Initially mistaken for a soulslike,Phantom Blade Zerois actually attempting to rewind the clock by a few console generations with combat inspired by original PlayStation and PS2 titles. ThePlayStation 5and PC game has an eclectic group of games it’s taking cues from, but also wants to channel the iconic performances of Bruce Lee.
Speaking withGamesRadar,Phantom Blade Zerodirector “Soulframe” Liang said one of the “principles in designing the game” was “to bring back the golden age of Chinese kung fu movies, starting from Bruce Lee in the 1970s and into maybe the early 2000s.” He continued, “The other one, for gaming itself, we want to rediscover the golden age of PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2.” Liang has specifically notedDevil May Cryas the primary inspiration forPhantom Blade Zero’s combat.
Phantom Blade Zero Doesn’t Want To Be Mistaken For A Soulslike
Its Action Combat Is Closer To DMC
Phantom Blade Zerodazzled with its reveal at a PlayStation Showcase in May 2023, and was quickly assumed to be a soulslike since pure action games are few and far between nowadays.Phantom Blade Zerogameplay trailersand demos have been trying to set the record straight ever since: it’s not a soulslike, but is closer to “a playable kung fu movie with exploration and character progression,” according to Liang.
Named as inspiration,Devil May Cryhad its breakout era on the PlayStation 2, which also featured other legendary hack-and-slash action titles like the first twoGod of Wargames.Phantom Blade Zerowants to return to such halcyon days, but also “rekindle this passion for the kung fu movie.” Developer and publisher Game-S has still not set a release date forPhantom Blade Zero, but its combat continues to be the major draw, and its inspirations are only becoming more clear.
Dark Souls Is Still A Major Inspiration For Phantom Blade Zero
Expect Interconnected Levels
Despite the distance its developers are intent on putting betweenPhantom Blade Zeroand the soulslike subgenre, Liang does nameDark Soulsas another inspiration. Game-S was “inspired by the pre-Elden Ring, interconnected, tight level design.” The originalDark Soulsis still celebrated for its intricate level design, where all of its areas are built on top of one another and connected in interesting and unforeseen ways. Level design appears to be a major focus forPhantom Blade Zeroalongside its combat, with a representative from the studio tellingGamesRadar:
“[Liang] actually went to school for architecture, so the level design is something that’s very important for us and we want to have very robust levels, have a lot of depth to them, very dense.”
Game-S isn’t afraid to wear its inspirations on its sleeve withDevil May Cry,Dark Souls, and Bruce Lee films. To make the amalgamation even more odd,Phantom Blade Zerois looking toResident Evilwhen creating its atmosphere.Resident Evil’s remakeshave elevated some of that series' PS2 classics, and it remains to be seen how farPhantom Blade Zeroleans into horror.
Source:GamesRadar
Phantom Blade Zero
Phantom Blade 0 is an action-adventure hack-and-slash game from S-Game and Cruel Man Studios. Set in the “Phantom World” universe from the Phantom Blade franchise, 0 follows protagonist Soul, an assassin framed for the murder of his organization’s leader and is left for dead. Rescued by a healer who gives him sixty-six days to live, Soul will use his remaining time to hunt down the mastermind behind the plot and secure his revenge.
