phantom Blade Zero Stuns Visually, Stumbles in Design

WHO:

Creative Bloq - The player character is Soul, an elite assassin for the Order.

Creative Bloq - S-Game developed and published *Phantom Blade Zero*; the game is based on *Rainblood: Town of Death*, an indie RPG created by director Soulframe Liang.

Creative Bloq - Hong Kong martial arts legend Donnie Yen and his stunt team were involved in capturing the game’s martial-arts movements; Yen also plays a character.

Screen Rant - Described *Phantom Blade Zero* as a wuxia martial-arts adventure with boss set pieces and combat.

WHAT:

Creative Bloq - The game features more than 50 weapons, including Jagged Steel, which inflicts bleed damage, and Scarlet Wraithblade, which leaves energy-draining red spider lilies.

Creative Bloq - Combat uses light and heavy attacks, parries, dodges, finishing moves, and weapon switching; switching weapons refills the Sha-Chi gauge, subject to a cooldown.

Creative Bloq - Phantom Edges have limited uses and include a shield-breaking axe and a chain sickle that attacks multiple nearby enemies; some are used to access otherwise unreachable areas.

Creative Bloq - The reviewer found traversal constrained to prescribed prompts, with invisible barriers, unclear quest navigation, and detours.

Creative Bloq - Checkpoints do not revive defeated enemies, and players do not permanently lose resources if they fail to recover them.

Creative Bloq - Bosses can have second phases with checkpoints; the game offers difficulty options and accessories that widen parry and dodge windows. The reviewer criticized boss health as “spongy” and described some fights as having hard-hitting attacks and limited healing.

Creative Bloq - On PS5 Pro, the reviewer reported audio imbalance, missing or distorted water reflections, and combat framerate drops severe enough to resemble a slideshow. The issues persisted after ray tracing was disabled and Performance mode selected.

Creative Bloq - The reviewer praised the game’s kungfupunk aesthetic, martial-arts combat, dense town of Pangzhen, characters, questlines, and choices that affect the ending.

Creative Bloq - S-Game released a patch said to resolve most of the reported issues, but the reviewer did not retest it.

WHERE:

Creative Bloq - The game’s Wulin setting includes valleys, mountain peaks, a lake explored by boat, and Pangzhen, a town described as rich in secrets and lore.

Creative Bloq - The game blends steel-factory architecture with bamboo forests and temples inspired by traditional wuxia settings.

WHEN:

Creative Bloq - Soul has 66 days to live after a fateful duel.

Creative Bloq - The game was listed for release on 29 October 2026.

WHY:

Creative Bloq - S-Game’s “kungfupunk” concept combines traditional Chinese culture with modern technology and styles; Sha-Chi powers both kung fu and other technologies.

HOW:

Creative Bloq - The game was made using Unreal Engine 5 and listed for PS5, with the review conducted on PS5 Pro; PC was also listed as a platform.

Creative Bloq - The game’s martial-arts movements were captured by real martial artists.

Creative Bloq - Sha-Chi functions as stamina, used for heavy combos and guarding attacks.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 04:10 UTC)

Phantom Blade Zero* is a wuxia action adventure from S-Game, built around Soul, an elite assassin with 66 days to live after a fateful duel. Based on director Soulframe Liang’s indie RPG *Rainblood: Town of Death*, it blends traditional Chinese culture with modern technology in a style the studio calls “kungfupunk.” The Wulin world ranges from bamboo forests and temples to steel factories, mountain peaks, and the lore-filled town of Pangzhen. Hong Kong martial arts star Donnie Yen and his stunt team helped capture the fighting movements, and Yen also appears as a character. Combat offers more than 50 weapons, parries, dodges, finishing moves, and limited-use special tools, with Sha-Chi serving as stamina. The reviewer praised the combat, setting, and characters but criticized constrained exploration and tough, lengthy boss fights. On PS5 Pro, performance and visual problems were reported; S-Game later released a patch, which the reviewer did not retest.