The PlayStation Showcase 2023 showcased many exciting games coming to Sony consoles, and one of them is a fast-paced action RPG that looks like a mix between Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima called Phantom Blade Zero. It was announced during the event and is being developed by S-Game, a Chinese studio known for its long history of making games inspired by traditional Chinese culture and martial arts.
Its latest offering, Phantom Blade Zero, follows an elite assassin named Soul, who has been framed for the murder of the leader of The Order. He is saved by a mystical healer but is told that his life will be saved for only 66 days, giving him just enough time to prove his innocence.
During his journey, he will fight unimaginable enemies and unearthly creatures in a dark fantasy world that blends Chinese kung fu with steampunk aesthetics and the arts of the occult.
The developers have been influenced by the combat in movies starring the likes of Bruce Lee, Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once and John Wick 4, and Donnie Yen in John Wick 4.
To create this authentic fighting style, S-Game employed the expertise of Kenji Tanigaki, who physically performed all the movements that appear in the trailer. They were then filmed by a matrix to capture their essence and make them look mesmerising on-screen.
The game will be released for PS5 and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) at a date to be confirmed. It has been described as a spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood, which was originally an indie game that ran on the RPG Maker platform and was released in 2010.
