Phantom Blade Zero takes cues from early Dark Souls, Resident Evil, and classic kung-fu movies—some of the key inspirations shaping this new game.
Phantom Blade Zero is Not a Soulslike, But Influenced by FromSoftware
The title holds a prominent place among upcoming flagship releases, something we’ll be able to experience firsthand when it launches on PS5 and PC.
With an approximate playtime of 50 hours, S-Game’s title goes for a wuxia-style action formula—more reminiscent of Devil May Cry than the typical soulslike standards.
But not entirely: S-Game has revealed that Phantom Blade Zero will be closely tied to FromSoftware’s games, though with a different approach than what’s common today.
Inspired by the Classics of FromSoftware
In an interview with Gamesradarthe Chinese studio explained that their project is heavily inspired by the Dark Souls franchise.
“We’re huge fans of the games that came before Elden Ring,” S-Game said, referring to titles that featured interconnected levels instead of vast open worlds.
Specifically, those references apply to the game’s environments—interconnected and full of secrets: “We want the levels to feel solid, with a lot of density and depth.”
For ‘Soulframe’ Liang, director of Phantom Blade Zerolevel design is a core pillar of the game, especially since he studied architecture at university.
Beyond Labels: A Unique Combat Approach
S-Game completely avoids labels: they don’t want the game to be categorized as a soulslike, which is why so much importance has been placed on the combat system.
In fact, the studio even describes the game as Resident Evil with swordsmaking it clear they’ve drawn inspiration from the best action, exploration, and even horror games.
“Everything is useful when building the foundation of our project—whether it’s the exploration of Soulsthe tension of survival horror, or the combat of hack-and-slash,” they explained.
Cinema also plays a role in Phantom Blade Zero: “We want to bring back the golden age style of kung-fu movies, from Bruce Lee to the early 2000s.”
It’s a big mix of influences, but the studio insists it’s all intentional: “We have a set of core principles when designing the game; otherwise, all these inspirations would feel disjointed and fall apart.”
Although Phantom Blade Zero doesn’t have a release date yet, it’s expected to launch in fall 2026 for PS5 and PC.
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