We seem to have arrived at a weird place for gaming in general. Where five years ago every new action game was a Soulslike, nowadays every new action game seems determined to simply look like one. From Black Myth: Wukong and Hell is Us to this, Phantom Blade Zero, a game I was certain was a Soulslike until I played it.
In fact, it’s more of a character action game in the vein of, say, Devil May Cry. Its faux open world is actually mostly linear outside of a few specific points and the endgame. That said, its linearity is tempered by some Metroidvania-lite exploration, whereby you can unlock new side areas or even the way forward using new weapons and items you acquire through exploration and boss fights. It never becomes tangled and you’re never unsure of the critical path, but there is a decent amount of side content to be found.
My most immediate point of comparison here is Capcom’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword, as Phantom Blade Zero kind of falls somewhere between that and the less-impressive Beast of Reincarnation from GameFreak. It follows Soul, a resurrected warrior given just over two months to uncover the truth behind the fate of his adopted brother and the death of their former master. It’s set in a fictional version of China where a magical force called Sha-chi is mutating people, turning them into the puppet-like “Transcended”, and unleashing all manner of beasts and bloodshed.
From a fantastically cinematic opening to the endgame, Phantom Blade Zero is a thrilling action fantasy that seems intent on giving you a sandbox-style world to play around in. I say “sandbox” not in terms of structure, but in the sheer variety of weapons and special weapons you’re showered with as you blast through upwards of 50 bosses across about 30 to 40 hours of campaign.
There are no less than thirty unique weapons in Phantom Blade Zero, and I do mean unique. Yes there are plenty of variations of sword, but each one has a variety of animations and effects. The Jagged Blade, for example, causes a bleed effect, while another blade spawns a field of red spiderlillies that slow enemies caught within it. There are dual blades and polearms and huge greatswords, and once you have a handful you’ll find you earn upgrade and reset currencies in abundance, allowing you to keep mixing and matching weapons and trinkets to alter your build.
In addition to the two primary weapons you carry, you can also equip two different Phantom Edges, which are special weapons that also serve as Metroidvania keys to progress through the levels and side areas. One is a bow that allows ranged attacks (obviously) and lets you knock things out of trees; another is a pair of hooks on chains that act like a hookshot. These use a limited resource to activate in battle, but you don’t even need to equip them to use their traversal functions, which is a great touch.
Combat in Phantom Blade Zero is incredibly fast-paced. A light and heavy attack dish out multiple combos mixed with contextual flourishes that make the combat seem almost beyond your control at times, but the tactical meat is found in the parry and dodge system. You can black normal attacks without penalty, or time a parry right to counterattack, but heavier incoming blows have to be evaded or blocked with a push of the corresponding bumper. The windows aren’t super tight once you get used to them, but they allow Soul to dart behind the attacker or deal stagger damage, readying them for an execution or critical hit.
Each weapon has its own meter that builds until you can unleash a special attack, and you can balance this power between both weapons by switching strategically during an encounter. The onus is on offence in Phantom Blade Zero, which makes combat feel aggressive and satisfying. The fact that enemies don’t respawn whether you die, rest at a special bell, or fast travel to a previous area means there’s not only a sense of progression we’ve missed for the last decade and a half, but you can also clear out an area and then thoroughly explore it in safety.
Some might argue that PBZ is too easy, although there are two difficulty levels above the default one. Personally I find it refreshing to play a new game with a level of challenge somewhere akin to DmC 5 rather than an Elden Ring. You can always up the challenge if you feel you must, but ultimately the balance feels pretty good throughout, with a few bosses giving me trouble.
My only real concern is how it runs. My PC isn’t cutting edge, but it took me a lot of messing around to get it to run smoothly and in the end I found the only way to remove juddering and freezing was to leave the resolution at 4K and tweak other settings. I ended up with a bit of a weird set-up, but it still looked and moved well. It’s a very beautiful game, too, with dazzling animations and highly-detailed environments that ring with atmosphere, so it’s worth running on the highest settings you can manage – or just play it on PS5, of course, where it sings especially on PS5 Pro.
Wherever you choose to experience it, Phantom Blade Zero is a fantastic action adventure with exceptional, unique combat and a great approach to character progression and exploration. It feels almost refreshing in a number of ways, and easily stands out as one of my favourite games of 2026.
