Skill Up's verdict on *Phantom Blade Zero* is in the title of his review: he strongly recommends it. The more useful part of the video is what he thinks the game actually is, because his answer cuts against how it has often been described. In his view S-Game's wuxia action game is closer in design and structure to 2018's God of War than to Black Myth: Wukong or a traditional Soulslike (01:34).
The basics
*Phantom Blade Zero* is developed and published by S-Game. Push Square reported in June that it was delayed from 9 September to 29 October 2026, with the studio saying the extra time would go on "a number of clearly defined and genuinely important improvements". It is coming to PS5 and PC. Skill Up reviewed it on PC.
Not a Soulslike
This is Skill Up's central point. He argues the game is neither a Soulslike nor a boss rush, noting for example that enemies don't respawn when you rest (01:47). In his description, it puts expression and spectacle ahead of difficulty checks that stop your progress, and he explains how its structure is linear action with metroidvania-style exploration layered on top (12:31).
Where it came from
Skill Up spends the opening minutes on the game's origins and its creator, the director known as Soulframe Liang, and S-Game's history (00:16). It is useful context: this is a studio's first project at this scale, which makes the polish he goes on to describe more notable. He also covers the PC version's technical side, including ray tracing, path tracing and the graphics options (08:13), before turning to its art direction and soundtrack (09:08).
What he loved
Tone and world. He praises a serious, sincere tone, contrasting it with the sarcastic, MCU-style banter of many big-budget games (04:04), and calls the level design and environmental storytelling standout strengths (06:00). He likes that side characters join boss fights, which makes the world feel lived in (07:20).
Presentation. He says the finished game looks better than early trailers suggested, and calls it AAA quality (11:45).
Combat. The longest section of the review is a deep dive into combat: managing the Sha-Chi resource, swapping weapons and how the motion capture feeds the feel (17:46). His practical advice is not to stick with one weapon for the whole campaign, because experimenting with the roster is where the game shines (23:07).
Side content. Unusually, he says some of the best moments and boss fights are optional (15:47), so players who rush the story will miss them.
The size of it
In the video's description Skill Up puts the game at around 40 hours, with more than 50 bosses and 30 unique weapons, and says almost all of it is "truly excellent". Those are his figures from his playthrough; the length will vary with how much of the optional content you do.
Who it's for
On Skill Up's account, *Phantom Blade Zero* suits players who want a big, flashy, combat-led action game with depth to master, and who were put off by the idea that it would be another punishing Soulslike. If you want exactly that punishment, his review suggests you'll find it in the optional bosses rather than the main path.
Viewers were excited. Many joked about backlogs that would never shrink, several said hearing it isn't a Soulslike made them more interested, and a few had already booked time off for launch.
From the creators
Watch the video
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