Phantom Blade Zero Gets Thrilling New Anime Trailer After 8 Months

Phantom Blade Zero is easily one of the most hyped-up releases that everyone has eyes on this year, well, that is the title does come out later in 2024. Following a period of eight months, which was when the game was revealed for the first time, Chinese developer S-Game has finally issued an update on this front, releasing a new trailer for its upcoming Soulslike that’s nothing short of a burst of action. 

Most of the footage shown actually references — in a unique fashion I must say — one of the oldest games of the developer, Rain Blood Chronicles: Mirage, a side-scrolling platformer from 2008 belonging to the hack-and-slash genre. It’s only until the last 30 seconds of the trailer that we truly get to see Phantom Blade Zero in action, with the footage showing off some HUD (Heads-Up Display) elements and its previously noted mesmerizing combat with wall-running as well.

What’s more, is that the developer’s YouTube channel commented under the video in question, affirming that the “demo is on its way.” About six months ago, the game’s Director hopped on stage during ChinaJoy 2023 and confirmed that a demo of the title would be released in 2024. It’s certainly a happy sight seeing the dev re-confirm its previous statement because word on this game has been silent as of late.

eXputer was able to communicate with S-Game’s CEO in an email Q&A to talk about some of the questions we had for Phantom Blade Zero. Interestingly enough, Soulframe told us that the game features a storyline set in rivalry à la Dante and Vergil or Guts and Griffith and that the anime portion of the trailer appeals to the fans of Rain Blood, which are still abundant in China. I recommend giving the interview a full read. 

For most audiences, this is a self-contained, independent anime giving a taste of the story of the Phantom Blade series. The two characters, Soul and Zuo Shang grew up and practiced Kungfu together, and they fought side by side until some big tragedy happened, after which they turned into lifetime enemies of one another. It’s something classic, like Guts and Griffith or Dante and Vergil, but it’s also something really new, in a Chinese Wuxia background, and the story will be solid and moving.

Phantom Blade Zero’s first-ever reveal came forward at the PlayStation Showcase that took place last year. There’s no concrete release date provided for the title yet, but it could come out later this year.