Developer S-GAME has released a new “Year of the Dragon Special Trailer: Rain and Blood,” trailer for its upcoming action RPG Phantom Blade. The three-minute trailer shows an animated fight scene. According to the developer, “the duel in this scene harkens back to the original Rainblood in 2008, the game at the root of the Phantom Blade universe. Two friends parted ways on a dark and stormy night, setting in motion a series of events with far-reaching consequences.” Additionally, the trailer also shows gameplay segments showing new locations and enemies. Lastly, the developer also confirmed that a playable demo for the game will launch sometime this month. Phantom Blade Zero will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC. A release date has yet to be announced.
A message regarding the trailer from the developer’s founder can be seen below:
It was over four years ago. I was working with Mr. Yang Tingmu, one of the top animators in China, to create video assets for our mobile games. We applied traditional Chinese painting styles to modern animation and invented a whole methodology of it. The legacy of our work is evident in Phantom Blade: Executioners, especially the cutscenes when you launch Overdrive moves.
Now, working on Phantom Blade Zero, a whole different beast backed by Unreal Engine 5, we feel it’s kind of a shame to simply abandon all the hard work we did over the years on 2D arts. A bit of repurposing would be nice.
We think it’s pretty cool to blend together the old and the new, the simplified and the complicated, the fast and the slow. If by any chance you’ =re an avid reader of Wuxia novels, especially those by Gu Long, this scene should feel dearly familiar—a confrontation, ominous atmosphere, the warriors size each other up, considering their available moves and possible consequences. Heavy suspense, suddenly someone makes the first move, and the fight is over the moment two blades clash.
The duel in this scene harkens back to the original Rainblood in 2008, the game at the root of the Phantom Blade universe. Two friends parted ways on a dark and stormy night, setting in motion a series of events with far-reaching consequences. This moment marks a beginning and an end. In the game universe—the death of adolescent innocence and the rise of adult ambitions and responsibilities. Outside the game, in the real-life universe—a transition from 2D to 3D, from mobile to console and PC, from local operation to worldwide publishing.
So! Here it is, a little something to kick start the Year of the Dragon. At the end of the trailer you will find new footage of Phantom Blade Zero—running on PlayStation 5. Yep, you read it right. The game is R-E-A-L real and we are actively working on it! Expect more reveals as well as a playable demo as we plunge deeper into 2024!
May you all have the grace and power of the dragon!
Soulframe Liang
Founder of S-GAME
Director of the Phantom Blade Franchise
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