Phantom Blade Zero is an upcoming action RPG from Chinese studio S-Game, and it’s part of a growing wave of Chinese-developed games looking to make a major impact in the West. With titles such as Black Myth: Wukong and Where Winds Meet already finding success internationally, S-Game is taking a slightly different approach with its wuxia-inspired adventure.
I had the chance to sit down with Phantom Blade Zero’s director, Soulframe, during a trip to the studio in China, and he explained how the team is working to make sure its Chinese setting and cultural influences don’t become a barrier for Western players, instead using universal themes to make the game accessible to everyone.
“We Just Want To Make Something Cool”
After almost 10 hours with Phantom Blade Zero, I found little difficulty understanding the game’s world or story despite its heavy Chinese influences. According to Soulframe, that’s something S-Game has been working hard to achieve.
“We don’t want anything culturally heavy, like an obstacle to block your understanding of the world and the story,” Soulframe explained. “We’re trying to make a universal experience.”
Soulframe pointed to Black Myth: Wukong as an example of a game that relies heavily on cultural context, explaining that players without the necessary background could miss “almost half” of what the developers wanted to deliver.
“We just want to make it cool and understandable for everyone, with this revenge and fellow disciple kind of story,” he said.
The director explained that S-Game itself was heavily influenced by Western and Japanese entertainment, particularly Hollywood and anime, when its developers were growing up. Those influences taught the team that stories can transcend cultural boundaries when they are built around universal emotions.
“We don’t let these cultural elements cover the main, human emotions,” Soulframe said.
That philosophy has ultimately shaped Phantom Blade Zero, with S-Game aiming to use Chinese culture as flavour and authenticity rather than something players need to understand before they can enjoy the story.
Soulframe estimates that roughly 5% of the game is made up of these deeper cultural elements, while the remaining 95% is built around universal experiences and emotions.
That doesn’t mean the cultural influence is unimportant, however. Instead, S-Game sees that small percentage as the game’s “spiritual core,” connecting the cultural elements with the more universally understandable story of revenge, betrayal and brotherhood.
“That’s how we play with it,” Soulframe explained. “We get this balance.”
And with Phantom Blade Zero already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious Chinese-developed action games yet, S-Game will be hoping that balance helps it reach an audience far beyond China when the game eventually releases.
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Charlie is one of Insider Gaming's Guides Writers who's been in the gaming industry for a little over a year. Unfortunately for him, he enjoys every video game genre out…
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