To celebrate the New Year, the Year of the Snake in the Chinese Zodiac, the team at S-Game is sharing some new details and a fresh look at Phantom Blade Zero. During Summer Game Fest last year I had the opportunity to spend about 20 minutes with the game and came away very excited at what they were building. Now, with additional development time and funding, I’m more excited than ever.
The new trailer kicks off with a boss fight where players must simultaneously handle multiple enemies while looking for opportunities to attack Decree, the heart of the formation. The fight features a battle against the Seven Judgments who fight in a “sword formation”. Among these seven enemies, one serves as the “heart” that coordinates the overall formation. When the Seven Judgments appear, they surround Soul in the positions of the Big Dipper constellation; the leader takes the key position.
These enemies were once righteous warriors who used this formation to slay countless powerful enemies but have since been turned into puppets corrupted by the bloodthirst from the Transcension procedure. Six of them wear white robes with a dark hollow in the place of the faces, while their leader, Decree, wears blue with a similar hollow face, faintly glowing with a ghostly blue flame. When Decree takes damage, the other disciples will sacrifice their own health to heal him. If there are fewer than three disciples left, Decree will use his health to revive them. The collective health pool of all these enemies stays the same, meaning Soul must whittle them down one way or another.
Perhaps most notable, unlike fighting seven separate enemies, the disciples are powered by a group A.I., coordinating attacks and launching multi-directional strikes.
In the spirit of The Year of the Snake, the trailer also features snake-themed weapons. The first is named “White Python and Red Viper” and is a pair of swords of different lengths. The White Python is a long sword with wide, sweeping attacks, while the Red Viper is a short sword designed for precision strikes. The two swords can also be used in combination, such as the long sword propelling the short sword to attack. Its gameplay emphasizes multi-hit combos with alternating attacks.
The “Venomous Softblade” is a flexible sword that excels in countering and deflecting attacks. The soft blade’s flexibility allows it to wrap around joints, severing tendons and vessels. It focuses on defensive maneuvers and counterattacks along with unique blocking mechanics including parrying.
The new trailer also highlights two new Phantom Edges. First is the “Savage Axe” which can be charged for three, powerful strikes that deal heavy Sha-Chi damage to enemies. It relies on precise timing to be most effective. Meanwhile the “Ink Cut” is a combo-orientated artifact. Its attacks can be chained together with Soul’s primary weapon hits to expand the overall combo. It also serves as a key plot device and delivers unique effects in specific battles. Though, S-Game doesn’t want to spoil any of that just yet…
As I noted in my preview, my early time with Phantom Blade Zero left me highly impressed and can’t wait to continue seeing more of what S-Game has up their sleeves.
