GamesActionPhantom Blade: ZeroPhantom Blade Zero plays less like Sekiro, more like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty—and I couldn’t be happierWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionPhantom Blade: ZeroPhantom Blade Zero plays less like Sekiro, more like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty—and I couldn’t be happierWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: S-GAMES / PlayStation)
Having got my mitts on it, I’m in full agreement. Phantom Blade Zero feels, in spirit, a lot more like Team Ninja’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty—taking the trappings ofFromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and reinventing the genre into a wuxia action romp, like a hefty dash of Godhand or Ninja Gaiden thrown in the soulslike soup. It’s a genre diversion that I’m gleeful—downright kicking my feet and giggling—to see flourish.
Phantom Blade Zero is a game that’s not too concerned about rugged exploration filled with a billion threats. It’s not entirely disinterested in it, mind, but enemies don’t respawn after you’ve killed them once—and from what I’ve played, the focus is more on the boss fights.
What separates it from Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, however, is that it’s not afraid to let things get complex. For starters, you havetwotypes of attack that require either a perfect parry or a perfect spot dodge—that is, a dodge where you commit to the power of iframes and stay rooted as the swing comes in. You also have access to timed blocks, which are great for stance-breaking (Sha-Chi depleting) your foes.
It’s all feeling very over the top in a delicious way, unshackled from the earthly need to be grounded and sensible. It, like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, trades out deliberate and careful movement for cool flips and tricks. Unlike that game, however, it gives its players both a wider toolboxandenemies that are more inclined to mix you up like you stumbled into EVO before learning how to dragon punch.
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It’s all a delicious baseline for skill expression, unafraid to assume its players are skilled enough to get spicy with its mechanics, and I cannot wait to play some more—my attention (formerly my interest) has now turned into full-blown excitement.
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