Phantom Blade Zero Photo: VCG

Chinese AAA wuxia action game Phantom Blade Zero topped the bestseller list on Steam on Thursday, the second day after its release, with its combat system, boss fights and action sequences emerging as major highlights in reviews. Phantom Blade Zero builds a dark and mysterious world based on wuxia, a Chinese literary genre centered on martial arts heroes, chivalry and justice.

US gaming outlet IGN gave Phantom Blade Zero a score of 9/10, praising its combat and memorable boss fights. British gaming outlet GamesRadar+ awarded it 4.5/5, highlighting its fluid combat, distinctive weapon designs and carefully crafted world. The game currently has an 88/100 score on Metacritic, while review aggregator OpenCritic lists a Top Critic Average of 91/100. 

Early player feedback has also drawn attention. As of Thursday, the game's Steam page showed over 600 English-language reviews, 86 percent of which were positive, giving it a "Very Positive" overall rating.

Reviews on Steam have broadly praised the game's fast-paced combat, parrying and dodging mechanics, and the different approaches to combat enabled by its range of weapons. Some reviews, however, have raised concerns about its storytelling, voice acting and PC performance.

Feng Ji, producer of Chinese AAA game Black Myth: Wukong and founder of game developer Game Science, posted on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo on Thursday to congratulate Phantom Blade Zero on its release. He also recalled meeting the game's producer, Liang Qiwei, many years ago.

Feng said the two were both early-stage entrepreneurs working on mobile games at the time. They later each chose to pursue their own interests by turning to single-player game development.

For Chinese creators of single-player games, Feng said, the current era is both better and more challenging than before. Developers now have access to advanced tools, a large pool of talent and global distribution channels. At the same time, they must contend with high barriers to entry for players, increasingly discerning audiences and competition for people's limited leisure time.

According to Feng, developers of single-player games must repeatedly ask themselves several questions: What does the game seek to express? What makes it different from other titles? And why should it move people? He noted that Liang and his team have spent 20 years exploring these questions, dating back to their early work.

For players, that difference ultimately comes down to what they experience in the game itself. Ryan Anderson, a US Steam player who regularly plays Soulslike games, told the Global Times on Thursday that Phantom Blade Zero stood out to him for the way its combat required players to read enemies' moves and adapt different strategies.

"The combat stands out for its depth. Parrying, dodging and weapon switching require players to read enemy moves and adapt their tactics, making boss fights both challenging and rewarding," he said.

"I can recognize the moves and atmosphere of wuxia films in the game, but it doesn't simply rely on familiar conventions. Traditional martial arts, fantasy elements and industrial aesthetics come together to create a world that feels different from those in other action games. Even players who aren't familiar with Chinese wuxia can be drawn in by the combat and gradually discover the culture behind it," he added.