Kotaku reviewer played Phantom Blade Zero for 65 hours, finishing every side quest and unlocking the True Ending. The action game from S-Game nails its combat system, which demands constant simultaneous attacking, parrying, and dodging rather than waiting for safe openings. The reviewer describes the button-feel as "immaculately wonderful" and notes that learning to trust the protagonist Soul's ability to handle relentless enemy attacks represents the game's first major difficulty spike.
Boss fights deliver wildly. Several rank among the best the reviewer has seen in action games, including a rival encounter featuring escalating phases against a former student and her two bodyguards, culminating in a three-on-one clash at sunset. However, gimmick fights that restrict core mechanics—such as one that punishes parrying—wear thin before their long HP bars deplete.
The story poses a persistent problem. Phantom Blade Zero buries players in unexplained proper nouns and faction names (the Order, the Mandate, the Thread-Binding Sect, the Baishan Sect) for dozens of hours before clarity arrives. The narrative unfolds like a mystery rather than clearly establishing its world, forcing players to excavate enemy logs and lore scrolls to grasp basic plot elements. The climax features a 20-minute Chinese Opera performed with shadow puppets that resolves major revelations through spectacle. The reviewer struggled to determine whether events occurred a century ago, last year, or currently.
Quest design makes it too easy to miss content. Some boss encounters feel unnecessarily long. Despite these issues, the core combat loop transforms how the reviewer perceives action game design overall.