Player guide
Who Should Play Phantom Blade Zero?
Phantom Blade Zero is easiest to recommend to players who want fast martial-arts combat, a varied weapon arsenal and a dark Chinese fantasy world. Whether it suits you depends on what you enjoy about games such as Sekiro, Devil May Cry and Black Myth: Wukong.
· 6 min read
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Who is it best for?
Players who enjoy learning an opponent
If you like watching an enemy’s attack, finding an opening and getting the response right, Phantom Blade Zero deserves a look. The attraction is the exchange itself: defence, movement and an opportunity to strike back.
In Luke Kemp’s PC review for GamesRadar+, combat and weapon design are the main strengths. He describes fights built around blocks, parries, dodges and attacks, where careless button-mashing gets punished. It is a promising choice for someone who enjoys practising a fight and noticing their own improvement.
Players who keep changing weapons
S-GAME’s combat overview describes more than 30 main weapons and 25 secondary Phantom Edges. Weapons can be upgraded, and reforging returns invested materials for use elsewhere.
That setup should appeal if trying a new weapon is part of the fun. You might want a more comfortable moveset, a different answer to an enemy or a fresh way to approach a familiar encounter. Being able to move upgrade materials makes experimentation a more attractive part of the journey.
Fans of kung fu cinema and dark Chinese fantasy
There is also a clear audience beyond combat-system enthusiasts: people drawn to choreographed sword fights, shadowy martial-arts factions and a threatening, unusual world.
S-GAME calls its visual direction Kungfupunk, combining Chinese martial arts with intricate machinery and occult ideas. If the costumes, weapons and atmosphere are what made you stop at a trailer, those are central attractions of this wuxia adventure.
Which games is it similar to?
The most useful comparison depends on what you liked about another game. Here are four reference points and the differences that matter when deciding whether to play.
Swipe the table to read every column →
| If you enjoyed… | Why it may appeal | What to expect here |
|---|---|---|
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Intense sword duels and the satisfaction of answering an opponent’s attack at the right moment. | A broad weapon arsenal and difficulty options give Phantom Blade Zero a different framework for its timed attack-and-defence exchanges. |
| Devil May Cry | Fast action, expressive attacks and the pleasure of developing your own fighting style. | S-GAME shares that enthusiasm for speed and a large moveset, within its own dark wuxia campaign. |
| Ninja Gaiden | High-energy melee action where speed and weapon technique are major attractions. | The appetite for action is a useful connection. Check the available difficulties to choose the challenge you want. |
| Black Myth: Wukong | Chinese-inspired fantasy, striking enemies and a single-player action adventure. | Wukong draws on Journey to the West and staff combat. Phantom Blade Zero centres on an assassin, a wuxia setting and a varied arsenal. |
S-GAME’s founder cited Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden as action-game inspirations. For Sekiro, the reference point is its sword duels; for Black Myth, it is the mythological action adventure.
Can newcomers enjoy it?
The trailers can look demanding, but S-GAME offers different ways into the game. Its difficulty overview positions Wayfarer for players who primarily want the story, while Hellwalker adds more advanced enemy behaviour. It also describes a separate Sixty-Six Days challenge.
Start with the difficulty that fits your experience and practise a small set of responses. An easier setting can make learning enemy attacks and timing more approachable.
Who should think twice?
Players buying mainly for unrestricted exploration
The developer describes a semi-open world made from multiple maps. There is room for exploration, but that is a different promise from a huge sandbox where you can travel and climb freely.
Alan Wen’s Creative Bloq review criticises fixed traversal prompts and invisible barriers. If discovering a landscape on your own terms is your main reason to play, look closely at exploration footage before deciding.
Players who need the story to be the strongest part
Kemp’s GamesRadar+ review finds the storytelling inconsistent despite praising the fighting and exploration. If an uneven plot would make you lose interest, give that criticism more weight in your buying decision.
Players who want a shared campaign
The official listings describe a solo experience. If the plan is to work through the adventure with a friend, read the single-player and co-op guide before buying it for that purpose.
Players sensitive to performance problems
Wen reports combat frame-rate drops on PS5 Pro in his pre-patch review build. Compare performance footage for the platform you plan to play.
Who would we recommend it to?
Our first recommendation is to action-game players who enjoy learning fights, trying different weapons and watching that practice turn into fluid combat. Fans of kung fu cinema and dark wuxia settings also have a clear reason to be interested.
We would recommend a closer look before buying to someone arriving mainly for an open-world sandbox, a story-first adventure or co-op. What matters is the part of another game you loved: Sekiro’s duels, Devil May Cry’s expressive action and Wukong’s atmosphere point to different reasons to try this one.
Watch the IGN video review to see the combat in motion, then check the PC requirements or the platform guide for the version you plan to play.