The Game Director of Phantom Blade Zero, Soulframe, has cleared up the confusion surrounding the game’s genre. Despite what many fans believe, the upcoming action RPG is not a Soulslike.
The clarification comes after a playable demo of the game was made available to the attendees at Summer Game Fest 2024. In a Q&A letter posted on the official X account for Phantom Blade Zero, Soulframe wrote:
“As of now, those who have tried the demo should have a solid idea that it’s not a soulslike game.”
The director emphasized that the studio did not want to make another Soulslike, focusing instead on fast-paced and rewarding combo-driven combat. Although he did confess that Phantom Blade Zero draws limited inspiration from Soulslike games in terms of elements like “multi-layered maps, multiple approach paths, and hidden nooks and crevices.”
That's a wrap for #SummerGameFest! We had such a blast
— Phantom Blade Zero (@pbzero_official) June 11, 2024Thank you for all your love and support of #PhantomBladeZero!
Here is a Q&A letter from our Game Director, Soulframe, to answer some of your most-asked questions at the event. pic.twitter.com/fgfAIne9tl
Thank you for all your love and support of Unlike Soulslikes, Phantom Blade Zero will offer difficulty options to cater to different playstyles. Another convenient feature of the game is that respawned mobs will not appear after dying or interacting with checkpoints. This announcement seems to have pleased gamers, who lauded the game’s un-Soulslike approach in a market saturated with similar games.
Related: No, There Aren’t Too Many Soulslike Games
The previous year saw the release of Lies of P, Remnant 2, Lords of the Fallen, and many more Soulslikes. While the fantastical worlds and gritty narratives are appreciated and desired by most, the extreme difficulty and slow-burn combat make a significant number of gamers wary of the genre as a whole. Phantom Blade Zero could be the game that finally marries Soulslike aesthetics with the convenience of a regular RPG, making it accessible to a wider range of players.
Related: MGS Delta: Snake Eater Leaked Release Date Hints at Major November Clash
S-GAME plans to release an online demo soon for the public to decide if the gameplay is as promising as it looks in the latest gameplay trailer. Phantom Blade Zero will come out on PC and PS5, but nobody knows when. Going by the fact that the studio is still ironing out kinks in the playable demo, I wouldn’t expect a release anytime soon.
Phantom Blade Zero release date is unconfirmed.