S-GAME's wuxia action RPG lands at 88 on Metacritic and 92 on OpenCritic ahead of its October 28 PC launch on Steam, and critics can't stop talking about the combat.
The scores so far
- Metacritic (PC): 88, Generally Favorable, 35 critic reviews (32 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative)
- OpenCritic: 92 Top Critic Average, 100% Critics Recommend
Phantom Blade Zero unlocks on PC through Steam on Wednesday, October 28 at 10 PM ET.
What the critics are saying
IGN: 9/10
“one of the best action games I’ve played in a long time, with standout combat that never came even close to feeling old”
PCGamesN: 10/10
“Phenomenal combat, a beautiful world, and a confidently original story wrapped up in a package that’s an intricately designed Metroidvania at heart.”
Wccftech: 10/10
“Phantom Blade Zero is a genre-defining game that stands as one of the best current-generation titles to date.”
GameSpot: 8/10
“Some games might have better combat, but few can match Phantom Blade Zero’s style.”
TheSixthAxis: 9/10
“Phantom Blade Zero is spectacular, occasionally gloriously ridiculous and packed with reasons to keep exploring.”
Gameblog: 9/10
“Phantom Blade Zero is one of the best games of the year.”
Checkpoint Gaming: 8/10
“Phantom Blade Zero is a spectacularly satisfying action game that rewards precise combat and experimentation of its extensive arsenal.”
The common thread is clear. Combat and boss fights are near-universal highs, while the knocks land on a convoluted story, invisible walls and some performance hiccups, with IGN flagging one map that ran badly and expecting a patch at or near launch.
PC gamers, this is our kind of week. A wuxia action game that critics are putting in the same breath as the genre’s best, launching day one on Steam, and IGN played its review on PC. The combat is the headline in basically every review, and that’s exactly what you want from a game like this. The story might be a mess, but nobody buys a kung fu action game for the lore. I’m watching the performance notes closely, because one rough map and some technical hiccups are worth keeping an eye on, but a quick patch fixes that. Get your rig ready, crank it to ultra, and let’s see if Phantom Blade Zero lives up to the hype on Wednesday night.
Image: S-GAME (Steam)
