Phantom Blade Zero does not unlock until Wednesday, October 28 at 10 pm Eastern, but the critics have already filed. Thirty-three reviews on Metacritic average out to 88. OpenCritic has it at 91. Of the 33 counted, 30 are positive, one is mixed and none are negative. We read 19 of those reviews in full to find out where the agreement is real and where the number is hiding an argument.
The score opened at 91 and slid to 88 within the hour
The first 20 reviews put the average at 91. Ten minutes later, with more scores in, it was 88, and that is where it sat on Saturday night. Scores on big launches usually drift a point or two over the first week as smaller and more critical reviews arrive, so the realistic landing zone is the mid to high 80s. Every move gets logged at the bottom of this page.
All 19 reviews we read praised the combat
Nineteen out of nineteen. There is no stamina bar. You parry, counter and chain, and the camera and animation are built to make it look like a martial arts film while you do it. Around 30 weapons share the stage, and because upgrades can be refunded, there is no penalty for switching builds. Several reviews describe spending hours with a weapon they expected to hate.
The boss fights are the other near-unanimous point. They are multi-phase, each phase has its own trick to learn, and there is a checkpoint between phases. Die in phase three and you restart phase three, not the whole fight. That one choice comes up again and again as the reason the game feels fair even on the harder settings.
The story is where the room splits in half
Nine of the reviews we read liked the revenge plot and singled out the ending. Eight called it confusing, thin or the weakest part of the game. Both camps agree the cutscenes look expensive. If a story has to land for you to enjoy a 25-hour game, treat this as the real risk. The English dub also took hits: several reviews call it stiff and suggest the Chinese track with subtitles.
Regular enemies are the most common complaint
Where bosses got praise from almost everyone, ordinary enemies got praise from two reviews and criticism from nine. The pattern they describe: mob fights repeat in the back half, shielded and armored enemies slow the pace to a crawl, and basic grunts feel like practice dummies next to the bosses. Enemies also stay dead once you clear an area. Four reviews loved that, because the world feels earned. Four disliked it, because it empties the map and limits how much you can practice or farm.
PC is the safe version, PS5 has frame drops, Steam Deck is out
On PC, shaders compile on first boot and the game then runs cleanly. One review measured around 100 frames per second at 4K on high settings with DLSS Quality on an RTX 4080. Traversal stutter is rare, and ray tracing is the setting that costs the most.
On PS5, Performance mode holds 60 frames per second most of the time but drops in the rainy Pangzhen region and during some boss fights. Graphics mode on the base console struggles. The PS5 Pro gets three modes and the smoothest console experience.
Steam Deck is the hard no. Testing found the game stuck under 30 frames per second even at the lowest settings, averaging 23 to 27 in the Crimson Forest with dips near 10, on a battery that lasts about two to two and a half hours. If the Deck was your plan, wait for a patch or play it on a desktop.
How long it is, how hard it is and what it costs
Reviews put the main story at 25 to 30 hours, and 40 to 50 hours with most of the side content. Three difficulties, Wayfarer, Pathbreaker and Hellwalker, can be switched at any time. Death carries no penalty, accessories can widen the parry window, and a post-game 66 Days mode caps you at 66 deaths for players who want the opposite. It costs $59.99 on PC and PS5 and unlocks on October 29 in China, which is October 28 at 7 pm Pacific and 10 pm Eastern.
Our own review is in progress. The scoreboard above updates as the number settles, and the log at the bottom of this page records every change.
Should you buy it?
Our read of the reviews, for three kinds of player.
Action fans who live for parry-heavy boss fights and flexible, stylish builds, on PS5 or a mid-range or better PC.
Base PS5 players bothered by frame drops, anyone sensitive to launch jank, and anyone who needs a story that lands.
Steam Deck owners, and players who want a true open world or a deep narrative.
Questions players are asking
How long is Phantom Blade Zero?
Reviews put the story at 25 to 30 hours, and 40 to 50 hours with most of the side content.
Is Phantom Blade Zero a Soulslike?
Not really. There is no stamina bar, death carries no penalty, bosses resume from the phase you died in, and you can change difficulty at any time.
Does it run on Steam Deck?
No. Testing found it stuck under 30 fps at the lowest settings, with dips near 10 fps in busy areas.
How hard is it?
Three difficulties, Wayfarer, Pathbreaker and Hellwalker, can be switched any time. Accessories ease parry timing, and a post-game 66 Days mode caps you at 66 deaths.
When does it unlock?
October 29 in China, which is October 28 at 7 pm Pacific and 10 pm Eastern. It costs $59.99 on PC and PS5.
Scores from Metacritic and OpenCritic, checked Oct 26, 2026, 12:44 am.
The breakdown comes from the 19 reviews we read in full.
Our own review is in progress.
