Phantom Blade Zero Will be PS5 Console-Exclusive For At Least 12 Months

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S-Game, the developer of Phantom Blade Zero, has announced that the game will initially be exclusive to PlayStation consoles for one year after its release on PC and PS5 on September 9, 2026. This information was revealed in a note at the end of the game’s release date trailer on the PlayStation YouTube channel. While the trailer highlights details about the upcoming action RPG, the note clarifies that Phantom Blade Zero won’t be available on other consoles for at least twelve months.

While the game will be released on PC, fans hoping to play Phantom Blade Zero on Xbox Series X/S or Nintendo Switch 2 will likely have to wait at least another year. A message at the end of the trailer states the game will be available on PC first, with other consoles to follow no sooner than twelve months after the initial release.

The new trailer for Phantom Blade Zero revealed some of the game’s weapons, like large spears and hook swords. It also showed off exciting boss battles and highlighted the main character’s unique fighting style, which includes the Drunken Fist technique.

Soulframe’s game director, Liang, has discussed Phantom Blade Zero extensively, noting that fighting games heavily influenced the design of its boss battles, particularly on harder difficulties. He explained that one boss, on normal difficulty, will behave similarly to enemies in Soulslike games – using set attack patterns that players can learn through repeated encounters. “If you fight him enough times, you’ll figure out his combos,” Liang said.

He explained that when players face really tough challenges, the game behaves very differently. The designers attempted to make the boss’s artificial intelligence smarter by taking inspiration from fighting games. Specifically, the boss in Hellwalker can assess its current situation and determine if it’s winning or losing.

Combat director Qianli Ma discussed the game’s combat, explaining the goal was to create a smooth, engaging experience – almost like dancing. This was achieved through fast-paced action and minimizing delays between player input and on-screen response. Players can complete challenges with basic techniques, but mastering the combat to perform stylish, fluid moves is the real challenge. As Ma put it, it’s easy to win, but difficult to win beautifully.

The way Ma describes the combat feels similar to games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Those games focus more on performing flashy, stylish moves than simply using effective, but basic, attack combinations, and this game seems to do the same.

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2025-12-15 14:11