Phantom Blade Zero is one of the most exhilarating action games I’ve played in years. The combat is fast-paced, with sword fights reminiscent of wuxia films. Beneath the flashy moves lies a combat system with considerable depth. Unfortunately, I never felt enough pressure while playing. “Hellwalker,” intended to be the hardest standard difficulty, poses little challenge to players familiar with high-difficulty action games, who can breeze through most of the game’s obstacles with minimal effort.
What’s more disappointing is that Phantom Blade Zero already has all the elements needed to create a high-difficulty combat experience. Mastering the mechanics is rewarding, and each battle leaves room for players to devise more complex and refined strategies. However, the game provides too many defensive safety nets. Often, the pressure dissipates before the fight ever becomes truly challenging.
Adding the “66 Days” difficulty is commendable, especially for players who want to test their skills again. However, limiting the number of deaths doesn’t address the core issue. What Phantom Blade Zero truly needs is a higher difficulty that forces players to engage more deeply with the combat system, rather than just raising the stakes of failure.
The name “Hellwalker” certainly sounds intimidating, and Phantom Blade Zero can indeed be punishing at times. Bosses deal heavy damage, and unfamiliar encounters can easily catch players off guard, leading to repeated deaths.
But once you spend enough time mastering the combat, especially after progressing further in the game and assembling a solid gear set, the initial sense of pressure gradually fades. Experienced action game players are already familiar with the basic rhythms of such combat. Spotting enemy openings and reacting to incoming attacks quickly become second nature. “Hellwalker” doesn’t introduce enough new variations to break the habits players have already formed.
I’m not saying that players who excel at action games should be punished. On the contrary, one of the greatest joys of a good combat system is feeling your understanding of its mechanics translate into genuine mastery.
However, the game should push back harder at some point. For veteran players who have mastered parrying and prefer aggressive play, “Hellwalker” rarely maintains sufficient pressure. While this difficulty is perfectly reasonable for most players, those looking to truly test their abilities may still wish for an even tougher challenge.
The biggest issue is that Phantom Blade Zero makes it too easy for players to escape the consequences of reckless aggression. Players can cancel attacks and immediately switch to blocking or parrying. This means that when executing a combo, you rarely expose obvious weaknesses, unlike in many other action games.
This design feels great and makes combat look incredibly fluid, but it also removes a significant portion of the risk. Finishers further reduce that risk. Although finishers have limited uses, they come with long invincibility frames, making them an effective defensive tool as well.
Anyone familiar with action games knows how valuable brief invincibility frames are. This is especially true when such effects can be activated at will without any wind-up. Once players learn how to weave finishers into their combat style, they can control even dangerous encounters with greater ease.
The equipment system also makes combat more forgiving. In Phantom Blade Zero, the gear progression system takes an already lenient combat framework and makes it even more player-friendly once you’ve invested enough resources to optimize your build.
Upgrading gear significantly boosts power, and some accessories provide defensive and supportive effects that greatly improve survivability. Certain items are so powerful that they directly change how much attention players need to pay when facing threats.
I enjoy the freedom to experiment with different gear combinations, and finding an especially powerful setup is part of the fun. The problem is that these gear effects stack on top of already generous defensive options. With the ability to cancel actions and exploit invincibility frames, players almost always have a way out of trouble.
“66 Days” is an interesting mode, but it doesn’t solve the difficulty issues I’ve mentioned. It’s a nice addition, but since it simply limits the number of deaths during another playthrough, it creates a different kind of tension rather than addressing the core problem.
I understand the appeal of revisiting the adventure with real stakes on the line. But “66 Days” doesn’t fundamentally change the combat itself. Players who already found “Hellwalker” easy won’t necessarily find each encounter more demanding just because they have fewer deaths available.
What I really want to see is a higher difficulty designed around Phantom Blade Zero’s combat strengths. Enemies should be more threatening, bosses should offer fewer openings to exploit, and players should be forced to think twice before relying on their strongest defensive tools.
These combat mechanics have great potential, and I’d love to see the game leverage them further. “Hellwalker” offers a satisfying challenge for most players, and “66 Days” tests whether players can perform consistently. But neither mode truly delivers the experience that seasoned action game veterans might be looking for.
Phantom Blade Zero’s combat system is fully capable of supporting a truly demanding difficulty, and I hope this potential isn’t left untapped.
