Renowned founder and CEO of indie game publisher and development studio S-Game, Qiwei Liang, or Soulframe Liang as he’s affectionately known in various internet blogs/posts, has an origin story that’s almost as intriguing as the video games he’s successfully created. As mentioned in an official PlayStation blog, he appears to have written himself. Soulframe used the creative process of making games to escape from the difficulties and frustrations life threw at him when he was studying, a fantasy I’m sure many a gamer has often pondered. This led to the creation of his company S-Game, which has a few Phantom Blade titles under its belt, all of which appear to be exclusively available in his home country of China.

The success of the early Phantom Blade titles on mobile platforms is said to have reached an audience of some 20 million people, and this is no doubt the reason this franchise has decided to expand its horizons and bless a more Western audience by releasing on PS5, PS4, Android, iOS, and Steam. It should be interesting to see how a free-to-play 2D mobile game handles on PC, but after reading about its prior success, I’m feeling somewhat confident in its ability to deliver.

The story and main influence revolve around Sha-Chi, a magical technique that transforms otherwise ordinary human beings into powerful, mythical monstrosities hellbent on destruction. From the beginning, you will choose from a handful of characters before investigating the events surrounding these Sha-Chi-enhanced beings, bringing them to justice for their wrongdoings. The general plot is mostly told through cutscenes, branching from subtle love stories to more twisted and sinister tales. There are also a number of side quests and minor plotlines to follow, the outcome of some are influenced by your choices, however, the gameplay really felt like this game’s main attraction.

Despite being on PC, Phantom Blade: Executioners immediately handles like a mobile game. By default, almost all key bindings replicate the feeling of a handheld mobile device. While this isn’t terrible and would likely feel familiar for players who are used to this, players like myself will feel a bit lost at first. I don’t imagine this would take very long to get used to, however, you are easily able to remap all inputs, and I very quickly mapped all of the right-hand keys to the mouse, and to good effect.

The controls are all very responsive and feel pretty tight, albeit with a few minor bugs. With some practice and experimentation, the player can chain into a mix of deadly combos that can have you launching enemies skyward, beating the hell out of them, and then slamming them back into the earth in a brutal fashion. The inclusion of a character-specific ultimate ability, a roll/dash, as well as a block/parry mechanic all add up to provide a side-scroller combat experience that overall feels not bad on PC, but would definitely be better on a mobile platform, and it shows a little in its simplicity and general repetitiveness. There’s also the typical RPG-style RNG loot and leveling of various techniques and gear drops.

Phantom Blade: Executioners does include both online co-op and crossplay functionality, and this comes in the form of AI copies of other players dropping in at certain points, either fighting with you, against you in PVP scenarios or 3-player live co-op for certain bosses, etc. As of this review, I haven’t had the opportunity to test these features out firsthand.

The visuals are impressive, incorporating its own art style known as Kungfunk (Kung Fu Punk). This comes from the unique blend of the Chinese martial art Kung Fu and the all-too-familiar steampunk aesthetic. Phantom Blade: Executioners embodies the familiar and timeless aesthetic of a layered hand-drawn anime. This game’s presentation shines most brightly during its many cutscenes, and these really bring its characters to life. The enemies and antagonists are all vividly detailed, and the Sha-Chi technique showcases mythological body-horror modifications, such as one man having 8 arms and looking more demon than a man.

The sound in this game is all very ‘anime,’ so if that’s your shtick then your ears will feel right at home. The voice acting is as to be expected; not amazing, but not bad either. On the other hand, I quite liked the soundtrack, with boss battles kicking off audibly with what felt like an actual anime opening title really setting the mood for the fight to come. One character seems to use a magic string instrument to attack, with each subsequent blow striking a cord of the instrument, and it kind of sounds nice. The only real gripe I have with the game’s sound design is that at the end of every level, there’s this obnoxiously loud ringing bell that continues to pollute the player’s ears until they click on it to end the level.

I feel like it’s also worth mentioning that while Phantom Blade: Executioners appears to be a mobile port, Soulframe Liang and the S-Game team appear to be working on the highly anticipated Phantom Blade Zero, a spiritual successor to Liang’s first-ever game, Rainblood: Town of Death. The trailer Phantom Blade Zero – Announce Trailer | PS5 Games that dropped back in late May during the 2023 Playstation Showcase honestly looked very impressive, showcasing some of Unreal Engine 5’s raw potential and giving a sort of Ninja Gaiden vibe that is sorely missed in today’s gaming climate. Perhaps you should watch this space for a review on that sometime later in the year.

There’s no denying Phantom Blade: Executioners is fun.. for a little while. For a PC game, it doesn’t feel like it offers enough that other games of the genre don’t do equally as well. I can easily tell why this was such a hit on the mobile platform, and if that’s your jam, you might thoroughly enjoy your time with it. Otherwise, my suggestion would be to wait and see how it fairs on mobile and enjoy the same quality with the added portability of playing on mobile.

Written by: Jayden Healy