Phantom Blade 0 (or stylised as Phantom Blade Zero) got an impressive new trailer at Summer Game Fest this year. Many argued that it actually stole the show with its flashy, stylish combat and visuals. Early impressions for the game have now begun pouring out from media outlets who got to play a demo at Summer Game Fest and most have compared it to Ninja Gaiden rather than a Soulslike game.
IGN made the comparison to Ninja Gaiden, explaining that Phantom Blade Zero has challenging, frantic combat that demands players to be quick with their fingers. The demo largely consisted of players being dropped straight into arenas to fight mobs of enemies or bosses, meaning there wasn’t any level design present in the game yet. However, as far as first impressions go, it made quite an impact due to its gameplay which sold a lot of people in the trailer.
The Ninja Gaiden comparison is also a breath of fresh air. While plenty of developers are starting to capitalise on the Soulslike trend – often to varying degrees of success – Phantom Blade Zero developer S-GAME is attempting to revitalise the action/hack and slash scene with its title, albeit with a sprinkling of light Dark Souls inspiration judging by the grim visuals, enemy designs and RPG mechanics.
Games Radar showered Phantom Blade Zero with a lot more praise, calling it one of their favorite games from Summer Game Fest. The outlet also veered away from calling it a straight Soulslike and instead called it an “irresponsibly fast action RPG” with tough encounters uplifted by the game’s dazzling combat and animation.
Phantom Blade Zero is currently in development for PS5 and PC. Unfortunately, no release date has been announced yet as the game is still a few years away from release. Check out some uncut gameplay below courtesy of YouTube channel Punish: