Phantom Blade Zero blends influences from a variety of sources to create intense, fast-paced combat and a supernaturally infused Kungfupunk world. It draws on the tough, powerful bosses of Soulslikes, the quick, combo-focused combat of hack-and-slash games, the fascinating stories and characters of RPGs, and the unlockable exploration of search action games.All those ideas come together to create something familiar and unexpected, reworking common action-RPG elements into beautiful, fast-paced battles across a strange, devastated world.
While Phantom Blade Zero’s combat evokes games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bloodborne, it takes a more hybrid approach, channeling Wuxia stories and kung-fu movies. You’re not just using R1 to dodge, holding L1 to block blows, or tapping L1 to parry them; you also need to press attack, using Square for basic attacks and Triangle for more powerful blows to create simple but effective combos and force your opponent to block and parry as well.
It’s all about managing a meter measuring your Sha-Chi. Blocking attacks depletes your Sha-Chi, and if it runs out, you can be staggered and left open to attack , but perfectly parrying, and dodging and landing blows knocks down your opponent’s Sha-Chi instead, letting you cut through their defenses.
You can quickly refill your Sha-Chi by pressing Left on the D-Pad to swap between your two equipped main weapons. The system pushes you to string attacks together from both weapons, or to swap as you end your strikes so you’re ready to start parrying.
As you land attacks, you also earn Sha-Chi Essence. When it’s fully charged, you can unleash a Power Surge attack with L2 that overpowers your opponent, interrupts their attacks, and deals massive damage. All those elements, combined with powerful Phantom Edge weapons that have specific but limited uses, work together to turn battles into a fluid dance that constantly moves between attack and defense. And thanks to haptic feedback in the DualSense controller, you feel those clashing blades, adding intensity that shows how powerful and lethal their blows can be.
One of the best parts of Phantom Blade Zero is the way it dishes out new weapons. Instead of finding swords in treasure chests or buying them from merchants, you claim most of your weapons from bosses you defeat. You get to see exactly how a weapon works as you defend against its unique capabilities, then try those capabilities yourself.
For instance, after you defeat the boss Hua, Deadly Betrothed, you can claim her Scarlet Wraithblade, which summons spider lilies on the ground as you complete combos that slow down enemies and let you control the battlefield.