Phantom Blade Zero Will Be a Less Punishing Soulslike Without Microtransactions

Abdul Saad

Chinese developer S-GAME recently took to its Discord server to share new details about its recently announced upcoming action RPG Phantom Blade via a Q&A. The developer confirms that the protagonist’s name is Soul, and states that the game will have multiplayer elements but will not have any microtransactions, so players will unlock all items through gameplay. Additionally, the developer announced that while the game will have souls-like elements, it won’t be as difficult as most games in the genre and claims it will be less punishing on players. Lastly, the developer also announced that the game will make full use of the DualSense controller and will have haptic feedback support. Phantom Blade Zero will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. A release date was not announced. The game is set in a semi-open world, with “bleak and punishing” gameplay, with players having access to several weapons, armor, artifacts, skills, and more. In Phantom Blade Zero, players play as Soul, “an elite assassin serving an elusive but powerful organization known simply as “The Order.””

The full Q&A via MP1st can be seen below:

Question 1: What kind of weapons would you like to see in the game?

What you saw in the trailer is only part of your arsenal in the final game. Each weapon affects gameplay with unique moves and combos. Since the game is still in the making, we’re open to suggestions from the community.

Question 2: About gacha elements?

Nope. You’ll be paying for a complete experience. No gacha or microtransaction.

Question 3: Are there soul-like elements in the game? Such as difficulty, soul/upgrade currency loss?

Yes and no. There are Souls-like elements, but we’re not going full throttle on difficulty and punishment. “Approachable” is the key here. The idea is that you don’t need lightning reflex or supersonic finger movements to find fun in the game.

Question 4: Does this game support haptic feedback?

Yes. We will be making the most out of the DualSense controller of PS5.

Question 5: Are there any plans to make available concept art books for Phantom Blade Zero? I have seen before that you have had concept art for Phantom Blade sold in China and I would love something like this internationally.

Yes, we did release concept art for several mobile titles before, but those are hardly an “art book.” With the global release of Phantom Blade: Executioners, creating an (English) art book does sound like a great idea. It will also serve as a resource book for those who are new to the Phantom Blade universe. There may be an art book for Phantom Blade: Zero, too, but that will wait till the game itself ships.

Question 6: Is PBZ a sequel to Rainblood Town of Death (or is it more like a remake of the entire story line)\

It’s a remake essentially based on the storyline of the original Rainblood but expanded enormously with additional content and multiple endings. What you’ve seen in Rainblood accounts for probably 10% or less of PBZ.

Question 7: Can you make a video on the inspiration for the game like what Wulin is?

Maybe. It does make sense to include that in the roadmap.

Question 8: More background story about the protagonists?

The Order is a powerful institution that tasks itself with maintaining the check and balance between forces of good and evil. For this purpose, it needs outstanding agents. Soul, like Zuo Shang, was adopted by the patriarch of the Order and trained into an expert of espionage and assassination. His job is to remove any person or faction deemed “disruptive” by the Order.

From birth to death, fate has hardly been merciful to him. He’s manipulated as a pawn in one conspiracy after another, but finally managed to defeat the “player” pulling strings behind the scene. The world in Phantom Blade is a miserable place in general, but wherever Soul passes, he leaves a light of hope in his wake.