Phantom Blade Zero arrives October 29 after strong reviews
S-GAME's kung fu action RPG launches on PS5 and PC this week with a 91 average on OpenCritic. Preload opens tonight.
One of the most anticipated action games of the year is finally close. Phantom Blade Zero, developed and published by the Chinese studio S-GAME, launches on October 29 for PlayStation 5 and PC, through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Launch time and preload
The game unlocks at 2 a.m. UTC on October 29, which means 7 p.m. PDT on October 28 in the United States and 11 p.m. on October 28 in Brasília. Preload opens on October 26 at 7 p.m. PDT, so players can have the files ready before the servers go live.
The launch was originally planned for September 9 and was moved to October 29. On consoles, the game is a PS5 exclusive for 12 months.
What the critics said
The review embargo lifted ahead of release, and the reception was largely positive:
- OpenCritic: 91 average from 24 critics, with the "Mighty" badge.
- Metacritic: 88, based on 33 reviews.
- TheGamer: 5 out of 5.
- Eurogamer: 6 out of 10, one of the more critical takes.
GamesRadar+ also praised the combat, which is the main point of discussion in almost every review. The fast, combo-heavy fights draw on Hong Kong action films and wuxia fiction, and most critics agree that this is where the game shines.
The story
Players control Soul, an assassin from an organization called the Order who is framed for a murder and poisoned. He has 66 days to live and uses that time to find out who set him up. The setting mixes kung fu, dark fantasy and a touch of steampunk, a style S-GAME calls "kungfupunk".
For a studio that first drew attention with a gameplay trailer years ago, a launch with this kind of critical support is a big moment. It also adds another name to the growing list of Chinese action games that have found an audience in the West.
