Gaming

It’s Hard To Believe It, but ‘Phantom Blade Zero’ Looks Just as Good as Its Reveal Trailer Did

I must apologize to ‘Phantom Blade Zero’ developers S-Game, as I was seemingly not familiar with the level of ball you could actually play.

The main character of Phantom Blade Zero holding his sword in his right hand, standing in front of a temple.
Screenshot: S-GAME

Remember when the reveal trailer for Phantom Blade Zero was shown off? The one with the gameplay that looked far too good to be true? Well, it looks like our fears have been officially dismissed. Thanks to some gameplay footage floating around from the Tokyo Game Show. I have to admit, I was originally skeptical myself, but after seeing it in action? I may be convinced that this is the real deal after all.

‘Phantom Blade Zero’ Is Looking Fast and Furious, Just as Its Trailer Promised

When Phantom Blade Zero was announced, I remember just thinking to myself, “Yeah, right, okay,” when I first saw its supposed gameplay. It looked far too smooth to be actual gameplay. Rather, it looked more like the bullshots that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing since my youth. I thought that it could be a proof of concept, if anything. With the final result toning down the combat enough to make it look presentable. Well, I was wrong all along, and I’m happy to eat crow regarding that.

Videos by VICE

Posting off-screen combat footage, @Genki_JPN (not to be confused with the accessory maker who recently just got Nintendo Ninja’d at CES) confirms that Phantom Blade Zero really does have the juice that its reveal trailer promised it would. They also commented that while the build that they played was seemingly still in development, the combat felt rock-solid. This genuinely shot my excitement for the game through the roof, as I was initially very skeptical that they would be able to deliver the same type of action in-game in the trailer.

As action games continue to evolve further beyond their initial roots, Phantom Blade Zero looks to take another impressive step forward. Its animation quality is almost otherworldly, with every attack looking carefully choreographed. Poetry in motion, as they say.

While games like Black Myth Wukong may not have captured my attention as much as I had hoped, I now look forward to Phantom Blade Zero with bated breath. If the development team at S-GAME can keep the same level of quality throughout the rest of the game, we may be looking at a generational leap for action games going forward.