Phantom Blade Zero is the 20-year culmination of a $7 indie RPG: "Sometimes, it is passion and a little madness that give a game its richest flavor"

While it might feel like Phantom Blade Zero and developer S-Game sprang up out of nowhere, the new action game's legacy stretches back decades – all the way to an indie game built in RPG Maker as a hobby. We haven't even hit the Phantom Blade Zero release time and analysts suspect that it's already sailed past 1 million copies sold, so it's safe to say this is a major glow-up.

"Twenty years ago, while I was still a student, I completed my first indie game, Rainblood: Town of Death," creative director and S-Games CEO "Soulframe" Liang says in a message to fans ahead of Phantom Blade Zero's launch. "It was a hobby project made with RPG Maker. With the limited skills I had at the time, I built the fantasy world I had imagined: the Phantom World, rooted in traditional Chinese wuxia but infused with elements such as body modification, parallel world, and more."

Liang has previously described Phantom Blade Zero as a "spiritual rebirth" of Rainblood, and it's easy to see the parallels, even if the scope of the new game is absolutely massive. The original Rainblood: Town of Death – which is still available for $7 on GamersGate – is far more impressive than the typical RPG Maker game, with a unique art style that has the vibe of a long-lost anime.

"Back then, I had no idea where my life or career would lead," Liang continues. "Making games had simply been a source of comfort while I studied abroad, but before I knew it, it had become one of the most important parts of my life."

Rainblood eventually spawned a franchise with some 20 million fans, though many of the games have never been released outside of China. Phantom Blade Zero is taking the center of a far more global stage, and it seems S-Games is going all in on this specific title.

Liang says the team canceled its other projects and "kept expanding the scale of production" for Phantom Blade Zero. "Making games is not always a rational pursuit," he admits. "Sometimes, it is passion and a little madness that give a game its richest flavor."

It seems like the dedication is going to pay off. Our Phantom Blade Zero review calls it "a GOTY contender with combat that looks as good as it feels," and the early Metacritic score puts it as one of the top action games of 2026 – a year which, I've gotta note, is filled with incredible entries in that genre.

Not a bad outcome from such humble beginnings. "Its roots lie in the indie game I created during my student years, at a time of hardship and uncertainty," Liang concludes. "But it also holds everything we have been able to give."

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