Following a showing during PlayStation's latest State of Play, Phantom Blade Zero has quickly become one of the most anticipated games coming to PS5 and PC in the future. The game's dark aesthetics and fast-paced combat made it enter the radar of more than a few players, and after having spent some with the game, I can safely say that all the excitement surrounding the game is well-deserved.
Unlike most, I wasn't left very impressed by the footage shown during the PlayStation State of Play. While I did appreciate the visceral and fast pace of the combat, the game looked to me like yet another take on the Souls series formula, which is increasingly becoming more and more tiring. After Soulframe Liang confirmed the game was more akin to a traditional action game than a Soulslike, featuring a semi-open world consisting of multiple large maps, my interest was piqued. While the Gamescom demo was not representative of the entire experience, as the demo was essentially a sequence of short combat scenarios much like the Summer Game Fest one, it did show how the game's action gameplay is extremely well developed.
Like in any other traditional action game, the main character, Soul, can unleash different combos by alternating the light and heavy attack buttons, each featuring different properties, like a wider ranger, slower speed but higher power, and so on. These combos are meant to reduce the enemy's defense and break their guard, leaving them defenseless for a short while. The demo featured a few different weapons, including a regular sword, dual blades, and a heavier two-handed sword, and they all felt powerful and viable for all enemy types.
Defensive maneuvers are just as well-developed. They include sidestepping, a regular block that becomes a parry if the button is tapped as an enemy attack is about to connect with Soul, allowing the player to perform a Ghoststep as well after a successful parry for a quick counter-attack. More powerful Killer Moves, which are indicated with a red aura, can only be dodged, forcing players to always be on their toes, even while on defense. And being on their toes is something that players will do a lot in Phantom Blade Zero, as enemies are quick, and can hit rather hard, especially bosses. The Gamescom demo featured a few of them, which I found extremely well-designed. Their movesets were very varied and forced players to use everything in Soul's arsenal to win. Thankfully, the game makes it very easy to take advantage of them, as, for example, the parry window is rather generous, and the difficulty seems to be tuned just right. It's not a walk in the park, but it's not difficult to the point of frustration, either. As such, it really doesn't take a long time to string together some stylish combos, switch weapons on the fly, and dish out some serious pain. It reminded me of the Ninja Gaiden series at its best, which is definitely a very good thing. The fact that the game also feels very snappy at this early stage of the game is only the icing on the cake. It really felt like it was a project from a much more experienced team.
As S-Game has yet to show any mechanic other than combat, however, it is difficult to say how good the Phantom Blade Zero experience will be as a whole. If the quality of traversal, exploration, and other mechanics is on par with that of combat, the game has the chance of becoming one of the best action games released in recent times, if not of all time. Sadly, Phantom Blade Zero still lacks a release date, and if the somewhat rough Gamescom demo is of any indication, I feel it will be a few more years until we will be able to accompany Soul on his adventure in the bleak world he inhabits.
Phantom Blade Zero is now in development for PC and PlayStation 5.
