Phantom Blade Zero
Phantom Blade Zero is an upcoming wuxia action role-playing game developed and published by S-GAME. The player assumes the role of Soul, an elite assassin in the service of an elusive and powerful organization known as The Order. Set in the Phantom World, the story is centered on his mission to unravel the conspiracy behind the murder of The Order's patriarch.
Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled to be released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 9 September 2026.
Gameplay
Phantom Blade Zero is an action role-playing game. It is played from a third-person perspective.The player controls Soul, an elite assassin in the service of an elusive and powerful organization known as The Order. He can carry two primary weapons and two secondary weapons. Blades are his primary weapons. They each have a power surge, which functions as an ultimate ability. Phantom edges are his secondary weapons. They comprise a range of diverse weapons, such as canons, lances, axes, hammers, and more. Sha-chi is used as a combat resource for sha-chi attacks and blocks.
Defensive maneuvers consist of blocking, parrying, and dodging. However, some enemy attacks carry restrictions in the ways defenses can counter them: brutal moves drain sha-chi heavily when blocked, while killer moves cannot be blocked or parried. A ghostep is triggered when a brutal move is parried or a killer move is dodged right before it lands.
There is a skill tree. Additionally, weapons can be upgraded, which may unlock new skills and movements.
The game is set in a semi-open world. Its regions are seamlessly connected together and may initially be inaccessible, but they can be reached through non-linear means and have multiple possible paths. For example, some weapons can be acquired and used to access areas that were previously unreachable. The main story features eight distinct endings, which are influenced by side quests.
The game includes multiple difficulty options that affect elements such as stats, mechanics, and AI. It includes a New Game Plus mode.
Synopsis
Setting
Phantom Blade Zero is a game based on the wuxia tradition. Soulframe Liang commented that "Broadly speaking, it falls under the category of ARPGs. But more specifically – maybe it could create a new identity that is Wuxia Action Games?" It particularly introduces kungfupunk, as termed by Liang. This is a distinctive style blending traditional kungfu with steampunk and cyberpunk. When asked about the difficulties of introducing culturally unfamiliar themes to Western audiences, Liang acknowledged that while these themes may initially pose challenges, games that deliver high quality and enjoyable experiences can transform these themes into a strength that attracts players.Phantom Blade Zero takes place in the Phantom World. This universe is based on China during the Ming dynasty, with elements of wuxia, steampunk, cyberpunk, dark fantasy, horror, and more. The game conveys an atmosphere reminiscent of the jianghu, a domain where folk exist outside the sphere of the imperial court and government.
The protagonist Soul is a heroic figure who embodies the essense of a xiake. Liang described him as " this kind of character is a very typical Eastern hero. He's not so talkative, doesn't use a lot of words, but he's badass, swift, and fast. Cold on the outside, but warm and hot inside, in the heart. He always wants to help the weak, although he himself only has limited days to live. We call this 'Xiake ', which means the Chinese version, the Kung Fu version, of heroes."
Plot
The elite assassin Soul serves an elusive and powerful organization known as The Order, but he is framed for the murder of its patriarch. He is gravely wounded in the heart during the ensuing manhunt, but he survives and is given 66 days to live through a mystic healer's temporary cure. With time running out, Soul sets out to unravel the conspiracy that has condemned him.Development
Phantom Blade Zero is a game developed and published by S-GAME. The studio is based in Beijing, China. It also has a motion capture and animator team in Shanghai, an art team in Hong Kong, and a global publishing team in Los Angeles.According to Soulframe Liang, Phantom Blade Zero represents a return to the origins of the Rainblood series, drawing on the narrative framework of the first and second games, and introduces a wealth of new content. He presented the game as "the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood". He elaborated that the new story requires no prior knowledge, as it contains all content within, and differs significantly from the earlier titles. The game is built using Unreal Engine 5.
S-GAME started the full-scale development of Phantom Blade Zero in 2022 and had plans for the game since 2017. Throughout 2017, a few early concepts and other preliminary work were shared. This included, for example, concept art of four characters designed by Michael Chang, which was shown during ChinaJoy 2017. Around Chinese New Year in 2017, the decision was made to shift from the 2D graphics reminiscent of the previous games to 3D graphics. This led to the choice to use Unreal Engine 4. In 2018, the project was put on hold due to what was considered an unfavorable environment for developing this kind of game. In 2021, interest in the project was revived following an improvement in the conditions. That same year, Tencent proposed and formalized a partnership deal to provide financial support along with other necessary assistance, as the company had learned about the studio's goals to develop large-scale PC and console games. At the time, the studio had plans for two projects using Unreal Engine 5 in this category, namely Phantom Blade Zero and Stellar Saga, the latter set in space and centered on humanity's struggle for survival amid the high-dimensional wars of advanced civilizations. Liang oversaw the development of Phantom Blade Zero and delegated decisions regarding Stellar Saga to trusted colleagues. Ultimately, the studio shifted its focus entirely to Phantom Blade Zero and suspended all other new projects.
S-GAME originally envisioned Phantom Blade Zero as a smaller game, but the attention garnered at the PlayStation Showcase in May 2023 prompted the studio to increase the scale and fully commit to the project. In an interview shortly after the showcase, Liang said that he felt nervous leading up to the event, but that the international reception boosted their confidence and that years earlier, Feng Ji, the producer of Black Myth: Wukong, encouraged him to create a single-player game that could captivate players worldwide. Another turning point came with the 2024 release of the highly successful Black Myth: Wukong, which increased interest in Phantom Blade Zero and led to additional funding for the game from investors. Liang commented that "It's not necessarily changed our , but maybe it's changed others' expectations and anticipation of us. We did receive more resources, but we also received more pressure from the success of Black Myth: Wukong."
The developers aimed to design the game's combat based on Chinese martial arts, drawing inspiration from classic Hong Kong martial arts films and working closely with martial arts instructors. For the action design process, they conducted a nationwide search to trace the roots of Chinese martial arts and meet with their inheritors. This included, for example, masters from the Shaolin Temple, Emei Mountain, and Guangdong's Southern Lion Troupes, among others. The developers wanted to create authentic martial arts action, so they emphasized the importance of immersing themselves by going to the communities, mountains, and temples to engage in discussions and train together in order to understand the essence of the martial arts. Motion capture of performances by martial artists was used for the movements of characters. The performances were done at the same intensity of the in-game action, with the intention to avoid post-production speed adjustments that could make the action appear artificial. A wire rig, operated through a pulley system by multiple crew members, assisted the motion capture actors in executing moves. Kenji Tanigaki, known for his work in kungfu cinema, served as the action director. Master Yang, a kungfu expert, served as the combat action director.
A crucial aspect in the action design was that the gameplay embodied the philosophies of Chinese martial arts. For instance, Liang explained that while defense might involve simple blocking motions in other contexts, Chinese martial arts underscores simultaneously attacking and defending in response to the opponent's movements. He said that the goal was not merely for players to perform martial arts moves, but also to understand and apply the principles behind them. Furthermore, each weapon was designed with its own unique action mechanics to ensure all weapons remain novel to use rather than limited by common weapon types. The developers believed that relying on shared basic action mechanics would diminish the distinctiveness of each weapon. Lastly, the action design also emphasized the fluidity of movements through a rich animation set for elements such as transitions, contextual execution moves, dynamic environmental interactions, and multi-target combat mechanics. Liang described the action as "In Phantom Blade Zero, combat happens at an extremely fast pace. Movement is rapid, attack frequency is high, and you can perform maneuvers like running along walls, teleporting behind enemies, and executing sudden cinematic finishers that dynamically shift the camera to wide or close-up angles, making it feel like you’re in a Kung Fu movie."
The developers created a collective enemy AI, which follows a formation logic, to enable multiple enemies to operate as an interconnected unit. Both collective and individual enemy AIs were integrated into a unified system that governs when enemies strike alone, fight in structured formations, and interact with one another. What often appears to be several enemies attacking at once may actually be a single move modeled across multiple enemies, which results in a visually striking spectacle and keeps encounters relatively manageable. The approach was aimed to avoid a common pitfall in many games, where enemies either overwhelm in swarms or stand idle during multi-enemy battles. The design was inspired by the deliberate combat dynamics employed in wuxia films, where characters not directly engaged in battle contribute to an atmosphere of controlled chaos.
In addition to the martial arts, the developers adapted other Chinese traditions such as southern China's ancestral hall worship rituals, Guangdong's lion dances, Zhejiang's puppetry, Fujian's deity processions, Jiangxi's nuo masks, Sichuan's bianlian, Beijing opera, China's imperial ceremonies, and more. Liang said that he hopes to help pass on folk culture and intangible cultural heritage. They also scanned real-world objects, ranging from structures such as temples and village homes to weapons and other items.
Multiple actors were cast and underwent facial scans for major roles. The protagonist Soul was portrayed by the model and stage actor Yucheng. The character Mu Xiaokui was portrayed by the actress Zhang Jinzhi.
While composing the game's music, Caisheng Bo sought to capture the essence of traditional Chinese instruments and experimented with blending retro electronic sounds. He noted, for example, that although many people associate the erhu with sorrow, he considers it particularly well suited to the jianghu due to its free-spirited quality. Accordingly, he placed the erhu and electric guitar against each other, in which the former discards its sorrowful connotations as well as articulates a sense of freedom and murderous intent in its sound. Furthermore, Bo worked closely with the sound effects team to ensure that the music is well integrated, so the music complements each moment and environmental sound. He staged the music to establish a kind of a psychological rhythm to enhance the atmosphere. For instance, in the music for Pang Town, he employed a septuple meter that alternates between 4+3 and 3+4 as well as blurs accents to create a sound that conveys a feeling that something is off. In recording strings, he often omitted the second fiddle part to create a sound that feels heavy, dark, and grainy.
Release
Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled to be released for PC and PlayStation 5 on 9 September 2026.During an anniversary concert for the Rainblood series on 22 November 2016, S-GAME revealed that the series would be remade with an extended plot in a new game codenamed Yingzhiren Zero in Chinese. The Chinese title was changed to Yingzhiren Ling by the time of the game's announcement.
During the PlayStation Showcase on 24 May 2023, S-GAME released a trailer announcing Phantom Blade Zero. In January 2025, the studio released a trailer celebrating the Year of the Snake which revealed that a release date would be announced in 2025. During The Game Awards in December 2025, the studio released a trailer announcing the release date as 9 September 2026. This date was selected in consideration of the market conditions and for the symbolic significance evoked by the numbers 9/9, representing a reversal of fate and an overturning of heaven's order, in allusion to the in-game concept of 66 days.
Following its listing on digital storefronts in December 2025, Phantom Blade Zero was wishlisted over 1 million times within 15 days.