Phantom Blade Zero's Childhood Wooden Sword Can Theoretically Clear the Whole Game
S-Game director Soulframe Liang revealed that the upcoming action game Phantom Blade Zero includes a wooden sword that can theoretically be used to complete the entire game. While not balanced for a standard playthrough, the weapon serves as a challenge for skilled players.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing trend of 'challenge runs' in gaming and how developers are increasingly designing mechanics to accommodate high-skill player communities.
Phantom Blade Zero gives you 30 weapons to pick from. One of them is basically a stick. S-Game director Soulframe Liang says the game includes a childhood wooden sword as a challenge weapon, and “Theoretically, you can finish the entire game using only that!” He said it in a group interview DualShockers published on October 8. That’s the same day previews of the opening hours went live, three weeks before the game launches on PS5 and PC.
The stick isn’t a joke item. Liang told the interviewers it reflects an idea from Chinese kung fu: when you practise your skills to the extreme, you no longer need great weapons. You just need a simple piece of wood to beat everyone.
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