3 reasons Elden Ring gamers will love Phantom Blade Zero, and 3 reasons they won't

Phantom Blade Zero launches later this month, and it’s going to be a pretty big deal.

The kung-fu-punk action-adventure game is like John Wick with more martial arts, and soulslike fans are going to love it.

While it’s not part of the soulslike genre, it does borrow quite a few elements from it. After going hands-on with the game for over six hours, I can confidently say it executes them flawlessly, and I’m adamant that FromSoftware fans are going to love it…mostly.

Below are three reasons I think you’ll get a kick out of Phantom Blade Zero if you’re into games like Elden Ring, and three that might leave you on the fence. Regardless, I’d encourage you to try the game for yourself when it launches on October 29.

3 reasons Phantom Blade Zero is perfect for Elden Ring players

Phantom Blade Zero boasts some of the best bosses I’ve ever fought

This is a given. During my hands-on preview, I fought more bosses than expected, and with the sole exception of one, they were all certified bangers.

One boss in particular shone above all the rest, and even surpasses a similar fight found in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

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You don’t need to Larval Tears to change your build

Elden Ring broke the mold with its character builds, as unlike previous FromSoftware games, you had the opportunity to change your stats with a finite supply of Larval Tears.

While I’m glad this was added, Phantom Blade Zero does it better. Soul’s upgrades don’t matter as much as the weapon upgrades. The power of your build lies in your weapons.

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Several weapons were unlocked for my preview, and what I loved most was how you could upgrade one as much as you want, then reverse it. You’d get all of your upgrade materials back, ready to be distributed into weapons you want to use instead.

It just made everything so simple, which is perfect for those who want to try out several different approaches to combat.

Phantom Blade Zero’s ‘66 Days’ Mode

Something that’s rarely been talked about regarding Phantom Blade Zero is the awesome 66 Days mode you’ll unlock after beating the main story.

This is where the soulslike crowd should be looking if they want a real challenge, as it turns Soul’s 66 days to live into an actual game mechanic, rather than a narrative device.

You essentially get 66 lives, as each death costs you a day. Once you’re out of days, you’ll have to start over from the beginning, making for an awesome permadeath run for those brave enough.

3 reasons Elden Ring players might be hesitant to play Phantom Blade Zero

Far less linear than Elden Ring

Elden Ring stunned gamers across the globe with its open world. Just when you thought the game couldn’t get any bigger, a new area would be unlocked. This makes repeat playthroughs a lot of fun as there are so many different paths to take.

Phantom Blade Zero lacks an open world and offers a more linear experience, meaning you’ll usually fight the same bosses in the same order, which some fans might not like. There are still some optional bosses to encounter, though, and it’s highly recommended that you seek them out.

Roadblock bosses with no alternate routes

Because you’ll be fighting the same bosses each time you play, there’s bound to be one or two that you just don’t like. It happened to me during my hands-on preview, and I’m dreading the rematch when I finally get to play the full game.

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Normally, when a boss in Elden Ring or Dark Souls proves to be too challenging, I’ll wander off and do some exploring. You can fight weaker enemies for upgrades, grab helpful items, or even take on optional bosses to give you a boost. Phantom Blade Zero unfortunately has very little of that, so if you’re struggling with a boss, your only option is to ‘get good’.

Mid-boss save points

The whole point of a soulslike is the challenge, right? When you’ve given a boss everything you’ve got and finally whittle its health bar down, only to learn it had a second phase all along!

Should you prevail, you’re going to feel pretty good about yourself, but if you die, you’ll undoubtedly have to start all over again.

Phantom Blade Zero has multi-phase bosses, but the ones in my hands-on demo wouldn’t reset their progress when I died. If a boss activated its second phase and killed me, I’d run back into the arena to find it still in its second phase.

Now this was a highlight in my opinion because as much as I like a challenge, I also play games to have fun, and sometimes having to repeat a two-or-three-phase fight just gets tedious after a while. The hardcore soulslike crowd might disagree, though, believing this makes the game too easy.

Hopefully the above points don’t dissuade you from trying Phantom Blade Zero for yourself. As mentioned before, it’s not trying to be the next big soulslike. Phantom Blade Zero’s whole vibe is making you feel like the protagonist of a kung-fu film.

That said, it packs a mean punch, which will obviously attract the FromSoftware crowd, especially those who liked Elden Ring or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Phantom Blade Zero is still going to test you, but know that it aims to offer a completely different experience from what you might be expecting.

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