At a Glance

  • Phantom Blade Zero launches October 29, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and PC.
  • Roger Craig Smith (Sonic, Ezio Auditore, Chris Redfield, Batman) is the new English voice of protagonist Soul, replacing Jay Maksenuk.
  • The Sha-Chi energy system and 55 weapons (30 main + 25 Phantom Edge) define combat.
  • Memory Flowers are the only way to raise max HP; Phantom Bells act as bonfires.
  • A true “perfect” ending requires every purple quest, all 5 Long Pillars, and 4 acolyte masks.

Phantom Blade Zero, the fast-paced wuxia action game from S-Game, is out now on PlayStation 5 and PC. Two pieces of Game Informer reporting frame launch day: a last-minute voice cast change and a deep tips guide for players diving in blind.

Phantom Blade Zero protagonist Soul with Roger Craig Smith as the new English voice actor
Phantom Blade Zero protagonist Soul. Image via Game Informer / S-Game.

Roger Craig Smith Is Now the Voice of Soul

According to Game Informer’s Wesley LeBlanc, Roger Craig Smith — the longtime voice of Sonic the Hedgehog and Ezio Auditore, plus Chris Redfield and Batman — is the new English VO for protagonist Soul. He replaces previous actor Jay Maksenuk, whose voice still appears in older trailers and demo footage.

The change landed late. LeBlanc notes that through most of his review playthrough, Soul was still voiced by Maksenuk, and S-Game only confirmed the swap about a week into the review period. By launch, every line of Soul is performed by Smith. For players picking up Phantom Blade Zero today, that is the version they get.

How the Sha-Chi System Works

Combat runs on Sha-Chi (杀气), a yellow bar beneath your HP in the bottom-left. It is the game’s magic-resource twist on a martial-arts framework:

  • Dash and basic attacks do not spend Sha-Chi.
  • Heavy attacks (Triangle / Y) and blocks (L1 / LB) consume it.
  • Taking repeated or heavy hits from enemies can break your Sha-Chi.

Managing that bar — not just your health — is the core skill check.

55 Weapons, and Why You Swap Them

Phantom Blade Zero ships 30 main weapons and 25 Phantom Edge weapons. The Phantom Edge set is powerful but limited, needing charge to use. The clever loop: swapping to your secondary weapon triggers a flashy attack and refills Sha-Chi to full, while the weapon you left enters a cooldown that shortens as you level. Constant swapping keeps your Sha-Chi from ever bottoming out.

Some Phantom Edge weapons double as exploration tools — breaking floors, unlocking stairs, or acting as grappling hooks. That gives Phantom Blade Zero a light Metroidvania layer on top of its combat.

The 10 Tips We Wish We Knew

  1. Swap main weapons often to exploit the full-Sha-Chi refresh on switch.
  2. Try every weapon — feels differ sharply, and a late find can become your main.
  3. Don’t hoard upgrade materials; there are many, and a recall item lets you undo choices.
  4. Explore off the golden path — caves, alleys, and tunnels hide real rewards.
  5. Finish every purple-icon quest, or you miss roughly a third of the content and only get the base ending.
  6. Heed the “last chance” warning before the finale — that is your cleanup signal.
  7. Focus on one boss phase at a time; multi-phase bosses keep cleared phases done on retry.
  8. Chase every Memory Flower — it is the only HP increase in the game.
  9. Follow coin sounds to find the Treasure Master and his green-glow chest quests.
  10. Note exploration Phantom Edges when you hit a wall; mark it and return later.

Endings, Bells, and HP

The Memory Flower clusters (blue glowing blooms with a tall flower) tell stories and, when a set is completed, raise max HP — small sets +3%, large sets +10%. Phantom Bells are your bonfire-style checkpoints. A genuine perfect ending demands all purple quests, the 5 Long Pillars, and the 4 acolyte masks plus their side content.

Phantom Blade Zero is available now; for more on what else lands this season, check the fall 2026 release calendar.

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