Phantom Blade Zero has been a hot topic since last week’s announcement, and last night, S-Game has uncorked a new State of Play revealing what’s behind the curtain ahead of release.
After S-Game released a Donnie Yen-filled teaser last week, fans have been waiting with anticipation for today’s State of Play deep dive into the systems behind Phantom Blade Zero, and the developers delivered. Today’s ~20-minute video showed fans exactly what to expect in the world of the Phantoms (also known as the Wulin), and in case you missed it, you can watch it below.
Phantom Blade Zero is set in the fictional world of Wulin, a martial arts underworld loaded with rival factions, and many people and abominations just want to kill you. You are Soul, a feared Wuxia warrior in life, and in death, you have been framed with your leader’s murder and ultimately killed in a duel.
Similar to Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, the protagonist is brought back to life by a mysterious figure, but instead of being fueled by protection, Soul is set on a path of revenge. Returned to the world of Wulin by this mysterious figure, Soul has only 66 days to live. In that time, he must find a cure for his worsening condition and confront the betrayers who really murdered your leader.
Phantom Blade Zero‘s Wulin is a bustling world, and Soul will encounter citizens in need along his journey. Interacting with them and completing some of the side quests could open up new story paths and deepen your understanding of this perilous martial world (or net you notable rewards). As shown in the previous Donnie Yen reveal last week, Soul will be able to use a myriad of weapons to dispatch enemies in Phantom Blade Zero, and you’ll be able to unlock more than 30 main weapons, plus 25 secondary weapons known as Phantom Edges. You will also be able to adjust your build mid-game and find what works and doesn’t during strenuous encounters.
Phantom Blade Zero gives even more power to the player, as you can select a difficulty option more akin to your playstyle. Those who enjoy story can select the Wayfarer difficulty for a more lenient experience, and those who want a massive challenge can select the Sixty-Six Days mode, the game’s hardest difficulty, to test their mettle. This unlockable mode puts the game’s story on a 66-day timeline. The mode features the hard difficulty (known as Hellwalker) selection’s enemy fare, featuring a more intelligent enemy AI, but each death costs players the finite in-game time. Once the clock hits zero, the game results in permanent death.
To capture the spirit of authentic kung fu behind the curtain of Phantom Blade Zero, Donnie Yen served as Creative Consultant and brought 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 to the players in Phantom Blade Zero.
Since airing late last evening, fans have flocked to forums like Reddit to discuss the deep-dive trailer, and the consensus is that people love what they see. Regarding the difficulty selections, one fan writes, “When you play on Hellwalker mode, the fact that bosses play like fighting game matches really interests me,” mentioning the gameplay differences where difficulty is concerned, and other fans agree: Boss behaviour changing with difficulty selections adds more nuance to the title. Other fans are impressed with the sheer amount of detail and graphical fidelity shown on screen. One fan referred to the revealed in-depth weapon system as “wildly ambitious.”
All in all, fans love what they see and can’t wait until October for Phantom Blade Zero to launch. Phantom Blade Zero will launch on PC and PS5 on October 29, 2026. The game is now available to pre-order on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the PlayStation Store.
