Phantom Blade Zero earns 88 Metacritic score in strong launch reviews

Yahoo Tech reports that Phantom Blade Zero earned an 88 Metacritic score on PS5 and PC on Oct. 26, 2026. Vice notes the game holds a 91 out of 100 on OpenCritic.

PlayFront reports the Metascore rests on 25 reviews, with 96 percent of the initial tests positive. HappyGamer notes perfect 10s from Wccftech, TheGamer, PSX Brasil, PCGamesN, and The Outerhaven. Beebom claims there are zero negative reviews, while HappyGamer lists Eurogamer’s score at 6 and Beebom itself notes Eurogamer gave the game a 60, citing balance and quality issues.

Critics praised the game’s weapon variety and how differently each weapon handles, with TheGamer placing boss battles among its biggest achievements. RPGamer argues boss design elevates combat beyond many other action games, while Press Start Australia praises bosses and inventive weapon systems despite finding some encounters repetitive. GameSpot’s Richard Wakeling gave the game an 8/10 and wrote that every moment feels like being in the middle of a Chinese martial-arts movie with moves that should not be feasible.

IGN’s Travis Northup wrote that the game’s tale of betrayal and revenge mostly plays it extremely safe, while Eurogamer’s Emma Kent gave the game three stars and found combat pacing uneven. VGC’s Dave Aubrey gave the game four stars and said it is undoubtedly stronger than genre stablemates like Black Myth: Wukong, while calling the narrative and characters bland. Polygon’s Paulo Kawanishi called Phantom Blade Zero the perfect martial arts game but said the action sacrifices interactivity for spectacle. IGN noted invisible barriers and technical hiccups causing minor frustrations, though it called the overwhelming majority of time with the game downright awesome.

Yahoo Tech lists Phantom Blade Zero among the top releases of 2026, noting review scores cluster between 83 and 89 for many 2026 titles, while Polygon’s list shows Forza Horizon 6 at 90 and Star Wars Galactic Racer at 88. Polygon calls the game 2026’s highest-rated title, though the list it references includes higher scores. The game is the highest-scored PS5 console exclusive of 2026 because it is not available on Xbox, though it is also on PC.

Exploration received praise, with Multiplayer.it highlighting Metroidvania design elements and Push Square and GamingBolt describing the world as rewarding to explore. Critics played over 50 hours without the combat feeling old, even though the main story is about 20 to 30 hours long.

Yahoo Tech reports the review embargo lifted early for Phantom Blade Zero. HappyGamer notes PlayStation posted a launch trailer on Oct. 25, 2026, stating the game brings Wuxia action to PS5 on Oct. 28. Sources disagree on the exact release date, with Yahoo Tech reporting Oct. 29 and HappyGamer citing Oct. 28. The Steam price is $59.99, below the usual $69.99 tag for big new releases.

S-GAME Studio developed the title and S-GAME Publishing is handling the release. The studio previously made Rain Blood Chronicles: Mirage in 2015. Some players complained about the lack of a physical disc version, though HappyGamer notes no official confirmation of physical plans. PlayFront says remaining technical flaws should be addressed with future patches.

Creative Bloq gave 70 points and criticized frustrating design choices in navigation. Noisy Pixel praised combat and world but found the storytelling underdeveloped, while Checkpoint Gaming found the narrative convoluted and raised concerns about frustrating navigation. Critical Hits pointed out repetitive regular enemies and boss fights that run too long, while RPGamer argued progression systems and the Remnant Dust economy become less effective in the second half.