Phantom Blade Zero Is the Perfect Martial Arts Game, For Better or Worse
Phantom Blade Zero, developed by S-Game, prioritizes the visual spectacle it brings from Wuxia movies to create a great action game.
Phantom Blade Zero, developed by S-Game, prioritizes the visual spectacle it brings from Wuxia movies to create a great action game.
The short version
- S-Game translates the Wuxia mythology and visual experience into a great action game With games like Pragmata , 007 First Light, Beast of Reincarnation , and Onimusha: Way of the Sword , I’ve spent much of 2026 thinking about what makes a good action game.
- Is it about the challenge of performing extraordinary feats on the screen?
- Is it about fighting, and winning, excruciating battles against enemies that feel mathematically impossible to beat?
What happened
Did I understand what all these terms meant when I started playing the game? The Order, Wilun, Sha-Chi, and Maskwalkers were just some of the terms I encountered in the first hours of the game, with little context to give them color or shape.
Why it matters
At first, I felt frustrated that I didn't really understand what was happening and why the cool-looking edgelord warrior (I mean, his name is "Soul!") was doing whatever he was doing.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Polygon via the links above and below.