In honor of 2024 marking the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar, S-Game has revealed an introspective and suspenseful Phantom Blade Zero anime trailer called Rain & Blood that recalls Phantom Blade’s history–and its upcoming future as a third-person action game.
S-Game is celebrating the Year of the Dragon as dragons are a pillar of the phantom Blade universe, embodied by the mighty Long (meaning “dragon”) Clan. In Phantom Blade’s timeline, the Longs have been honored, even worshiped, as the vanguard of justice for over a century, until the clan collapsed in a history-making event. Within Phantom Blade Zero, players will find some of the Long relics and feel their lingering influence. This alignment between the game world and the real world makes this an apt opportunity to recollect, reflect, and get ready for the next step forward. The journey from an indie game to a self-contained universe of six games took 15 years, and S-Game is ready to take a step forward.
S-Game dropped the Rain & Blood anime trailer, featuring a high-stakes duel that seamlessly transforms a storm-lit sword fight into traditional ink and paper drawings, and back again as sworn rivals and former comrades Soul and Zuo Shang try to cut each other up. The clash calls back to 2008’s original Rainblood, the game that launched the franchise and its distinctive “kung-fu punk” aesthetic that’s equal parts Chinese history, fantasy/mythology, and contemporary pop culture.
S-Game’s history spans well over a decade and has leveraged some of China’s most renowned 2D artists to capture and amplify the speed and power of kung-fu fighting with striking style, blending traditional martial arts with visual dynamics that appeal to a modern audience. The opening of the Rain & Blood trailer takes viewers through their distinct history, cutting from the franchise’s 2D roots to 3D space powered by Unreal Engine 5, showing Soul slicing his way through enemies. Despite this change in visual aesthetics, the dark, ominous atmosphere and choreography of intricate kung fu moves remains. If you’re a fan of Blue Eye Samurai, Karas, or Afro Samurai, it may be right up your alley.
Observant fans might notice the latter half of the trailer is captured on PlayStation 5, which will accompany PC as the platforms Phantom Blade Zero is designed for. Players can dive into a playable demo coming sometime later this year.
Keep up to date with Phantom Blade Zero’s release on its official Twitter account, or join the Phantom Blade Discord. Then watch Rain & Blood one more time for good measure.