While the release date for Phantom Blade Zero may feel like a world away, this action game already lives up to the stylish and exhilarating trailer shown at Summer Game Fest 2024. Phantom Blade Zero aims to set itself apart from the commercially successful yet controversial Black Myth: Wukong through its own original setting and fast-paced action, while also attempting to create its very own genre – kung fu punk.
Phantom Blade Zero is composed of several different archetypes, drawing inspirations from some of the most notable series within the games industry. CEO of S-Game and game director of Phantom Blade Zero, Soulframe Liang, listed Resident Evil, Ninja Gaiden, and Dark Souls as a loose frame of reference for what the team pulled from. Ninja Gaiden fed into Phantom Blade Zero's fast, frenetic, and almost rhythmic combat, Dark Souls for the layered level design of various stages that will appear in the game, and Resident Evil for tone. "We're attempting to create something new through assembling these archetypes to create something new, fresh, and never seen before," says Soulframe. "But concerning style, that's kung fu punk."
