When I first played Phantom Blade Zero earlier this year at Gamescom Latam, I left the hands-on demo with a spring in my step. I had just played a Dark Souls-style action RPG (though decidedly not a Soulslike), and I kind of kicked a bunch of ass. The action was fast-paced, the combos were slick, and most importantly, boss fights didn't leave me questioning every decision in my life that led to the encounter. I liked it, and I wrote a whole piece about how I wished more big-budget action RPGs were similar.

Now that the wuxia-flavored Phantom Blade Zero is out in the wild, it's clear that it's the entry level dark fantasy action RPG for me and for everyone else who's tired of seeing a new game, being intrigued by it, and then being pounded into submission by that game's ridiculous difficulty curve. As I said back in May, I want to love Elden Ring. I want to love Sekiro. I really want to love Bloodborne. They just need to chill a little bit, or at least give me the option to lower the difficulty.

Phantom Blade Zero, on the other hand, shares some of the same attractive qualities of a good Soulslike—the lengthy, cinematic boss fights, the grotesque enemy designs, the deep lore—but without the mandatory brutality. Critic and player reviews alike suggest the game is far more forgiving than your typical Soulslike, with difficulty options in case you want more or less of a challenge.

Source link