2026 formally has a brand new highest-rated sport of the yr. Critiques are in for Phantom Blade Zero, the Wuxia-inspired motion sport from S-Sport, they usually’ve solidified it as one of many best-reviewed video games of 2026 — a feat that would assist its probabilities at scoring a nomination for the 2026 Sport Awards in December.
As of this writing, Phantom Blade Zero is at the moment sitting at an 88 on Metacritic, which places it forward of different shiny motion video games from 2026 (mainly: GOTY bait), like Management Resonant, 007 First Mild, and Saros. Although it is nonetheless trailing the yr’s high-octane racing video games, Star Wars Galactic Racer (tied at 88) and Forza Horizon 6 (solidly at a formidable 90). Here is what the critics should say about Phantom Blade Zero.
Phantom Blade Zero evaluations say it is a razor-sharp motion sport
In a 9/10 evaluate for IGN, Travis Northup was glowing about Phantom Blade Zero‘s fight, although was much less bought on the narrative. “Phantom Blade Zero is among the greatest motion video games I’ve performed in a very long time, with standout fight that by no means got here even near feeling outdated throughout 50 hours,” Northup wrote. “Its story of betrayal and revenge principally performs it extraordinarily protected, and a few unlucky invisible boundaries and technical hiccups could cause minor frustrations – however the overwhelming majority of my time with this gorgeous, extremely properly tuned journey was downright superior.”
Over at GameSpot, in an 8/10 evaluate, Richard Wakeling was of an identical thoughts. Overview headline: “Phantom Blade Zero’s Fight Is So Good, You Gained’t Care The Story Makes No Sense.” Although Wakeling acknowledged “some cool storytelling moments right here and there” and liked the kungfupunk aesthetic, he famous that “the story is hard to observe and tough to care about.” However the motion, for Wakeling, is sufficient: “Each second feels such as you’re in the midst of a Chinese language martial-arts film, pulling off strikes that shouldn’t be possible–strikes that go towards what we count on from third-person motion video games.”
At VGC, in a four-star evaluate, Dave Aubrey additionally praised Phantom Blade Zero‘s kungfupunk setting and dizzying martial arts motion, explicitly saying that it is “undoubtedly stronger than style stablemates like Black Fable: Wukong.” (Black Fable: Wukong was nominated for Sport of the 12 months on the 2024 Sport Awards and gained Finest Motion Sport that very same yr.) Aubrey was one more critic for whom Phantom Blade Zero‘s story did not click on, calling each the narrative and characters “bland.”
For a three-star evaluate at Eurogamer, Emma Kent discovered the pacing of the fight to be a bit uneven, citing whiplash between frenetic cannon fodder fights and glacial boss battles. “This sport is outstanding in so many areas – the animations, the gorgeous environments – and when the fight works, the sense of circulate is unbelievable. Avenue fights with a number of opponents really feel so cinematic and so satisfying, permitting you to be really inventive and expressive together with your combating model,” Kent wrote. “You then stroll right into a boss battle and really feel all that energy fade, such as you’re ready your flip to get hits in with a picket sword.” Kent did reward some elements of Phantom Blade Zero‘s narrative, significantly its visible storytelling bona fides, however famous that evaluate embargo restrictions forestall her from discussing the great elements intimately. Oh properly.
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Right here at Polygon, Paulo Kawanishi referred to as Phantom Blade Zero the “good martial arts sport,” with all the great and dangerous that entails. For Kawanishi, who additionally discovered the narrative confounding, the motion in Phantom Blade Zero finally ends up sacrificing interactivity for spectacle in its efforts to painting cinematic martial arts. “There are few joys like watching a superb Wuxia film play out on display screen — an expertise that S-Sport recreated in Phantom Blade Zero,” he wrote. “Even so, as dazzling as Phantom Blade Zero’s aesthetics are, it finally lacks placing belief within the participant to behave out these talents.”