Hands-On Preview: Phantom Blade Zero Rips

I’ve now had all but one of my hands-on appointments at Summer Game Fest Play Days, and once the dust has settled, it’s hard for me to see more than a couple of games bettering the time I had with Phantom Blade Zero.

Although my demo was short, roughly 15 minutes, I got to experience three different bosses and a range of different weapons, and let me tell you. It rips.

Not Strictly A Souls-Like

I think a common misconception going into Phantom Blade Zero will be that the game is a Soulslike through and through. It’s not. The game certainly leans heavily on mechanics made popular in FromSoft’s titles like Sekiro, including, but not limited to, parrying and dodging; however, much of Phantom Blade Zero’s combat is more reminiscent of character action games like Devil May Cry.

As I started the tutorial, I was greeted with a bunch of different combo opportunities that I could perform with light and heavy attacks, or a combination of both. These built-in combos made the game’s combat feel slick and fluid, although at times, slightly hard to keep track of.

The combos I was using could also be combined with a range of special attacks that helped me close or create distance between me and my adversaries, though regularly, they had a retort. These specials ranged from a giant arm cannon to a ranged bow that could be charged up adding another interesting dynamic into the game.

The Parrying Predicament

I’m not great at parrying in Souls games. Where possible, I prefer to try and time my dodges to perfection. However, with the parries that I so often dread, Phantom Blade Zero was either a little more forgiving, or I’m just not as bad as I thought I was.

The bosses in the game are very reminiscent of those from Souls titles. They’re typically strong, quick, and often telegraph their attacks, meaning dodge or parry windows regularly present themselves. Given this was only a preview, I figured I’d try and master it, and it didn’t take long before I was deflecting almost every enemy attack. I felt accomplished, but parrying certainly isn’t a necessity like it is in other games.

That being said, while it’s not a necessity, parrying helps create a welcome window in combat. Upon every successful block of my foe’s strong attack, I was teleported behind them, which allowed me to unleash a flurry of attacks, often knocking them to the floor.

The game is definitely designed to be played at a faster pace than say, an Elden Ring; but Phantom Blade Zero also does a solid job of making defensive combat more approachable for beginners. As I mentioned, Parrying certainly feels more forgiving, and blocking as a whole is simple. Holding the block button will negate all damage from most enemy attacks. It will deplete your stamina, meaning you won’t be able to counter with heavy attacks (light attacks don’t cost stamina), but it means you don’t always have to rely on twitchy blocks.

The Moment To Moment

I guess if I were to have one concern coming away from my time with Phantom Blade Zero, it’s about what fills in the gaps between the epic boss fights.

Before my first major encounter, I was given a small taster of things as I went head-to-head with five or six more generic enemies. However, during my time with the game, I didn’t really get to see any of the Phantom Blade Zero’s exploration or traversal. I’m assuming it’s going to be a semi-linear affair, clearing out some genuinely beautiful environments before reaching the next boss, but I still had plenty of questions about the loot, quests, and story.

Truth be told, though, I’m not particularly concerned. From what I played, I’m confident that the team behind Phantom Blade Zero knows what they’re doing, and we could be about to have one of the next big action hits on our hands.

You can check out all of our coverage from this year’s Summer Game Fest right here.

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