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Phantom Blade Zero

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Phantom Blade Zero
DeveloperS-Game
PublisherS-Game
DirectorSoulframe Liang‍[a][5]
ProducerSoulframe Liang‍[6]
ArtistMichael Chang‍[6]
ComposerCaisheng Bo‍[7][8]
SeriesPhantom Blade‍[b]
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platforms
Release29 October 2026
GenreAction role-playing
ModeSingle-player

Phantom Blade Zero[c] is an upcoming wuxia action role-playing game developed and published by the Chinese studio S-Game. The player assumes the role of Soul, an elite assassin serving an elusive and powerful organization known as The Order. However, he is framed for the murder of its patriarch and hunted by its members. Inflicted with a fatal wound to his heart and revived with a tainted heart, he is left with only a limited number of days to live. Set in the Phantom World, the story is centered on his mission to restore his heart and unravel the conspiracy that has condemned him. The game is an entry in the Phantom Blade series.

The game's action was designed based on Chinese martial arts. It involved motion capture performances by martial artists such as Donnie Yen, collaborations with traditional martial arts schools, and inspirations drawn from classic martial arts cinema. The game's style was rooted in kungfupunk, a distinctive take on wuxia fused with unconventional elements from other genres. The game's music was created by using traditional Chinese instruments and blending their sound with modern styles.

Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled to be released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 29 October 2026.

Gameplay

[edit]

Phantom Blade Zero is a wuxia action role-playing game.[13][14] It is played from a third-person perspective.[15]

The player controls Soul, who is an elite assassin.[16][17] He can carry two primary weapons and two secondary weapons.[18][19][20] Blades are his primary weapons.[21] Phantom edges are his secondary weapons.[22] They comprise a range of diverse weapons, such as cannons, lances, axes, hammers, and more.[21] Weapon switching, which has a cooldown, fully restores sha-chi.[23][24] Sha-chi is a combat resource used for blocking and doing sha-chi attacks (heavy attacks).[25]

Defensive maneuvers consist of blocking, parrying, and dodging.[25] However, some enemy attacks carry restrictions in the ways defenses can counter them, which are telegraphed by color cues.[26] Specifically, enemies can do brutal moves that drain sha-chi heavily when blocked and killer moves that cannot be blocked or parried.[26] A ghostep, which repositions the player character behind the enemy, is triggered when a brutal move is parried or a killer move is dodged right before it lands.[26]

A skill tree is available for the character progression.[20] In addition, weapons can be upgraded at the cost of materials.[22] They can also be reforged, which resets the upgrades and recovers the invested materials.[23] Furthermore, six accessories can be equipped, which provide stat and other bonuses.[27]

The game takes place in a semi-open world.[28][29][30] Its regions are seamlessly connected together and some may be inaccessible at first, but they can be reached through non-linear means and have multiple possible paths.[31] For example, specific weapons can be acquired at later moments and be used to access areas that were previously unreachable.[20] The main quests follow Soul's story, which constitutes the main story.[32] The side quests explore the stories of other characters.[32] Depending on the side quests, which have multiple possible story outcomes, the main story culminates in one of eight distinct endings.[33]

The game has multiple difficulty options, namely Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, Hellwalker, and 66 Days.[34] In Hellwalker, the enemy artificial intelligence is more advanced and adaptive.[22] In 66 Days, the experience is equivalent to Hellwalker but includes a counter starting at 66 that decreases with each death and imposes permadeath if it runs out.[34] A New Game Plus mode becomes available following the completion of a playthrough.[35]

Synopsis

[edit]

Setting

[edit]

Phantom Blade Zero is a game based on wuxia.[36][37] Soulframe Liang commented that "Broadly speaking, it falls under the category of ARPGs. But more specifically – maybe it could create a new identity that is Wuxia Action Games?"[38] It particularly introduces kungfupunk, as termed by Liang.[d][19][30][41] This style was conceived with the aim to move beyond the established framework of traditional wuxia and present wuxia in a new distinctive way to audiences.[42] It combines traditional kungfu with steampunk and cyberpunk.[41] When asked about the difficulties of introducing culturally unfamiliar themes to Western audiences, Liang acknowledged that while these themes may initially pose challenges, games that deliver high quality and enjoyable experiences can transform these themes into strengths that attract players.[43]

Phantom Blade Zero takes place in the Phantom World.[21] This realm is based on China during roughly the Ming dynasty, with elements of wuxia, steampunk, cyberpunk, dark fantasy, horror, and more.[21] It incorporates the concept of the jianghu, a domain in which common folk exist beyond the sphere of the imperial court and official government.[44] It also incorporates the concept of the wulin, which is a martial underworld comprising guardians, warriors, and others bound by codes.[45] In this setting, the jianghu is home to people in need of protection and the wulin is embroiled in a conspiracy.[42]

The protagonist Soul represents a type of heroic figure known as a xiake.[46] Liang described him as "[...] this kind of character is a very typical Eastern hero. He's not so talkative, doesn't use a lot of words, but he's badass, swift, and fast. Cold on the outside, but warm and hot inside, in the heart. He always wants to help the weak, although he himself only has limited days to live. We call this 'Xiake (侠客)', which means the Chinese version, the Kung Fu version, of heroes."[47]

Plot

[edit]

Soul serves as elite assassin for an elusive and powerful organization known as The Order, but he is framed for the murder of its patriarch and hunted by its members. In a sword duel with Zuoshang, once his blood brother, Soul is inflicted with a fatal wound to his heart. The Flesh Sculptor, a mystic healer, revives Soul with a tainted heart that leaves him with only 66 days to live. With time running out, Soul sets out to restore his heart and unravel the conspiracy that has condemned him.

Development

[edit]

Phantom Blade Zero is a game developed and published by S-Game.[12][13] The studio is based in Beijing,[48] with a motion capture and animator team in Shanghai, an art team in Hong Kong, and a global publishing team in Los Angeles.[20]

Phantom Blade Zero is an entry in the Phantom Blade series.[9][11] According to Soulframe Liang, the game represents a return to the story foundations of the first two Rainblood games, the series' origins, and introduces a substantial amount of new content.[49] He presented it as "the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood".[28] He elaborated that it follows a new story that departs significantly from what was established in earlier titles (including character relations, character motivations, and other elements), requires no knowledge of prior works, and contains the full content within itself.[46] It was built using Unreal Engine 5.[20][50]

S-Game started the full-scale development of Phantom Blade Zero in 2022 and had plans for the game since 2017.[20] Throughout 2017, a few early concepts and other preliminary work were shared.[51][52][53][54] This included, for example, concept art of four characters designed by Michael Chang, which was shown during ChinaJoy 2017.[51] Around Chinese New Year in 2017, the decision was made to shift from the 2D graphics reminiscent of the previous games to 3D graphics.[55] This led to the choice to use Unreal Engine 4.[55] In 2018, the project was put on hold due to what was considered an unfavorable environment for developing this kind of game.[56] In 2021, interest in the project was revived following an improvement in the conditions.[56] In that same year, Tencent proposed and formalized a partnership deal, which offered financial backing and additional support, as the company had learned about and were interested in the studio's goals to develop large-scale PC and console games.[49] At the time, the studio had plans for two projects using Unreal Engine 5 in this category, namely Phantom Blade Zero and Stellar Saga, the latter set in space and centered on humanity's struggle for survival amid the high-dimensional wars of advanced civilizations.[49] Liang oversaw the development of Phantom Blade Zero and delegated decisions regarding Stellar Saga to trusted colleagues.[56] Ultimately, the studio shifted its focus entirely to Phantom Blade Zero and suspended all other new projects.[57]

Donnie Yen served as a creative consultant and portrayed the character Mó Yuan.[9][58]

S-Game originally envisioned Phantom Blade Zero as a smaller game, but the attention garnered at the PlayStation Showcase in May 2023 prompted the studio to increase the scale and fully commit to the project.[59] In an interview shortly after the showcase, Liang said that he felt nervous leading up to the event, but that the international reception boosted their confidence and that years earlier, Feng Ji, the producer of Black Myth: Wukong, encouraged him to create a single-player game that could captivate players worldwide.[60] Another turning point came with the 2024 release of the highly successful Black Myth: Wukong, which increased interest in Phantom Blade Zero and led to additional funding for the game from investors.[19] Liang commented that "It's not necessarily changed our [expectations], but maybe it's changed others' expectations and anticipation of us. We did receive more resources, but we also received more pressure from the success of Black Myth: Wukong."[61]

Kenji Tanigaki served as the action director.[30]

The action design was based on Chinese martial arts, which included working with martial arts instructors and drawing inspiration from classic Hong Kong martial arts films.[62] A nationwide search was conducted to trace the roots of Chinese martial arts and meet their inheritors.[63] This included masters of the Shaolin Temple, Emei Mountain, and Guangdong's Southern Lion Troupes, among others.[37][63] The developers wanted to create authentic martial arts action, so they emphasized the importance of immersing themselves by going to the communities, mountains, and temples to engage in discussions and train together in order to understand the essence of the martial arts.[63] Motion capture of performances by martial artists was used for the movements of characters.[37][64][65] The performances were done at the same intensity of the intended action, so post-production speed adjustments that may make the action appear artificial could be avoided.[64] The performers were supported by a wire rig, operated via a pulley system by other crew members, during the execution of movements.[64][66] Kenji Tanigaki served as the action director.[30] Yang Liu served as the combat director.[67][68] Masters and inheritors of traditional martial arts schools were consulted in order to capture the most authentic kungfu techniques.[69] Donnie Yen served as a creative consultant, contributing his martial arts and action filmmaking expertise.[70] His stunt team was also involved in the process.[71]

The action was designed to reflect the philosophies of Chinese martial arts.[6] For example, Liang said that while defense might simply be expressed as blocking motions in other contexts, Chinese martial arts emphasize simultaneously attacking and defending in response to an opponent's movements.[6] He regarded action based on Chinese swordsmanship more as a clash of blades in which the distinction between offense and defense is very small.[66] Furthermore, the prototypes for the weapons were drawn from traditional Chinese weaponry.[72][73] A design principle was that the essence of each weapon is expressed through the action in terms of mechanics and visual appearance.[66] Every weapon was designed with its own unique mechanics to ensure that all weapons remain novel to use rather than limited by common weapon types.[62] The developers believed that relying on shared basic mechanics would diminish the distinctiveness of each weapon.[62] Sometimes, in order to better understand how a weapon's weight and length impact movement, real replicas were forged by master swordsmiths.[72][73] Lastly, the action was designed to ensure the fluidity of movement through a rich animation set for elements such as transitions (for a natural flow between actions), contextual execution moves, dynamic environmental interactions, and multi-target combat mechanics.[37] Liang described the action as "In Phantom Blade Zero, combat happens at an extremely fast pace. Movement is rapid, attack frequency is high, and you can perform maneuvers like running along walls, teleporting behind enemies, and executing sudden cinematic finishers that dynamically shift the camera to wide or close-up angles, making it feel like you’re in a Kung Fu movie."[37]

Liang mentioned that "If you watch a lot of Hong Kong Golden Age kung fu movies, you will feel all the swordplay in Chinese kung fu. They are all attacking while defending, so it happens at the same time. You will [see] this very dynamic, fluid combat scene in the movie. Previously there were not so many games coming out of China bringing the authenticity of Chinese kung fu and Chinese gameplay into the gaming industry. So [with] the assistance of Donnie Yen and his team, we have [built] everything from the ground up. We had to rethink all these combo systems–defending and attacking–to see how we can implement the movement of Chinese kung fu into a playable game."[74]

A collective enemy artificial intelligence, which follows a formation logic, was designed to enable multiple enemies to operate as an interconnected unit.[63] Both collective and individual enemy artificial intelligences were integrated into a unified system that governs when enemies strike alone, fight in formations, and interact with one another.[62] What often appears to be several enemies attacking at once may actually be a single move modeled across multiple enemies, which results in a visually striking spectacle and keeps encounters relatively manageable.[75] The approach was aimed to avoid a pitfall where enemies either overwhelm in swarms or stand idle during multi-enemy battles.[62] However, the system was not applied to lesser enemies that may be encountered together in the environment.[23][76] The design was inspired by the deliberate combat dynamics employed in martial arts films, where characters not directly engaged in battle contribute to an atmosphere of both disorder and order.[75]

The design included elements based on nuo masks.[77] According to Michael Chang, masks symbolize the disguise, confinement, and repression of the jianghu, enveloping the inner madness, obsessions, and struggles of characters.[42] They represent those who have fallen, contrasting the heroes who remained true to their hearts and upheld the code of the xia.[42]

In addition to the martial arts, the game incorporates many other Chinese traditions, such as southern China's ancestral hall worship rituals, Guangdong's lion dances, Zhejiang's puppetry, Fujian's deity processions, Jiangxi's nuo masks, Sichuan's bianlian (face changing), Beijing opera, China's imperial ceremonies, and more.[63] Liang commented that he hopes to help carry on folk culture and intangible cultural heritage.[63] Real-world objects, ranging from structures such as temples and village homes to weapons and other items, were scanned for use as assets.[37] Historic towns and villages in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hebei, and other provinces served as models for architectural designs.[63] Cultural relics were reproduced in collaboration with museums located in Beijing and other places.[63] Young artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts drew the guiding maps using Chinese brushes on Xuan paper.[72] It was done in the art style of Chinese ink wash.[78]

The principal characters were portrayed by actors.[46] The cast featured the model and stage actor Yucheng (also known as Jia Xiongkai) as the protagonist Soul,[79] the actress Zhang Jinzhi as the character Mu Xiaokui,[80] the film academy student Zhang Xince as the character Zuoshang,[81] and the actor Donnie Yen as the character Mó Yuan.[e][9][58] The character models were built upon 3D scans of the cast.[73] The facial capture performances were done by the cast.[73]

The voice acting was done with dedicated actors and directors in Chinese and English.[72][73] It was completed with lip syncing for both languages.[72][73]

In terms of the music, Caisheng Bo utilized traditional Chinese instruments and blended their sound with other musical styles.[7][8] He sought to capture the essense of traditional Chinese instruments.[7] For example, he remarked that even though the erhu is commonly associated with sorrow, it also has a free-spirited and martial quality that aligns with the jianghu.[7] Accordingly, the instrument had been used to articulate a sense of freedom and killing intent that breaks away from the sorrowfulness.[7] Modern styles such as electronic, rock, and hardcore house were incorporated to give new textures to the traditional Chinese instrumentals.[42] Moreover, Bo worked closely with the sound effects team to ensure that both music and sound were coordinated throughout all scenes.[7] The music was structured to establish a psychological rhythm that reinforces the atmosphere.[7] For instance, it makes use of a septuple meter that alternates between 4+3 and 3+4 as well as strings that blur accents to evoke a feeling that something is not right and a sense of groundlessness throughout the in-game location Pangzhen.[7] In string arrangements, the second fiddle part was frequently omitted to create a heavy, dark, and grainy sound.[7] Furthermore, the combat music was created with a focus primarily on heartfelt melody rather than on rhythm in order to elicit a state of flow and convey underlying emotions regardless of a battle's intensity.[83] The intention was to subtly express the tragic undertones and life stories of characters, emphasizing the emotional depth of battles, during the exhilaration of combat.[42] In addition, the characters Soul, Mu Xiaokui, and Zuoshang each have their own thematic melody, all of which stem from the same A minor melody and therefore blend seamlessly.[83]

Release

[edit]

Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled to be released for PC (Windows) and PlayStation 5 on 29 October 2026.[84] PlayStation 5 physical editions of the game, which include discs, are set to launch in 2027.[14]

During an anniversary concert for the Rainblood series on 22 November 2016, S-Game announced that the series would be remade with an extended plot in a new game with the Chinese codename Yingzhiren Zero (影之刃Zero).[85] It was changed to the Chinese title Yingzhiren Ling (影之刃零) by the time that the game was unveiled.[50]

S-Game unveiled Phantom Blade Zero with a trailer during the PlayStation Showcase on 24 May 2023.[30][86] The studio participated in the showcase after receiving an invitation following a meeting with Sony representatives, including Christian Svensson, Shuhei Yoshida, and others.[87] In January 2025, the studio released a trailer celebrating the Year of the Snake, which revealed that a release date would be announced in 2025.[88][89] During The Game Awards in December 2025, the studio released a trailer announcing the release date as 9 September 2026.[90][91] The date was chosen in consideration of the market conditions and the symbolism associated with 9/9, which represented a reversal of fate and an overturning of heaven's order, in allusion to the in-game concept of 66 days.[92] However, in June 2026, the studio stated that the release was moved to 29 October 2026.[4][93][94] The decision was made to provide additional time to further improve the quality of the product.[95]

By September 2026, Phantom Blade Zero was wishlisted over 3 million times.[96][97]

Reception

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Accolades

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Phantom Blade Zero won Most Anticipated Game and was nominated for Phenomenon of the Year at the UCG Game Awards 2024.[98][99] It won Most Anticipated Game at the Ultra Game Awards 2025.[100][101]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Qiwei Liang is known by the pseudonym Soulframe.[1] In English-language public communications, he uses either Soulframe Liang[2][3] or Soulframe.[4]
  2. ↑ The series was initially known as Rainblood and was later renamed to Phantom Blade.[9] It began with Rainblood: Town of Death, Rainblood 2: City of Flame, and Rainblood Chronicles: Mirage.[6][10] It was expanded with Phantom Blade 1, Phantom Blade 2, and Phantom Blade 3, which were released for mobile devices.[10] It was joined by Phantom Blade: Executioners and Phantom Blade Zero.[6][11]
  3. ↑ Stylized as Phantom Blade Ø. Chinese: 影之刃零; pinyin: Yǐngzhīrèn Líng.[12]
  4. ↑ Soulframe Liang uses the term kungfupunk in English,[2] but he interchangeably uses the terms wuxiapunk (武侠朋克) and kungfupunk (功夫朋克) in Chinese.[39][40]
  5. ↑ For the role of Mó Yuan, Donnie Yen did the English voice performances,[82] the facial capture performances,[70][82] and the motion capture performances.[70][82]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Fenlon, Wes (12 August 2025). "In 15 years of interviewing AAA game developers, I think this is the first time one's straight up told me 'Many people make games for money, but we make money for games'". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 Liang, Soulframe (24 May 2023). "Phantom Blade Zero: a new beginning in a long journey". PlayStation.Blog. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025.
  3. ↑ Romano, Sal (2 February 2024). "Phantom Blade Zero 'Year of the Dragon Special Trailer: Rain and Blood'". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 16 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 Stenbuck, Kite (2 June 2026). "Phantom Blade Zero gets a new Special Teaser trailer and a delay to October 29". RPG Site. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Gerblick, Jordan (26 July 2024). ""Everyone is looking at Black Myth Wukong": Phantom Blade Zero director expects the most-wishlisted game on Steam to be a breakthrough moment for China". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kazuhisa (15 October 2024). "［インタビュー］「Phantom Blade Zero」の社長が語る，中国でわざわざコンソールゲームを作るということ―――夢がある人なら，延々とモバイルゲームを開発したいだなんて思わないでしょう". 4Gamer (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2025.
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  8. 1 2 Hopkins, Tom (13 October 2026). ""Just inspire me." - Phantom Blade Zero's composer created some boss fight music before the bosses themselves had even been designed". PCGamesN.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Claudino, Ashely (12 August 2026). "Phantom Blade Zero gets 11-minute trailer and State of Play announcement". Polygon. Archived from the original on 12 August 2026.
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  12. 1 2 "Phantom Blade Zero". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024.
  13. 1 2 Connolly, Denny (6 March 2026). "5 RPGs Releasing In 2026 That Could Have GOTY Potential". VICE. Archived from the original on 4 September 2026.
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  15. ↑ 祝思齐 (10 June 2024). "《影之刃零》夏日游戏节登场，线下巡回试玩开启". ChuApp (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 30 January 2025.
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  18. ↑ 刹翼; 日立 (14 June 2024). "帅到不像实机的中式武侠战斗，真让他们做出来了！影之刃零线下抢先试玩分享【UCG】". Ultra Console Game (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 August 2025.
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  21. 1 2 3 4 "Exclusive Developer Interview ft. Phantom Blade Zero". IGN. 19 October 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023.
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  24. ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (8 October 2026). "However it looks, Phantom Blade Zero is no Soulslike". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 9 October 2026.
  25. 1 2 Koreis, Justin (6 October 2025). "Phantom Blade Zero Is A Delightfully Punishing Action-RPG". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 Fenlon, Wes (8 August 2025). "After flying around the world to play my most anticipated action RPG, I'm convinced Black Myth Wukong was just an opening salvo for big budget Chinese games". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 7 October 2025.
  27. ↑ 奕剑者柴王 (9 October 2026). "《影之刃零》媒体封闭试玩报告：有点太帅了". GamerSky (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 October 2026.
  28. 1 2 Bailey, Dustin (27 May 2023). "The incredible-looking Phantom Blade 0 is a semi-open-world "rebirth" of a $7 indie JRPG". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024.
  29. ↑ Edward (25 May 2023). "半開放世界功夫龐克冒險遊戲《影之刃 零》亮相 化身僅剩 66 日餘命的刺客追緝真兇". 巴哈姆特 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 25 July 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 Kennedy, Victoria (25 May 2023). "Slick looking action-RPG Phantom Blade Zero blends Chinese martial arts with "punk spirit"". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025.
  31. ↑ Gerblick, Jordan (24 July 2024). ""It's just like the Souls games before Elden Ring": Phantom Blade Zero director walks us through this action RPG's seamless, non-linear map". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024.
  32. 1 2 Palumbo, Alessio (17 April 2026). "Phantom Blade Zero's Side Quests Can Change the Main Story — "Who You Are Depends on What You Do"". Wccftech. Archived from the original on 17 April 2026.
  33. ↑ Cotts, Josh; Taormina, Anthony (18 December 2025). "Phantom Blade Zero Has More Endings Than Elden Ring". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 19 December 2025.
  34. 1 2 Sinha, Ravi (18 August 2026). "Phantom Blade Zero's Difficulty Options Include a Unique Spin on Permadeath Mode". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on 20 August 2026.
  35. ↑ Hussain, Tamoor; James, Lucy; Li, Richard; Seipke, Jean-Luc; Blumenthal, Max (25 March 2025). "Phantom Blade Devs Explain Why It Isn't a Souls-Like OR Hack n Slash". GameSpot. Video on YouTube.
  36. ↑ Palumbo, Alessio (28 July 2023). "Phantom Blade Zero Q&A - Dev Says Bosses are the Game's Highlights, Confirms Hardware Ray Tracing & PS5 Specs". Wccftech. Archived from the original on 27 January 2025.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cichacki, Shaun (24 February 2025). "Soulframe, CEO of S-Game and the Creator of 'Phantom Blade Zero,' Details How It Differs From Any Other Action Game on the Market (Exclusive Interview)". Vice. Archived from the original on 25 February 2025.
  38. ↑ Lewis, Catherine (24 June 2025). "Phantom Blade Zero is "neither a Soulslike game nor a traditional action game," creator says, suggesting that "maybe it could create a new identity" altogether". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 27 July 2025.
  39. ↑ 一柳渡江 (16 July 2024). "游民采访《影之刃零》制作人：不担心被人与《黑神话》比较". GamerSky (in Chinese). p. 1. Archived from the original on 14 February 2025.
  40. ↑ Septem (17 July 2024). "采访《影之刃零》制作人：为了游戏流畅而做了很多努力". A9VG (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 7 September 2026.
  41. 1 2 Hashimoto, Kazuma (21 January 2025). "Phantom Blade Zero is a "kung fu punk" action RPG that wants to follow in the footsteps of Black Myth Wukong: "there's a lot of pressure on us, but I think in a good way"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 寒雨未央 (12 August 2026). "梁其伟公布《影之刃零》新情报！现代武侠|战斗设计等". GamerSky (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 25 August 2026.
  43. ↑ Kazuhisa (15 October 2024). "［インタビュー］「Phantom Blade Zero」の社長が語る，中国でわざわざコンソールゲームを作るということ―――夢がある人なら，延々とモバイルゲームを開発したいだなんて思わないでしょう". 4Gamer (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Cited in Vjestica, Amber (16 October 2024). "Phantom Blade Zero devs say cultural differences are not a barrier in games but a plus, which is why they don't tone down themes for the West". Automaton. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Randall, Harvey (16 October 2024). "Phantom Blade Zero devs say they don't want to water down the game for foreigners—in fact, quite the opposite". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025.
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  45. ↑ Palumbo, Alessio (18 August 2026). "Phantom Blade Zero Arms Soul with 55 Weapons, yet Iron Fists Remain Essential to Crack Heavily Shielded Foes". Wccftech. Archived from the original on 30 August 2026.
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