Phantom Blade Zero Gamescom Hands-On Preview – Brutally Engaging

Following a showing during PlayStation's latest State of Play, Phantom Blade Zero has quickly become one of the most anticipated games coming to PS5 and PC in the future. The game's dark aesthetics and fast-paced combat made it enter the radar of more than a few players, and after having spent some with the game, I can safely say that all the excitement surrounding the game is well-deserved.

Unlike most, I wasn't left very impressed by the footage shown during the PlayStation State of Play. While I did appreciate the visceral and fast pace of the combat, the game looked to me like yet another take on the Souls series formula, which is increasingly becoming more and more tiring. After Soulframe Liang confirmed the game was more akin to a traditional action game than a Soulslike, featuring a semi-open world consisting of multiple large maps, my interest was piqued. While the Gamescom demo was not representative of the entire experience, as the demo was essentially a sequence of short combat scenarios much like the Summer Game Fest one, it did show how the game's action gameplay is extremely well developed.

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Like in any other traditional action game, the main character, Soul, can unleash different combos by alternating the light and heavy attack buttons, each featuring different properties, like a wider ranger, slower speed but higher power, and so on. These combos are meant to reduce the enemy's defense and break their guard, leaving them defenseless for a short while. The demo featured a few different weapons, including a regular sword, dual blades, and a heavier two-handed sword, and they all felt powerful and viable for all enemy types.

Defensive maneuvers are just as well-developed. They include sidestepping, a regular block that becomes a parry if the button is tapped as an enemy attack is about to connect with Soul, allowing the player to perform a Ghoststep as well