No. Director Soulframe Liang says it is "neither a Soulslike game nor a traditional action game". It borrows the interconnected map of the older Souls games, but the combat is fast, combo-driven hack-and-slash in the line of Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, with four difficulty modes and no levelling system.
Last verified Sep 26, 2026 · Based on pre-release demos and official footage; we will re-check against the retail game after Oct 29.
How Souls-like is it?
The 10 mechanics compared in the table below, grouped by how close each is to Souls games.
Each Phantom Blade Zero cell cites where it is stated. "Not confirmed" means we have not found a source yet.
Topic
Phantom Blade Zero
Typical Souls-like
What the studio calls it
Not a Soulslike. Liang: "neither a Soulslike game nor a traditional action game", perhaps a new genre of "Wuxia Action Games". He has also called it a "Soulslite".
ConfirmedSource: GamesRadar+, Jun 24, 2025; RPG Site interview, Dec 19, 2025
Souls-like: A game built on the Dark Souls formula.
Combat pace
Fast and combo-driven: "Ninja Gaiden combat into a Souls map." The influences Liang names are Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and Metal Gear Rising.
ConfirmedSource: GamesBeat interview, Jun 19, 2024; RPG Site interview, Dec 19, 2025
Souls-like: Slower, deliberate exchanges.
Map
This is the Souls part. Not open world: one seamless map of connected regions, key-locked gates and multiple paths, "just like the Souls games before Elden Ring".
ConfirmedSource: GamesRadar+, Jul 24, 2024
Souls-like: Interconnected levels (Dark Souls) or an open world (Elden Ring).
Difficulty
Four modes: Wayfarer ("a gentler path… fight at your own pace"), Pathbreaker, Hellwalker ("enemies strike without mercy, adapt without warning") and 66 Days.
ConfirmedSource: State of Play deep dive, difficulty menu at 11:06–11:48
Souls-like: Usually one difficulty for everyone.
Bosses
On normal difficulty bosses have fixed combos you can learn, "some of the Soulslike elements". On Hellwalker they borrow fighting-game AI: they read the situation and choose attacks based on whether the last one landed.
ConfirmedSource: Liang to PC Gamer Magazine, via GamesRadar+, Sep 21, 2025
Souls-like: Fixed patterns you learn over repeated attempts.
Levelling
No character levels. "We're not going to do a leveling system"; progression comes from collecting weapons and learning skills.
ConfirmedSource: RPG Site interview, Dec 19, 2025
Souls-like: Spend souls or runes to raise stats.
Enemy respawns
Defeated enemies stay defeated: they do not respawn after you die or use a checkpoint.
ConfirmedSource: Official Q&A on the game's X account, via The Escapist, Jun 12, 2024
Souls-like: Resting at a checkpoint brings most enemies back.
Dying
In the Gamescom 2025 demo you lost no currency on death, and a boss fight resumed from the phase you had reached.
ReportedSource: Insider Gaming and Gamer Social Club hands-on, Aug 2025
Souls-like: Drop your currency and run back for it; bosses restart from the top.
Hardcore mode
66 Days: Hellwalker difficulty with only 66 lives, one day lost per death. Unlocks after completing Pathbreaker or Hellwalker.
ConfirmedSource: State of Play deep dive, on-screen description at 11:48
Souls-like: No limit on deaths; New Game+ raises the challenge.
Stamina
No Souls-style stamina bar has been shown. Sha-Chi, "the game's energy resource", builds up and fires each weapon's Power Surge move. How much it limits blocking and dodging is not confirmed.
ReportedSource: Gamer Social Club hands-on, Aug 28, 2025
Souls-like: A stamina bar drains with every attack, dodge and block.
Healing
We have not found a source we could read that explains healing items. We will check the retail game.
Not confirmed
Souls-like: A refillable flask, topped up at checkpoints.
Why people call it a Soulslike
Liang has explained it himself: when the game was first announced, players saw interconnected maps, hidden secrets and checkpoints, and filed it under Soulslike. Later combat footage was clearly much faster, so people switched to calling it a hack-and-slash like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden. The press is still split. Gamer Social Club and Insider Gaming came out of the Gamescom 2025 demo saying it is not a Soulslike; PCGamesN still grouped it with soulslikes while noting its combat "feels closer to an action game".
What it takes from Souls games
The world. S-GAME took "multi-layered maps, multiple approach paths, and hidden nooks and crevices" from the Souls games, and Liang describes one seamless map of connected regions, gated by keys you earn from missions, rather than an open world. That is why Liang calls it a "Soulslite": the 3D layered level design is borrowed, but "we don't push that too far".
What it does differently
Almost everything about the fighting. The pace is fast, combo-driven hack-and-slash. There are no character levels, and on the evidence of the 2025 demo, no currency to lose when you die. Defeated enemies stay dead, and a boss resumes from the phase you reached. Difficulty is a choice between four modes, and on Hellwalker the bosses stop following fixed patterns and react like fighting-game opponents.
S-GAME's own list is Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and Metal Gear Rising for the combat, and Chinese kung fu films for the choreography. Glitched, after the Gamescom 2025 demo, described it as "a mixture of Ninja Gaiden and Sekiro": Ninja Gaiden for the combos, Sekiro for parry-driven defence and no levelling system. If you like those games more than you like the Souls death-and-recovery loop, this is aimed at you.
FAQ
Is Phantom Blade Zero a Soulslike?
No. Director Soulframe Liang says it is "neither a Soulslike game nor a traditional action game". It borrows the interconnected, non-linear map of the older Souls games, but the combat is fast, combo-driven hack-and-slash, there is no levelling system, and you choose from four difficulty modes.
Is Phantom Blade Zero hard?
It depends on the mode. Wayfarer is described on screen as "a gentler path" for players who want the story. Pathbreaker is the normal mode, Hellwalker gives bosses adaptive, fighting-game AI, and 66 Days adds a limit of 66 lives on top of Hellwalker. In 2024 Liang said the entry difficulty is "much easier than an average Souls game".
Is Phantom Blade Zero like Sekiro?
Partly. Hands-on previews point to shared ground: parry-driven defence and no levelling system. But S-GAME itself names Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and Metal Gear Rising as the combat influences, and the pace is faster than Sekiro.
Do you lose anything when you die?
In the Gamescom 2025 demo, no: there is no currency to drop, and a boss resumes from the phase you reached. Enemies you have defeated do not respawn. The exception is 66 Days mode, where every death costs one of your 66 lives and running out ends the playthrough.
Is Phantom Blade Zero open world?
No. Liang describes one seamless map where every region connects to the next, with key-locked gates and multiple paths, "just like the Souls games before Elden Ring", rather than a large open world.
Can you change the difficulty mid-game?
Not confirmed yet. The State of Play showed the four modes on a menu but did not say whether you can switch after starting. We will update this after launch.
How long is Phantom Blade Zero?
In June 2024 Liang estimated 20 to 30 hours for the main story, with side quests, collectibles and challenges adding another 20 to 30 hours. In December 2025 he put a main-story-only run at about 20 hours. Both figures predate the content trimming S-GAME mentioned when it delayed the game in June 2026.
© S-GAME · official trailer still