Phantom Blade Zero finally shows off its interconnected game world, with exploration 'guided by 8 authentic hand-painted Chinese ink wash maps'
It's not a linear action game or an open world RPG.
In a recent PlayStation State of Play video, Phantom Blade Zero's developer S-Game unveiled a hidden game world consisting of eight interconnected maps. These maps, hand-painted in the traditional Chinese ink wash style, seamlessly link together to create a single, immersive environment. S-Game founder Soulframe Liang described the game's areas as "intricate but surreal," ranging from villages and valleys to mysterious steam-powered towers and vast lakes.
The narrative suggests that the game's world will be divided into various regions, with each map offering only a rough guide to navigation in complex areas, encouraging exploration and discovery of hidden secrets. Fast travel between discovered locations is facilitated through bells and can be unlocked by using weapons to smash through obstacles, hinting at metroidvania-style progress gating.
While Phantom Blade Zero is not an open world game nor a linear adventure, the developer promises a balance between the two, making it a unique action RPG that may come close to Dark Souls' complex world. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen has been involved in the game's development since 2023.
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