Phantom Blade Zero is the latest and largest chapter in a series that began more than 15 years ago with small, turn-based role-playing games. Developed by China’s S-Game, the upcoming action title has grown dramatically from the studio’s earlier work, but its roots remain visible in the world, characters and recurring crimson-blade imagery.
The series began with two Rainblood games released in 2010 and 2011. Both were turn-based RPGs set in the same setting as Phantom Blade Zero, although their gameplay has little in common with the new 3D action game. Only the first game reached Western audiences, through a developer-approved fan translation distributed on fan sites.
In 2013, S-Game followed with Rain Blood Chronicles: Mirage—with the series name now written as two words—a Unity-powered, 2D hack-and-slash brawler. It launched on Steam and consoles, although its Xbox and PlayStation editions now appear to be delisted.
These early releases were rough around the edges, but they established a distinctive interpretation of the Ming Dynasty: bleak, violent and visually twisted. After Mirage, S-Game released three mobile games exclusively in China. The studio then announced Phantom Blade Zero, a large-scale 3D action game, in May 2023.
Another related release arrived in November of that year. Phantom Blade: Executioners is a 2D beat ’em up for PS4, PS5 and mobile, though the console versions also appear to have been removed. Like the earlier games, it features a protagonist carrying vivid red blades through a generally grey and oppressive world.
How S-Game scaled up
The jump from RPG Maker-style projects to a major action game is substantial. A machine-translated article in Chinese publication ChuApp points to Tencent as a major part of that expansion.
After funding rounds involving NetEase and Chinese venture-capital firm ZhenFund, S-Game CEO Qiwei “Soulframe” Liang wrote in an open letter in 2021 that Lingyou Fang—known as S-Game in Western markets—had completed financing worth hundreds of millions of dollars from Tencent. The funding was intended to support two large-scale action RPGs over five years.
One of those projects, Stellar Saga, has not re-emerged publicly. The other is the continuation of Soulframe’s long-running series. That long development path has now produced a game capable of standing alongside the biggest modern action releases.
A combat system built around momentum
Although Phantom Blade Zero sits near Chinese-developed Souls-inspired games such as Black Myth: Wukong and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, its combat feels closer to a blend of Sekiro and Devil May Cry. It combines rapid, stagger-oriented exchanges with the expressive, stylish movement associated with character-action games.
Its stamina design reinforces that difference. Attacking and successfully blocking do not drain stamina; dodging and attempting to block certain colour-coded attacks do. Light attacks also do not lock the player into their animation above every other input. If an attack has already begun but an enemy is about to land a hit, the player can press block and defend mid-swing.
This makes the system feel more direct than combat models that combine lengthy attack strings with restrictive stamina management. Rather than placing wuxia ideas inside a conventional Soulslike framework, S-Game appears to have designed the mechanics around the speed, flow and aggression of wuxia action.
The game includes 30 primary weapons, each with its own moveset and characteristics, alongside 25 secondary weapons. Some secondary weapons, including axes, provide powerful charged attacks. Others, such as mini-cannons, are slower ranged options.
Two primary weapons can be equipped at once. Switching is possible with the D-pad, but the player can also incorporate the change into a combo using the left trigger. This manoeuvre can inflict heavy damage and build significant stagger, although it has a cooldown. Changing from a longsword to dual blades is therefore powerful, but not always the smartest choice during a boss encounter.
A familiar map structure with its own visual identity
The world design is more recognisably Soulslike than the combat. S-Game has described the interconnected environments as being inspired by Soulslike map design, with routes that loop back and reconnect in ways reminiscent of the original Dark Souls.
Instead of relying on a conventional, highly detailed map, the game presents hand-painted ink-wash charts. These are painted on Xuan paper, scanned and incorporated into the game, giving navigation a more abstract and traditional visual language.
The setting is a decaying, plague-stricken version of the Ming Dynasty, filled with the kind of mystery and ruin associated with cursed fantasy worlds. Washed-out environments underline the region’s decline, while flashes of steampunk industrial design add contrast.
That machinery also changes the way some enemies appear monstrous. Rather than relying entirely on supernatural corruption, S-Game uses crude, inhumane mechanical modifications to create grotesque opponents.
Bosses slow the pace
Boss fights require pattern recognition more than the immediate reactions expected from Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry. Blocking, parrying and clashing blades remain central to building stagger, but some attacks must be avoided outright rather than countered.
That slower, more deliberate approach can feel at odds with the aggressive combat system. Encounters with groups of ordinary enemies offer a more satisfying forward momentum, while bosses often use unblockable attacks that make positioning more important than rapid reactions.
A familiar story with one unusual pressure point
The combat and setting make a strong impression, but the story feels less distinctive. Soul, the protagonist of all three Rainblood games, returns in a narrative that appears to revisit parts of the earlier stories.
In the first Rainblood, Soul has only a limited number of days to live after a cursed blade pierces his heart. Phantom Blade Zero appears to revisit elements of Town of Death, although it is also possible that Soul simply has an unfortunate recurring relationship with blades and vital organs.
Across three difficulty levels, the countdown remains a narrative detail. An additional hard mode makes it part of the game system: each death removes one day from Soul’s remaining time. That idea gives the revenge story its strongest hook, but placing it in a mode many players may not choose reduces its impact for the wider audience.
Other characters encountered during the preview leaned heavily on familiar speeches about darkness, personal codes and vague ideals. Mó Yuan, played by Donnie Yen, was the clearest exception. Yen, who is also set to appear in the John Wick spin-off Caine, reportedly consulted on the game’s action with stunt performer and choreographer Kenji Tanigaki.
Yen’s presence adds star power, but his casting alone does not substantially deepen the story. His appearance is more likely to prompt recognition than to transform the surrounding material.
A remarkable transformation with questions remaining
Phantom Blade Zero is intriguing because of the distance between its current scale and S-Game’s beginnings. The studio has moved from scrappy, small-scale RPGs to a polished, high-budget action game with an international profile.
That progress is impressive, but production scale does not automatically create a better game. The early Rainblood footage is unrefined, yet its passion, grit and charm are easy to recognise. Phantom Blade Zero has a promising combat system and an unusual setting, but some of that original character may have been diluted during the 15-year journey and the hundreds of millions of dollars in investment.
For players interested in the broader arcade and gaming landscape, the project is a useful example of how a local game series can grow into a major international production. Keep up with more industry stories in the RETROCADE Arcade Blog, or explore the practical side of game hardware through the Arcade Machine Buying Guide and arcade parts collection.
For now, the most compelling question is whether the finished game can retain the personality of its modest beginnings while delivering on the speed, scale and spectacle of its new ambition.
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