The Summer Game Fest presentation came to an end with a new look at Phantom Blade Zero, an upcoming semi-open-world action game. Phantom Blade Zero pulls from many genres to create something unique, combining traditional ancient Chinese culture with steampunk elements, cyberpunk elements, the occult, and more. Players take on the role of Soul who, through a series of unfortunate events, will die in 66 days. Players must race across the clock to find the mastermind behind his betrayal and the murder of The Order's patriarch.
The Best War Games recently played a brief demo of Phantom Blade Zero at Summer Game Fest, while also having a moment to talk to game director Soulframe (not to be confused with the upcoming Digital Extremes game). Soulframe discussed creating the game world and a little bit of what fans can expect from combat since Phantom Blade Zero is not a Soulslike game.
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Phantom Blade Zero's World of Kung Fu Punk
Soulframe explained that the goal of Kung Fu Punk was to, essentially, reach across borders. The goal is to create something creative and new to international players, those who constantly check out games from across the world, but also to those who do not. Soulframe wants anyone coming from any background or culture to glance at the game, understand what's special here, and be hyped because of the style. As such, it combines elements of Chinese culture and cyberpunk elements, while also looking at ancient culture and contemporary cultures through that lens. The result is plenty of Chinese aesthetics combined with exciting gameplay or cyberpunk genre elements. As Soulframe explained,
We named this new style Kung Fu Punk. It's a combination of the traditional Chinese culture of Kung Fu with steampunk or cyberpunk elements, which is a dialog between ancient culture and contemporary fashion culture, right? You can see, in the temples and the costumes, that some parts are very traditional and the colors are expressive of Chinese esthetics. The red clothes hanging from the trees are very traditional, but the boss with the robotic arm, the cannons and everything, and the lion head spitting fire are all very cyberpunk or something like that.
Phantom Blade Zero Gameplay and World Screens
Phantom Blade Zero's Combat Explained
Beyond the general tone and worldbuilding of Phantom Blade Zero, its combat is very eye-catching. It may not be a Soulslike game, but it could be seen as a compliment to immediately associate it as such. Instead, Soulframe describes it as a "Ninja Gaiden combat on a Souls game map."
Players will also be able to find 30 different weapons in the game, but the basic models are a long sword, a normal sword, and dual blades. Each of these can come in different lengths and different weights, impacting how players utilize them in combat. Alongside these, players will be able to equip Phantom Edges - of which there are about 20. Examples include bows and cannons, but Soulframe players have yet to see the most creative options. For example, Soulframe confirmed we'd be able to take the weapon from one of the bosses we faced and utilize it in combat, and it was capable of decapitating opponents.
It's pretty clear that Phantom Blade Zero is also a "violent game," but Soulframe also emphasized that it's not violence for violence's sake. The purpose of the violence is to illustrate this dark world, the dark forces at play, and to tell the story - so violence in Phantom Blade Zero is story and character-based. That will go a long way in adding yet another layer to combat in Phantom Blade Zero, though fans have quite a wait before they experience it themselves in full. It's currently scheduled to release sometime in 2026.
Phantom Blade Zero
- Released
- September 9, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
Phantom Blade Zero is a new character action game from developer S-Game that features the type of fast-paced combo-based gameplay popularized by series like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry. Its art style combines traditional Japanese iconography with the fantastical and horrific.
- Developer(s)
- S-Game
- Publisher(s)
- S-Game
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5
