Phantom Blade Zero: An Hour of Gameplay Footage Surfaces, Looks Absolutely Bonkers (in a Good Way!)
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
A massive chunk of Phantom Blade Zero gameplay has leaked, showcasing its stylish combat and challenging gameplay, making it look like a wild blend of Devil May Cry, Sekiro, and Ninja Gaiden. It's coming to China Joy and Gamescom in August 2025, so we can all get a taste soon!
Right, so a whole hour of *Phantom Blade Zero* gameplay just crash-landed onto the internet, and blimey, it’s a sight to behold. Courtesy of S-Game's recent S-Party event in Beijing, lucky gamers got hands-on with a demo, and they weren't shy about sharing the love. Huge thanks to the players and creators who attended S-Party, held in Beijing July 26-27th, and uploaded their playthroughs of a demo build of *Phantom Blade Zero*.
If you're not up to speed, *Phantom Blade Zero* is this upcoming wuxia ARPG cooked up in Unreal Engine 5 by the wizards at Chinese studio S-Game. What's wuxia, you ask? Think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but in video game form. It's all about gravity-defying stunts, mystical martial arts, and a healthy dose of the dramatic.
S-Game has been teasing us with glimpses of gameplay before, but this hour-long deep dive? This is the real deal, mate. Multiple YouTube channels, including GamersPrey, have uploaded 50 to 60-minute *Phantom Blade Zero* demo gameplay recordings online, showcasing the game’s combat systems, level design, and enemy variety, and it's got everyone buzzing like a hive full of particularly angry bees.
The footage showcases the game's combat, level design, and enemy variety. From what I've seen, it's less your typical Souls-like grind-fest and more of a stylish, combo-heavy ballet of blades. According to event-goers, the demo version of the game featured three difficulty settings: Breaker, Initiate, and Defier, with those who played on the hardest available setting describing the experience as incredibly challenging, with some even having trouble reaching the first boss.
Soulframe Liang, the head honcho at S-Game, is keen to stress that *Phantom Blade Zero* isn't *just* another Souls-like, and after watching the footage, I reckon he's got a point. It looks like a glorious mashup of *Devil May Cry's* over-the-top action, *Sekiro's* precise parrying, and a dash of *Ninja Gaiden's* brutal difficulty. They've thrown in bonfire-esque checkpoints and Estus Flask-like healing, but it seems more like a nod to the genre than a full-blown clone.
The big question now is: can *Phantom Blade Zero* capture the same magic as *Black Myth: Wukong*? Both games are Chinese-developed action titles with sky-high expectations, but *Phantom Blade Zero* might just have the edge in terms of pure, unadulterated style. The hype surrounding S-Game’s genre-blending game is just as high, if not higher.
And the good news keeps rolling in! More gameplay is on the horizon. PBZ is set to appear at China Joy 2025, an event that is scheduled for August 1-4. Global fans will also get a chance to get hands-on with PBZ soon, as its demo is coming to Gamescom 2025, running from August 20-24. So, keep your eyes peeled and your swords sharpened, because *Phantom Blade Zero* is shaping up to be something special.
Tags: Phantom Blade Zero, Gameplay, Action RPG, Wuxia, Unreal Engine 5
Original article: Game Rant