Phantom Blade Zero dev promises no microtransactions and some Souls-like elements
Better Call Soul.
Developer S-Game has stated that its upcoming game Phantom Blade Zero will have no gacha mechanics or microtransactions, and will focus on being "approachable" whilst incorporating some Souls-like elements.
Phantom Blade Zero was officially announced a couple of weeks ago at Sony's PlayStation Showcase, where it gained attention for its slick wuxia-influenced combat and Souls-esque vibes.
The plot follows Soul, an elite assassin for an organisation known as The Order, as he attempts to track the person who framed him for killing the The Order's patriarch on limited time. S-Game made the comments on what players can expect in its Discord server through a series of developer Q&As.
The Phantom Blade series has been successful on mobile in China, as explained by S-Game CEO Qiwei "Soulframe" Liang in the official PlayStation blog post accompanying the game's announcement.
The developer Q&As conducted on Discord have allowed fans to ask questions on anything they're curious about. Fans seemingly expressed concerns over whether monetisation you might expect from a mobile game will be present in Phantom Blade Zero. "You'll be paying for a complete experience. No gacha or microtransaction[s]," the developer stated in response on Discord.
When asked about the types of games Phantom Blade Zero draws from, the developer revealed there will be some Souls-like elements, but without the difficulty associated with Dark Souls. "We're not going full throttle on difficulty and punishment," S-Game stated."'Approachable' is the key here. The idea is that you don't need lightning reflex or supersonic finger movements to find fun in the game."
S-Game described the game's combat as traditional hack-and-slash, with the game taking place in a semi-open world map. The main campaign will reportedly take about 40 hours to complete, and planned endgame content includes multiplayer dungeons, boss rushes, and roguelike exploration of abysses.
All combat scenes shown at the PlayStation Showcase were captured in-engine S-Game said in its Q&A (no CGI here). Phantom Blade Zero certainly looking promising so far.
There was no word of a release window for Phantom Blade Zero when it was announced, and S-Game stated it doesn't have any idea of when we can expect the game to be out. Development started in early 2022, with some early concept work starting in 2017.