Phantom Blade Zero, the impressive Unreal Engine 5-powered action RPG in development by S-Game recently showed off during the Summer Game Fest 2024 show, is not a Soulslike game, although the experience has been somewhat influenced by FromSoftware’s series.
Game Director Soulframe provided a development update earlier this week on X/Twitter, revealing how, as those who had the chance to try out the SGF24 demo surely noticed, the game is not a Soulslike, as that was never the plan. The developer wanted to create “combo-driven, heart-pumping combat” that was hectic, rewarding, and exhilarating, which is exactly the opposite of the combat featured in games inspired by FromSoftware’s games. The Soulslike inspiration for Phantom Blade Zero is limited to map design, as the game’s locations will feature multiple paths, hidden nooks, and so on. The game will also feature difficulty options, and defeated enemies won’t respawn after dying or interacting with checkpoints. Unfortunately, it will be a while until the vast majority of players will be able to try out this Phantom Blade Zero, as the demo available during Summer Game Fest 2024 is not ready for a wider release due to technical issues.
In the new update, the Phantom Blade Zero game director also reiterated how the game is not a PlayStation 5 exclusive, as the studio has no deal in place with Sony. As such, it will also be released on PC.
Phantom Blade Zero launches on PlayStation 5 and PC on a yet-to-be-confirmed release date. You can learn more about this impressive game by checking out our interview with Soulframe from last year.