SikSlayer

Phantom Blade Zero done 🔥 Phenomenal action game from start to finish. I have two critiques, and my only major critique would be it's lack of narrative coherence where there are tons of Wuxia (martial arts and chivalry) inspired lingo and concepts that will likely go over many outside of those familiar with the genre. You will understand the most basic idea of the plot but I would wager the overall narrative would be a task to grasp for most. The good news is the stars of the show, the combat and visuals are where the game shines. My love of UE5 aside, the developers (S-Game/@pbzero_official) and the art style of this world is quite simply amazing and purposeful, leaning into what they call "kungfupunk", which is a setting blending traditional Chinese martial arts with steampunk, cyberpunk, and folk horror elements. The environments are beautiful and at times bleak but never boring. I imagine it looks great on console but it looks stunning on my PC on this glorious OLED screen. Soul, the lead protagonist is dripping in a certain type of cool befitting his name and everything from how the fabric he wears to the designs of the many weapons in this game plays into that kungfupunk aesthetic perfectly. The combat is fast paced, intense and cool as all hell firmly landing near the rare company of action greats like, Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, in which I personally hold as the pinnacle of combat games. It's not necessarily as refined, this being the first game in which I hope is a long running series, but for it to be the first game and land this well to bring about such comparisons is a statement from S-Game. Going back to the Wuxia-inspired world they built this in, the feeling of the combat is like getting to play a adrenaline fueled kung fu movie or anime, full of smooth animations and attacks that flow seamlessly into one another. It's fast, fluid and stylish. The game has 30 weapons from one handed, duel-wielded or two-handed types and most impressively all with their own unique animations and multiple types of finishers to end an engagement. You get to swap between two main weapons and two special support weapons called Phantom Edges in which the objective is to break enemies posture before destroying them with a rain of standard attacks and more aggressive Sha-Chi (the world's martial artists internal mythical energy) infused attacks that allow for an insane combination of actions that leave you feeling like the baddest mother***** in the world. To complement the combat there must be a solid foundation for defense and the game offers that in a color coded system which allows for parrying (blue) and dodging (red) that if timed well allows you as, Soul to do this stylized ghost-step animation that puts you back on the offensive. This becomes more necessary as you progress and face tougher opponents and bosses as not countering them could lead to your demise. Doing a perfect parry or dodge during a fight allows you to further break down an enemies stamina which once broken temporarily allows you to take off a fair chunk of health leading to a finisher prompt that ends with a satisfying kill. My only other critique is that though there is a decent amount of enemy variety, due to the games surprisingly more sizeable world, fighting for so long can eventually feel repetitive with the general enemies and even with more challenging (and great) boss fights some can feel like sponges who overstay their living expectancy. I had my doubts when this game was originally announced even though I noted how great the action appeared. It just felt too good to be true, but S-Game delivered in spades in my honest opinion. While, Phantom Blade Zero isn't my GotY and may not get a nomination due to a ridiculously stacked year of gaming, it is worthy of praise and will likely win best action game of the year. I give this action-packed game a... 𝟡/𝟙𝟘

This Weekend on #GCP The Gaming Circle Podcast With version 1.0 now out in the wild, we are thrilled to welcome the creator of @WinhancedApp to the show. We're also excited to talking gaming and the gaming news for the week. Fun starts @ 10am EDT US 👇🏿 youtube.com/watch?v=GYYsvtVI…