Phantom Blade Zero is "neither a Soulslike game nor a traditional action game," creator says, suggesting that "maybe it could create a new identity" altogether

Phantom Blade Zero's creator has doubled down on the reminder that his upcoming action RPG definitely isn't a Soulslike, nor is it a "traditional action game" – in fact, he believes it could "create a new identity" entirely.

Developed by S-Game, Phantom Blade Zero puts players into the shoes of an assassin, and in a new statement from its creator (as well as CEO of S-Game) Soulframe Liang, it's acknowledged that when the game was "first announced, people thought it was a 'Soulslike.' After all, it seemed to feature interconnected maps, hidden secrets, and those sigh-of-relief checkpoints."

Although the devs since made it clear that this isn't the case – something we also found out in our own hands-on preview last year – that didn't stop further misconceptions. "Later, after we released some combat demo, people noticed that the pace was clearly much faster than Soulslike titles – it must be a 'hack and slash' game, like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden," Liang continues, before going to renounce the idea of his game falling into either category.

"'Genre' is a label based on stereotypes. It helps players who are familiar with classic titles quickly build a frame of reference and form reasonable expectations. However, Phantom Blade Zero is neither a Soulslike game nor a traditional action game."

Liang says he's "always admired the creators who defied these genres. I spent years immersed in their work, drawing inspiration and learning from their brilliance."

It sounds like he's learned plenty, as it appears that he and the team at S-Game inadvertently ended up creating something unique with Phantom Blade Zero. He notes: "In the process of making this game, we stumbled onto a path we never expected:

"At first, we just wanted to make a game that brought 'hack and slash' into a multi-layered map. But once the animations and environmental assets came together, everything was 'stitched together' by a strong cultural aesthetic – creating something that felt deeply familiar to us, yet is rarely seen or experienced in games."

Liang then points to the long history of "Chinese kung fu and the spirit of Xia," noting that "across different historical periods, they've always managed to find new forms of expression – and within those forms, created distinct genres of their own." He gives the example of "kung fu films, Wuxia films, or martial arts films" which became known as their own distinct branch from the broader action genre from the 1960s onwards.

"Likewise, Phantom Blade Zero is not exactly a 'Soulslike' game or a traditional 'action game,'" he continues. "Broadly speaking, it falls under the category of ARPGs. But more specifically – maybe it could create a new identity that is Wuxia Action Games?"

S-Game is hosting an in-person preview event for Phantom Blade Zero in Beijing next month, which it hopes will give players "a clearer glimpse of the game's core experience." What's more, Liang reiterates that the plan is to "officially announce the launch date before 2025 runs out," so here's hoping we get some more news soon.

People said it wasn't hard enough, so one Phantom Blade Zero dev cooked up a hardcore difficulty mode that changes enemy AI so much it feels more like PvP.