Phantom Blade Zero opens with an 88 Metascore as GTA 6 debuts at No

Phantom Blade Zero, S-GAME's highly anticipated dark wuxia action-adventure, has opened to a rousing 88 Metascore, with critics comparing it to legendary titles like Devil May Cry, and heaping praise on its boss battles.

For a long-awaited martial arts action title, it’s a solid first read from gaming experts, although not everything is positive: the narrative has been singled out by some outlets who see it as bloated and needlessly complex. However, no one seems to think it detracts from what is otherwise a smooth and brilliant game.

What Phantom Blade Zero is

Phantom Blade Zero is a dark fantasy martial arts game set for release later this week on PC and PlayStation. Despite the criticism of its narrative, some might argue that narrative isn’t necessarily really what matters here. Rather, the game needs to excel when it comes to action and combat, and, according to critics so far, it’s succeeded in its endeavours.

That’s a big deal for a studio that normally pumps out mobile games (including early titles in the Phantom Blade franchise). There is a story in Zero, of course, and players control Soul, an assassin framed for the murder of his own order. But too many characters and too many flashbacks are said to be key reasons why narrative won’t be the game’s selling point.

You can see the trailer for yourself here:

How the weekly chart looks

The high score isn’t enough for Phantom Blade Zero to make Inven Global’s top 10 Games for the Week, though it does sit in the featured slot:

Where the other games are concerned, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 stands out as a bit of a must-have right now, at least among fans of the franchise and first-person shooters in general. It launched on Oct. 23 and holds Metacritic scores of 86 on PC and 91 on PS5. Its setting, a second Korean War with South Korean and U.S. forces fighting a North Korean invasion, has made it a talking point in both the US and Korea, and it’s been called the franchise’s “highest-rated title for 15 years.”

Unlike Phantom Blade Zero, Modern Warfare 4’s narrative has been praised, with the characters, the set pieces and the missions receiving the thumbs up from practically every outlet.

Writer's take

An 88 Metacritic score is the kind of number that sells a wuxia action game to people who don't normally follow the genre. Landing it in the same week as GTA 6 keeps S-GAME's title in the conversation.

And while the game is neither a soulslike game nor (technically) a Metroidvania, it borrows elements from both. The main story is said to last 30 hours, though critics have said they’ve been playing it for 50 hours so far, but how players react to the plodding narrative could determine whether we have a “Game of the Year” contender here or an action-packed dark fantasy that entertains for a week or so before fading.