Phantom Blade Zero is one of those games that took a while to impress me. After seeing the reveal trailer, I didn’t believe what I was seeing. And I honestly thought it had to be a pre-rendered video. But after seeing some off-screen gameplay with someone in control, it quickly captured my attention. Seeing how fast-paced and smooth Phantom Blade Zero was looking? It quickly sprung to the top of my most-anticipated games list.After speaking with Soulframe, creator of Phantom Blade Zero, I can see that the game is in incredibly capable hands. It’s shaping up to be an excellent addition to the action genre.Screenshot: S-GAMEAs you may already know, I feared that the gameplay of ‘Phantom Blade Zero’ wouldn’t be able to live up to its lofty trailer. But hands-on gameplay proved me wrong. What measures have gone into ensuring that ‘PBZ’ plays as smoothly as it looks?Ensuring an intuitive and seamless gameplay experience has always been our top priority. We developed the entire game with a fundamental focus on how it plays rather than just how it looks in a trailer. From our first reveal to now, all of our trailers have been made entirely from gameplay footage. Even our latest trailer for Chinese New Year was put together without any additional editing — just pure gameplay.There’s no secret formula behind this. It comes down to a massive amount of animation work that ensures a smooth transition between movements. We designed the combat so that almost every action naturally flows into the next through a transition animation, avoiding hard cuts and sudden shifts — this is crucial for fluidity.As a result, the number of animations in our game is far greater than it may seem. Additionally, we’ve implemented contextual execution moves, dynamic environmental interactions, and multi-target combat mechanics to enhance immersion. The richer our animation set, the more natural and fluid the movements feel. Our goal is to make the game feel like a living, playable Kung Fu movie.Frame rate is another key factor. We’re optimizing the game to run at 2K resolution with 40–60 FPS on PS5, while PS5 Pro and high-end PCs will offer an even sharper and smoother experience. From last year’s hands-on feedback, many players felt that Phantom Blade Zero plays even smoother than it looks. The added controller haptics further enhance the experience, allowing players to feel every strike and movement in a way that trailers simply cannot capture.游戏的上手体验是我们最关心的部分，整个游戏是完全以“实际玩起来是什么样”，而不是“trailer看起来是什么样”为基本出发点来制作和进行品控的。从最开始曝光到现在，我们基本上使用完全原始的实机游玩视频剪辑了所有的trailer，最新的一个蛇年宣传视频，甚至连剪辑都省去了。这里面没有太多的秘诀，就是大量的动画资源用于衔接不同动作之间的转折，我们尽可能让所有动作之间都是由第三个很短的动作混合过去的，没有硬切和突变——这非常重要，因此我们的动画资源比表面看起来还要庞大。还有许多特殊情况下的处决动作处理，与地形的交互，非常多的同时攻击多个敌人的处理等等……动画的数量越丰富，玩家就会感觉主角和敌人的运动越自然，我们的目标是使游玩起来变得如同观看一个功夫电影一般。当然，帧率在这里面也很重要，我们尽可能保证游戏在PS5上以2k40~60fps运行，如果是PS5pro或配备了高端显卡的PC上则会更加清晰和流畅。根据我们去年的实机反馈，PBZ不是只是玩起来as smoothly as it looks，而是玩起来比看起来还要更加smoothly，因为在实际体验时，你还会体验到细微和精致的手柄震动。Screenshot: S-GAMEYou’ve compared playing ‘Phantom Blade Zero’ to driving a very fast car that feels like it’s slightly out of control. Would you like to add some additional details to these comments? Watching the game in motion, I have a better understanding of the phrase, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.Think of sports like skiing or surfing, where your body experiences shifts between being in and out of control. The key to these activities is constantly adjusting your balance — keeping yourself steady while pulling off amazing moves at just the right moment. The thrill comes from mastering what initially feels unstable or uncontrollable.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.During combat, you might feel a slight sense of dizziness — not because the visuals are overwhelming but because you have to stay sharp amidst the relentless action. The challenge is to remain composed while handling enemy attacks and countering effectively. Throughout the game, you will often shift between rational thinking and pure intuition. Everything happens incredibly fast; if you lose control, failure is instant, and you’ll need to quickly reset and try again.But if you handle the pressure, land a few perfectly timed counters, and break an enemy’s guard, that’s when the real fun starts. At that moment, you might even come up with new creative combos, pushing the battle further and taking full advantage of your enemy’s broken defense window.譬如滑雪或冲浪这类运动时，人的身体也时刻处于一个失控与可控之间的临界点。或者说，通过不断地调整，使得本来会失控的重心始终保持在可控状态，并在某些时机做出惊人的动作，是这类运动的乐趣所在。游玩《影之刃零》时，你会在一个非常高速的状态下进行战斗，移动速度快，攻击频率快，你可以登上柱子，横向跑墙，用鬼魅般的身法突然闪到敌人身后，时不时会出现一次特殊的处决，让摄像机突然拉到一个广角或特写…… 在这个过程中，你会略微产生一种眩晕感，虽然我们尽量使得屏幕上出现的一切都赏心悦目，但是你还需要在这种血脉贲张的战斗中保持理智，以便应对敌人一次又一次的攻击并给予反击。你会不断在理智的观察和冲动的冒险之间切换，而一切都发生得很快，如果失去控制，你会瞬间失败，并尽快重新开始一次尝试；如果顶住压力，打出几次漂亮的反击，并成功击破敌人的护甲，这时候你很可能会奇思妙想，继续打出疯狂的连招，在这一次破甲的时间内快速击杀敌人。Screenshot: S-GAMEIn the ‘Phantom Blade Zero’ documentary you’ve released in China, you go into detail about working with Kung Fu Masters for motion capture in the game. How did this opportunity come to arise, and what challenges did you face, if any, during this process?Our goal was to create a combat experience that is both culturally authentic and historically grounded. If we had simply gathered reference materials, created some Kung Fu-inspired animations, and applied them to an existing combat system like Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry, then what we produced wouldn’t truly be Wuxia (martial arts). Instead, we wanted to go beyond what Japanese and Western developers have done before.So, we decided to explore new systems ourselves. I learned that when the French studio Sloclap developed Sifu, they conducted in-depth studies of Bak Mei Kung Fu in China. As a Chinese studio, why wouldn’t we take it even further? That’s when we started visiting legendary martial arts sects, temples, and schools across China. We worked with masters from Emei Mountain, the Shaolin Temple, Guangdong Lion Dance troupes, and several Kung Fu academies. It was an unbelievable and dreamlike journey, filled with discoveries that deeply influenced our approach to game design.The biggest challenge wasn’t capturing these authentic Kung Fu movements. But breaking them down into fundamental gameplay mechanics and rebuilding them in a way that feels responsive and interactive. Unlike film, where fight choreography is purely visual, games require real-time player engagement and combat feedback.We wanted players to not only see Kung Fu action but truly play it. Every move in the game reflects the authentic principles of Chinese martial arts. When you make the right decisions in combat, you’re rewarded with genuine and impactful techniques. Our goal is to ensure that players don’t just feel like they’re controlling a Kung Fu master on-screen; instead, they become one as they play, fully immersed in a world of fast, fluid, and strategic Wuxia/Martial Arts combat.我们想做的是经得起考证，并且蕴含丰富文化背景的战斗体验。如果只是找找资料，制作一些中式武打动画并套用到类似《忍者龙剑传》或是《鬼泣》的战斗系统中，那么我们做出来的未必是真正的武侠——而我们想做出我们在日本和西方的同行都没有做过的东西。所以，我们只能自己去探索——我听说法国工作室Sloclap为了做出Sifu，在中国学习了相当深度的白眉拳法，那么我们自己本身就是中国的工作室，为何我们不去那些门派，寺庙和武术学校里面探访一番？就这样，我们联系了一些在中国最著名的武林门派，包括峨眉山，少林寺，广东的舞狮队，还有许多武术学校等……这是一段梦幻般的美妙旅程。困难的地方，我觉得是如何完成把真正的武打拆解成一些基础元素，并用游戏玩法系统将这些元素重新组合起来的过程。与影视相比，玩家要在游戏里体验游戏与敌人的交互和战斗反馈，而不只是视觉性的东西。我们希望玩家在游玩游戏时，不但能用角色做出高超的武打动作，还要能理解并贯彻传统的武打技击理念，如果你做出对应的决策，你就会获得好的反馈和奖励。玩家不只是在“看”武打，还在“玩”武打，成为一个真正的飞檐走壁的大侠。Screenshot: S-GAMEThere are many references to classic Wuxia/Martial Arts films in ‘Phantom Blade Zero’, but one of the most apparent is the sword formation. Seeing as we’ll be facing off against many different foes, can we expect most encounters to start like this?Throughout the game, you will experience a wide range of unique and cinematic boss battles. These bosses don’t just serve as combat challenges. They also play a key role in driving the narrative forward while delivering a blend of classic and wild visual and gameplay experiences.I’m glad you enjoyed the sword formation fight from our Chinese New Year trailer. We have even more thrilling and creative enemies in store. For fans of Kung Fu films and novels, many of these moments may feel familiar yet fresh, as we’re bringing classic Kung Fu tropes into a game in a way that has never been done before.在整个游戏的探索和故事推进的过程中，你当然会预期许许多多独具特色的BOSS战，通常，这些BOSS都包含了一些故事的推动要素，并带来既传统，又狂野的视觉及游戏体验。很开心你喜欢我们蛇年trailer的剑阵战斗，我们还有更多疯狂的设计，也许对于功夫电影或小说的粉丝来说，许多桥段都似曾相识，但是把这些设计呈现到游戏中，这还是第一次。Screenshot: S-GAMEWhen traveling to meet up with these Kung Fu Masters, you mentioned visiting Shaolin Temples and working with Guangdong Lion Dance teams to bring the world of ‘Phantom Blade Zero’ to life. What were some of your favorite parts of this experience?There were so many unforgettable moments on this journey. One of my personal favorites was learning Lion Dance in Guangdong. We practiced with hollow bamboo lion heads, following the master’s movements. Even with these lighter versions, we were completely exhausted by the end. The real lion heads used in performances are much heavier, requiring even more strength and endurance.I was also fascinated by a story from one of the Lion Dance masters. He told me that, in the old days, Lion Dance troupes traveling for performances often faced the threat of bandit attacks. To defend themselves, they would hide sharp blades and spears inside the lion heads, using their movements to strike back against the bandits while protecting their team. Hearing this was truly eye-opening — it felt like a real-life example of “Kung Fu Punk.”太多了，这趟旅程中有许多难忘的经历。我个人很喜欢在广东学习舞狮的体验，我们用空心的竹子狮头跟着师傅的动作做，即使是这样，我们还累的精疲力尽，但是真正的演出用狮子头比这重许多。我还非常喜欢舞狮的大师给我讲述古时候舞狮队为了避免巡回演出路上被强盗袭击，而在狮头内部暗藏尖刀和长枪，并通过操控狮子头来反击强盗，保护演出团队的故事，这听起来非常“Kungfupunk”。Screenshot: S-GAMEDoes ‘PBZ’ play into the idea of Chinese Mythology, or is everything created here strictly confined within its own world? If so, what should players be keeping their eyes peeled for?The story and world of Phantom Blade Zero are entirely original, but they are undeniably influenced by classic Wuxia novels and films. The connection is similar to how Game of Thrones is influenced by The Lord of the Rings and the Wars of the Roses — it’s not a direct adaptation, but it carries certain inherited themes and inspirations.For example, the sword formation fight you saw in our trailer, where seven swordsmen attack in the Big Dipper constellation formation, is a classic example from Wuxia novels. Another example is the Blood Dripper, a weapon used by a boss in our demo. In legends, it was a deadly flying guillotine rumored to have been used by Qing Dynasty emperors to eliminate their enemies. This terrifying weapon has also been romanticized and dramatized in many Wuxia films from the ’70s and ’80s.PBZ的故事和世界观是我们原创的，但是它当然受到武侠小说或电影的影响，这种联系就像《冰与火之歌》与《指环王》或玫瑰战争的联系一样，并不直接，但有着某些传承色彩。譬如你所看到的剑阵战，七名剑客组成北斗七星阵型攻击而来，这是武侠小说中的经典设定；又或是之前你见过的试玩版BOSS手中的武器“血滴子”，能够飞行而来将人头切断并带回，这是传说中清代皇帝用来铲除异己的可怕武器，也被一些7,80年代的武打电影所渲染。