5 reasons to be excited for Phantom Blade Zero in 2025

Phantom Blade Zero, the highly anticipated action RPG from S-Game, recently received a new gameplay trailer. Instead of relegating the trailer to highly curated cutscenes and gameplay snippets, S-Game chose to showcase the game's combat in an uncut/unedited boss fight. This not only shows the confidence S-Game has in their craft but also the level of transparency they want to establish with fans.

In many ways, Phantom Blade Zero is quite similar to games like Stellar Blade and Black Myth Wukong. Both these titles, despite coming from relatively unknown studios, ended up making a huge splash across the Triple-A gaming landscape.

Judging from the latest gameplay trailer, Phantom Blade Zero is also shaping up to be a similar, if not even bigger phenomenon. Here are 5 key reasons why you should definitely be excited about Phantom Blade Zero in 2025.

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From the Chinese Martial Arts-inspired combat to impeccable use of Unreal Engine 5, here are 5 reasons to be excited for Phantom Blade Zero

1) Immaculate art style powered by Unreal Engine 5

The title's Impressive art style (Image via S-Game)

Phantom Blade Zero, much like Black Myth Wukong, uses Unreal Engine 5 to deliver a true next-gen action game experience. However, instead of relying simply on photorealistic visuals, the game's presentation also has an immense focus on its art style. While the title seems much more grounded than most fantasy action games, it features a very unique art style.

From enemies to the general environment, everything looks meticulously hand-crafted, akin to a Chinese painting that's come to life.

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2) Chinese martial arts-inspired combat

Combat in Phantom Blade Zero is inspired by Chinese martial arts (Image via S-Game)

Phantom Blade Zero also features a rather unique combat style. While there have been attempts at replicating Martial Arts into the video game format with games like Sleeping Dogs, it hasn't been done on the same scale as S-Game's upcoming title. Phantom Blade's combat is heavily influenced by traditional techniques and philosophies of Chinese martial arts.

Given how we have seen so few renditions of traditional martial arts in video games, the combat alone makes Phantom Blade worth considering. This is especially true if you're a fan of the classic martial arts movies and other media.

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3) Intriguing setting and characters

Intriguing enemy and NPC designs (Image via S-Game)

Phantom Blade Zero also features some really cool characters. The enemy and boss designs in the game are quite fascinating, marrying traditional Chinese mythology with dark fantasy elements. While S-Game has been slightly secretive about the game's storyline, the setting hints at a very intriguing premise.

The game's early trailers also gave us a glimpse into some of the characters that players will meet during their journey through the game's story. Hopefully, the game's story can perfectly complement (if not surpass) its impeccable combat system.

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4) An untapped genre

Phantom Blade Zero is an action game, through and through (Image via S-Game)

Phantom Blade Zero, despite featuring gameplay similarities to the likes of Elden Ring and Dark Souls, isn't a soulslike. Instead, the game is an action-adventure experience, with light RPG mechanics. Phantom Blade, much like Stellar Blade and Black Myth Wukong, is part of the untapped action RPG genre, where stylish combat is what dictates gameplay.

While there are challenging boss fights, as showcased by the latest gameplay trailer, it's just part of the game's "skill expression" element. After all, what good is a spectacular combat system if you don't have a worthy challenge to go along with it?

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5) Promise of a polished next-gen action RPG experience

The trailer seems to showcase the game running on a PS5, judging from the button prompts (Image via S-Game)

The latest trailer for Phantom Blade also showcased the level of polish the game has achieved since its previous public appearance. Not only does the combat look much better compared to the previous trailers, but the game's visuals also seem to have received a subtle overhaul. The lighting, in particular, looks vastly superior compared to earlier trailers.

Furthermore, in a press release, S-Game confirmed that Phantom Blade runs “smoothly and stably” on the PS5. Additionally, the studio also confirmed that the game will feature PS5 Pro enhancements. However, the nature of said enhancements is yet to be revealed.

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Phantom Blade Zero is yet to get a release date. However, S-Game has confirmed that they will reveal a confirmed release date soon, perhaps during the upcoming Summer Games Fest 2025.