Developer S-Game has confirmed that Phantom Blade Zero, slated for release on September 9, 2026, will remain a console exclusive to PS5 for a year. This confirmation comes from a note at the end of the title’s release date announcement trailer uploaded on the PlayStation YouTube channel, which states that it will not be available on other consoles for at least 12 months.
It does mention a PC release, however, which means that Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 players who have been waiting for Phantom Blade Zero will have to wait for, at minimum, another full year before they can play the title on their preferred platform. “Also available on PC. Not available on other consoles until at least 12 months after release date.”
Alongside this note, the trailer also gave us a look at some of the new weapons available in Phantom Blade Zero, including massive spears and hook swords. It also showcased some of the boss fights, along with the protagonist taking on the Drunken Fist style of combat.
Game director “Soulframe” Liang had previously spoken quite a bit about Phantom Blade Zero, including the fact that the fighting game genre served as one of the core inspirations behind the upcoming title’s boss fights, especially when players pick higher difficulty options. “In normal difficulty, he has some of the Soulslike elements to him: he has fixed combos, and if you fight him enough times, you’ll figure out his combos,” said Liang about one of the bosses.
“But in extreme difficulty, it’s a completely different direction,” he said, saying that the game designers “tried to borrow a concept from fighting games and incorporate it into his AI.” In Hellwalker difficulty, the boss can “analyze the situation he’s in and whether it’s to his advantage or disadvantage.”
Combat director Qianli Ma has also spoken about the game’s combat system, and how it was designed to put players into a “flow” state that makes them “want to dance”. This, Ma noted, came down to the fact that Phantom Blade Zero features fast-paced combat with the developers making sure to reduce input latency as much as possible.
“This allows players to pull off awesome, fast-paced combat without having to worry about missing inputs, entering into a “dance”-like flow state. “If you want to beat it in a mediocre, not-as-beautiful way, it’s pretty achievable,” Ma explained. “But if you want to do it in a very beautiful manner, that’s the difficult aspect.”
Ma’s description of the combat in this regard makes it difficult not to draw comparisons with titles like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, where the core challenge of the game comes from making sure you’re being as stylish as possible rather than using basic-but-effective combos.
