S-Game's Phantom Blade Zero made more than a few heads turn when it was revealed back in 2023 with its haunting dark setting and intense action gameplay. The game looked so nice that many believed the trailer wasn't a proper representation of the experience, myself included, but every doubt I had about what looked like yet another soulslike were completely squashed last year when I had the chance to try out a few slices of the game during Gamescom 2024 focused on extremely satisfying combat and action gameplay whose best qualities managed to shine through even in a version of the game that was clearly rather far from release. And although I felt combat was great, I couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the experience would shape up.
An answer to this question arrived during this year's Gamescom, when I was given the chance to try out two different demos of the action game in development by S-Game. Both demos, an earlier demo available during a press-only event held by NVIDIA one day before Gamescom began, and the one that attendees could try out themselves after braving some of the longest lines I have seen during the show, featured more of the incredible combat showcased in the game's first public demo, but also exploration and traversal to round up the experience.
In this regard, it definitely feels like Phantom Blade Zero will deliver as much as it does for combat. Both locations, with a clear eastern feel, sported an intricate linear design with tons of different paths where items and optional enemies could be found, alongside some NPCs who provided some additional information on the current state of things. Exploring these locations completely will require players to take advantage of Soul's impressive agility and some tools, which feel great to use thanks to the incredible animation work based on motion capture. Better yet, using all of Soul's traversal abilities and tools feels incredibly intuitive to use, making exploration as engaging as combat.
Although I already have found the game's combat incredibly engaging without being unfairly challenging last year, I couldn't help but notice how Phantom Blade Zero has been significantly improved in this regard since last year. The final game will feature a vast selection of weapons, and although only a small portion of them were available in the Gamescom demo, it was easy to tell how much care S-Game is putting into making each one better suited for different playstyles and enemies. Secondary weapons, for example, range from long-range weapons to heavier hitting melee weapons, and the ability to switch between two different main and secondary weapons on the fly not only allows for plenty of flexibility, but it's an actual game mechanic that players should use to extend their combos as much as possible once an enemy is left staggering after depleting some sort of posture gauge with attacks and proper parries. As such, fighting enemies is downright satisfying, as the game requires alternating between different offensive and defensive like in the best character-action games, but without being extremely punishing in the vein of games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, at least at normal difficulty.
The highlight of the Phantom Blade Zero Gamescom 2025 demo were, unsurprisingly, the boss battles. The fight against the massive Wan Jun was intense but easily manageable after a few tries, especially once I had a better grasp of the many abilities at Soul's disposal, which require resources to further extend combos performed by alternating light and heavy attacks. The fight against the Disciples of the Seven Stars was similarly easily manageable after a few tries, but it was considerably more stunning to experience, thanks to the aforementioned amazing animation work and combat design, which provides Soul with all the tools to deal with multiple enemies at once in spectacular fashion.
Speaking with an S-Game representative during my playthrough of the Phantom Blade Zero, the game has been defined as a Soulslite, which I have found to be an apt description of a game that takes the best features of modern action games and action role-playing games to offer an intense experience that is as pleasing to the eye as it is incredibly fun to play. Thankfully, we may not have to wait much longer to learn when Phantom Blade Zero will launch on PC and consoles, as I have been told a release date will be announced soon.
