Beebom Score
The year 2026 has been a breakthrough for action RPGs. We have already had the likes of Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Control Resonant performing beyond expectations. However, gamers had been waiting for one action RPG, and it was Phantom Blade Zero. The game had captured everyone’s imagination with incredibly fluid and impactful combat during its multiple showcases.
So, did Phantom Blade Zero meet its promised hype? After playing almost 40 hours of Phantom Blade Zero, I can most definitely say that it has the best combat I have seen in any recent action RPG releases, but sadly that’s not the entire picture. Here is our Phantom Blade Zero review to help you know whether the game is worth playing or not.
Combat Straight Out of a Fever Dream
Phantom Blade Zero doesn’t take long to send you right into action. From the very beginning, you get to experience what the absolute peak of the game’s combat can do when Soul fights his brother in the prologue, one of the earliest Phantom Blade Zero bosses. The game gives a fully powered Soul to players and allows them to fight Zuo Shang, the Shadow Sovereign.
Although Soul constantly regenerates HP to avoid losing during this fight, it lets us see the full potential of the combat at a very early stage, also acting as the perfect hook for the game. The combat is very energetic and is unlike anything I have played before. It feels straight out of a Shaolin or Kung Fu movie, and Donnie Yen’s touch is clearly noticeable in every movement.
The closest combat to Phantom Blade Zero I have seen is in Black Desert Online, but that’s only in terms of visuals. In terms of responsiveness for high-speed combat, Phantom Blade Zero is in a class of its own, untouched by any other game.
Parry, Parry, and Parry
From a distance, the combat can seem spammy, but when you actually play the game, every movement, parry, dodge, and block requires precision. Even though enemy attacks feel too fast at a glance, the combination of sound makes it feel trackable, allowing you to parry without feeling unfair.
And parrying in Phantom Blade Zero is absolutely spot on. The constant ringing sound of parrying and blocking in every boss fight will make any action RPG fun and ecstatic. The last time I had this much fun was while playing Sekiro, but even then, parrying in Phantom Blade Zero feels like a whole other level of enjoyment.
Combos Straight Out of a Fighting Game
But the game is not all about parrying. It also features combo attacks, different for every weapon. The combos in Phantom Blade Zero are very similar to fighting games, but a tad bit less complicated. Although you can win the game without using any combos, once you have mastered it, the combat reaches an entirely different level.
Pulling off powerful combos can literally destroy an enemy’s health bar or allow you to apply specific stat effects much quicker. One combo I loved using throughout the second half of the game was Fiend Saw’s, which applies Fiend Aura erosion.
However, it’s not just the statistical aspect when it comes to combos; I largely did it in fights because it looked extremely cool. Combos on every weapon have unique animations, some of which look so extraordinary that I was even willing to ignore the damage drop, if any, to perform them.
A Weapon Arsenal That Makes Every Other Game Ashamed
Ever since I finished Elden Ring, I had never expected to see another game introduce that many weapons with unique abilities. Weapons in Phantom Blade Zero have gone beyond that, not only having unique abilities, but also having unique animations for each. The best part about the weapons is that you directly obtain most of them by defeating bosses. So, you are basically taking their weapon after defeating them.
There are over 55 weapons in Phantom Blade Zero, and each weapon having its own identity is truly unbelievable. Players can carry two weapons at the same time, while also having a third Phantom Edge. Letting players freely swap between these is another expert addition to the combat that feels incredibly satisfying to perform.
Another thing to note is that every weapon has specific effects and abilities. These abilities get stronger the more you upgrade the weapons. Some abilities completely change how you fight with the weapon. For example, the Fanatic’s Broken Blade can get you drunk for 20 seconds, literally, completely changing your combat style until you sober up. And there are countless other examples.
An Interesting Story Plagued by Subpar Voice Acting
Phantom Blade Zero tells a story inspired by Chinese mythology. After playing Black Myth Wukong, I was extremely excited to have a similar level of immersion from this game. The story starts with a fight between Soul and his brother, who end up piercing each other’s hearts.
Soul has been falsely accused of assassinating the leader of the Order, which is why he is fighting his brother and rival, who now acts as the Shadow Sovereign. After dying, the Flesh Sculptor offers a new heart to Soul, which only allows him to live for 66 days. Within this time, Soul has to find the mastermind behind the assassination, while fighting his former allies.
Sounds interesting, right? Sadly, that entire notion fell flat just 20 minutes into the game. The reason was the subpar English voice acting in the game.
Most of the English voice acting in Phantom Blade Zero literally felt emotionless. Only very few characters actually did a good job. Compared to Black Myth Wukong, which had incredible voice acting for every character, Phantom Blade Zero was a big letdown.
And sadly, the voice acting also ruined my experience of the game’s story. Although the essence of Phantom Blade Zero’s story feels great, especially the connecting lore in the game, I couldn’t be bothered to pay too much attention to it.
And that’s coming from a person who loves getting into the lore of any game he likes. However, for anyone who understands Chinese, you may have a better experience than I did because the Chinese dub sounded much better.
Exploration is Expansive but Comes with Too Much Handholding
Phantom Blade Zero is a linear game, but most of its levels are very open-ended. The map has multiple regions, each being an open level. However, even though the levels are open, the pathways are fairly linear, so not a lot of parkour is possible. Even then, the game does have some hidden nooks and quests.
The best part about it is that the game forces you to return to older maps, as new keys or quests are obtained later down the line that open specific segments of older areas. Even story missions change regions. Reaching a specific point in the story can turn all the NPCs you have met in previous maps into enemies when you return.
Some guards who blocked you from certain sections would then become defeatable to unlock the area.
However, Phantom Blade Zero does too much handholding in exploration that I personally dislike. Almost every detail that you even cross over without noticing would appear on the map. This often kills the ‘exploration through eyes.’ If everything appears on the map, what’s the need to actually look for it yourself?
Enemies and Bosses Are All Teeth and No Bite
Phantom Blade Zero has an incredible cast of enemies and bosses. Although the normal enemies don’t have that much variety overall, they have some unique personalities that make them stand out. Like the puppets in Village of Lu, who throw their heads at you as attacks.
The bosses, on the other hand, are pure spectacles. Every boss fight is a well-animated action movie sequence, with Soul and the enemy going at each other no holds barred. Unfortunately, even though the fight looks and feels good, it never ends up becoming too challenging.
This can be a good thing for traditional action RPG players who are never into too much difficulty, but for soulslike players like me, the game can feel very easy at times. Excluding a couple of bosses, most of the fights only take one or two tries to finish.
Even at the Hellwalker Phantom Blade Zero difficulty, the game never felt too challenging. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid too much attention to this. However, S-Game had marketed their Hellwalker mode as a challenging alternative for hardcore players, with more boss movesets and better AI. That, I personally think, did not live up to my expectations.
Another reason for the boss fights to feel too easy is that bosses actually retain their second or third phases after your death. So, instead of redoing the fight from scratch, if you have finished the first phase, you can directly start fighting in the second phase with full heals after dying. Also, any enemies killed in the overworld remain dead.
I don’t think either of these things are bad. They provide a different experience from games of this genre. The enemy not respawning factor also helps greatly in exploration, as you truly get a feeling of 100% clearing an area.
Performance: Phantom Blade Zero Runs Smoothly, but Clips A Lot
The impactful and fluid combat of Phantom Blade Zero would have ended up being a complete disaster if the game didn’t run as smoothly as it does. Even at ultra graphics with DLSS turned off, I was comfortably getting above 50 FPS in combat. With DLSS set to quality, the FPS went up to 120+.
With Frame Generation set to 4x, I was getting above 180 FPS with no latency. However, when changing Frame Generation to 6x, the latency becomes very noticeable, so you’d better avoid it.
My Setup: CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900x
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR H150 RGB
Motherboard: GIGABYTE B650M Gaming X AX
GPU: MSI Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB
RAM: 32GB (32GB x 1) ADATA XPG DDR5 5600FSB LANCER
SSD: 1TB AORUS Gen 4 5000E NVMe storage
Monitor: 1080p @165hz
Although the game runs extremely well, it does have a fair bit of clunk and glitches. The terrain can often be a big issue, as you will find yourself constantly getting stuck on even a slightly protruding stone. For a game that has such good combat movement, it can feel very odd to have such basic issues.
Also, sometimes a level’s or cutscene assets can take time to load. But it was rare enough that I didn’t end up having a bad feeling. In terms of graphics, the game looks gorgeous. Some of the locations in the game are extremely scenic and can make you want to wait there for eternity.
Verdict: Phantom Blade Zero is a New Standard for the Action RPG Genre
Phantom Blade Zero is unparalleled in action combat, leaving behind all its competitors, whether in the past, present, or even in the coming future. Featuring over 55 unique weapons, each providing a unique playstyle, paired with an incredible number of cinematic boss fights, the game has completely left me mind-boggled and impressed.
However, it also suffers from terrible English voice acting, making players detached from the main story and the incredible visuals it offers. Alongside that, the game can feel very easy for soulslike players, but it also allows the game to be more accessible for others who simply prefer playing normal action RPGs.
Phantom Blade Zero overall is a masterfully crafted game that will grab you from the first parry, and won’t leave you until you have performed over a thousand different combos to get every possible achievement in the game. It is a true testament to how incredible and impactful combat can feel in the coming age of gaming.
So, that’s our Phantom Blade Zero review. What’s your opinion so far of the game? Let us know in the comments section below.
