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In the hands, Phantom Blade Zero owes more to Ninja Gaiden than SoulslikesKung-feudal
Kung-feudal
Image credit:PlayStation
Image credit:PlayStation
In the past I’ve describedPhantom Blade Zero, the foetid and frantic new action-RPGfrom Chinese studio S-Game, asa Soulslike, and more specifically a Sekirolike. I must now hang my head and await the executioner’s ludicrously oversized hammer, for while Phantom Blade Zero’s ambience and layouts owe something to From’s work, the moment-to-moment has just as much in common with older hack-and-slash games such asNinja Gaiden. I played a bit of it at Summer Game Fest this week, and while I’m not rushing out to preorder (I never am, in fairness), I think it could be a good ‘un.
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In Phantom Blade Zero you play Soul, whose first name is not Dark, but who is certainly on that wavelength in terms of his demeanour and outlook. As the story begins, Soul has been framed for murdering the boss of “The Order”, and all but murdered himself. Thanks to a mystic healer of some description, he’s returned from the grave and has 66 days to track down whoever framed him before the mystic healing runs out. Along the way, it seems, he will have to duel or assassinate everybody else in the Phantom World - an occult and industrial reimagining of historical China and kung fu cinema.
You’re no babe in the woods yourself. Again, Phantom Blade Zero reads as a Soulslike from afar, but in the hands, it’s a different species of doom-laden duellist. I had to rethink assumptions I’d brought with me from the trailer footage, including the belief that enemies would respawn when I died. Soul gets light and heavy attacks, a swooping dodge, a stamina-dependent block or parry, and the ability to switch between two weapon sets on the go. The execution is fast and florid, with a couple of button presses producing a Cirque du Soleil-worthy display of spinning strikes and kicks, to the point that I struggled to follow my own movements. That said, the game does a fair job of suggesting that blades are actually in contact, with dramatic twists of the body and accompanying sound effects when deflecting to help you build up the ol' muscle memory.
The weapons are familiar, but enticing to wield and especially, to switch between over the course of a gruelling skirmish. I got to faff around with twin knives that were useful for overwhelming an opponent’s defences, the obligatory all-rounder short sword, and an enormous two-handed blade for ponderous, overarm chops and ripostes. Secondary weapons include a handcannon shaped like a lion’s head, a bow and arrow for sniping the snipers, and a flamethrower which I couldn’t hit a goddamn thing with.
Image credit:PlayStation
I’m interested to discover how representative the demo is of the beginning of Phantom Blade Zero. I’d definitely appreciate an on-ramp, but from the looks of things, Soul is framed as a master combatant from the get-go - no preliminary shuffling about in rags with a length of wood for this particular cursed wanderer. Still, if you survived Ninja Gaiden, I reckon you’ll be fine getting your head around this. And if you enjoyed Ninja Gaiden - and you still have the patience for Soulsy theming and aesthetics after a million derivations - I would offer reasonable odds that you’ll enjoy this.
