S-Game and Sony have broadcast the Phantom Blade Zero State of Play, revealing what we were wondering about this game world.
It’s been some time since Soulframe talked about making a new video game genre, dubbing it a wuxia action game. We now have a name for it that should be accessible to the West – kungfupunk.
While Phantom Blade Zero looks like a typical Chinese fantasy story, S-Game have added a touch of steampunk, so for example, Soul can use a small motorboat.
Ironically, Team Ninja tried to make a more ‘accurate’ version of the quasi-mythical Three Kingdoms period with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Donnie Yen’s martial arts expertise was added in alongside their research into Chinese folk arts, but what’s really interesting is how S-Game remixed these ideas to create a new world, Wulin.
The State of Play depicts a fight against a lion dance grandmaster – not a real lion, but a dancing fighter seemingly possessed by a mask. This isn’t a mythological creature, but a new invention based on China’s traditions.
You can learn more about this novel world in the State of Play below.