I’ve been a fan of hardcore Hong Kong Kung Fu films since the early 90’s. I still remember watching Donnie Yen for the first time in Once Upon a Time in China 2 as Wong Fei-hung’s main antagonist, Commander Lan.

Donnie was explosive in that film, literally stealing the spotlight from Jet Li. Then I saw Iron Monkey and In the Line of Duty 4, and I have been a Donnie Yen fan since then. I never missed a single movie; I even pre-ordered a ticket for Ip Man the day I first saw the trailer. So yeah, I’ll buy anything Donnie Yen is in at this point.

So now you understand why when Sony and S-Game announced Phantom Blade 0, my excitement went through the roof!

Ok, I have to be honest. When I saw the first trailer of Phantom Blade 0, it was a bit meh for me. I said to myself, “Ahh, another Souls game; I’ll pass,” cause the trailer was really generic, and I thought no one would care.

Then, out of the blue, S-Game posted a video on YouTube featuring Donnie Yen and his stunt team working on the action sequences for Phantom Blade Zero, and I was like, “Wait a minute, why is he here?”

My curiosity went wild at that point, and I watched the whole video, and OH MY GOD! Donnie Yen was indeed involved in Phantom Blade Zero- not just an endorser, but he basically had creative control of the game.

Right then and there, I was completely sold on buying this game day one, and I can’t stop thinking about it. 

Sony’s State of Play for Phantom Blade Zero showcased the game and went into a deep dive, and I started to understand their direction and gameplay style for this original IP.

It was never a Souls game, even though the protagonist’s name is Soul. This is a leveled-up action game; let’s say it’s Devil May Cry, with elements of Black Myth: Wukong and a pinch of Sekiro.

The game has some sort of posture bar where, if your guard breaks, you’ll become vulnerable for a while. There is no stamina here, so you don’t have to worry about spamming your attacks. Boss fights in the game are not typical soulslike; there’s a difficulty mode where the bosses adapt to your every move, and memorizing their patterns is virtually pointless. Brutal? Yes! Am I looking forward to it? Absolutely.

Their system aims to give you a proper taste of Kung Fu, making the experience as authentic as possible. And the RPG elements of leveling up your character look simple and easy to manage. You can power up your skills and weapons by spending points, and if you aren’t happy with it, you can reset your stats and reinvest them into a more powerful build with no additional cost.

Now, let’s talk about how the developers built the game around authentic Chinese lore and how they delivered the fight scenes the way they should be.

Donnie Yen himself took the lead on the action sequences in both cinematics and gameplay. His choreography here is no doubt his signature style, as seen in most of his movies. Holding the baby with one hand while fending off enemies with his sword in the other is as Donnie Yen as it gets. 

If you have seen his classic Hong Kong film Iron Monkey, you’ll notice the similarities in the action sequences here. Honestly, this feels like a Yuen Woo-ping film all over again.

Seriously, look him up; he is one of the best Hong Kong action film directors, and his films are explosive, to say the least.

Donnie Yen and S-Game created a new genre for Phantom Blade Zero that combines Kung Fu and Steampunk, naming it KungFuPunk, and you can see it come to life in the latest gameplay video. With a heavy focus on Chinese culture and tradition, from fantastic martial arts and swordplay to its famous Lion and Dragon Dance. Yes, those multi-person costumes you see on the streets of Chinatown every Chinese New Year have been turned into an action-packed boss encounter, and to me, this is the best part of the trailer besides Donnie Yen, of course.

As for the story, it reminded me of Blade of the Immortal on Netflix, where the protagonist seeks a cure for his curse. I know it’s a Japanese film, but lore like this actually originated from Chinese mythos, and that’s why Phantom Blade Zero’s story could be the best since Black Myth: Wukong.

Now, there’s also the matter of Soul’s 66-day timed journey. From what I gathered from State of Play, the 66-day period is more of a story premise: he needs to find a cure for his condition. I’m not sure if it will feature an actual counter for the entire game, since the creator, SoulFrame Liang, mentioned that the 66 days is actually a difficulty option where you lose 1 day for every death, making your time shorter, and if it runs out, you receive a permadeath penalty.

I’m really excited for Phantom Blade Zero! Donnie Yen endorsing this is just a cherry on top. This game looks set to blow minds with intuitive, Kung Fu-focused gameplay, an interesting storyline, master-class cinematics, and the fact that it’s only $60.

Phantom Blade Zero might be a solid contender for my GOTY 2026.