Revision 8

Historical Basis

The Phantom World is set during a fantastical version of the Ming dynasty era (14th-16th century China). The game is rooted in the wuxia genre: stories of martial heroes operating in the jianghu, the martial underworld that exists outside imperial control. The jianghu is a domain where folk heroes, assassins, and wandering swordsmen live by their own codes, answerable to clan loyalty and personal honor rather than the emperor's law.

The Xiake Archetype

Soul embodies the classic xiake archetype: a Chinese martial hero who appears cold and reserved but acts out of a fierce sense of justice. He speaks little, moves decisively, and consistently tries to shield weaker people despite his 66-day death sentence. Soulframe Liang noted about the narrative style: "Love isn't declared loudly; it's suggested through small gestures." This approach to characterization draws directly from wuxia literary traditions where actions speak louder than dialogue.

Martial Arts Authenticity

S-GAME invested heavily in real martial arts for the game's combat animations. Motion capture was performed by real kung fu masters in China at full speed with wire work, preserving the look and rhythm of screen wuxia rather than using animation speed-ups. Action director Kenji Tanigaki (known for collaborations with Donnie Yen on SPL, Flashpoint, and Sakra, and also credited on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty) led the fight choreography alongside martial arts director Master Yang.

The development team traveled across China, working with Shaolin monks, kung fu masters, and Guangdong lion dance troupes. Soulframe Liang stated: "Chinese Kung fu movies... haven't been expressed and adapted enough in the gaming industry." He added: "These traditions are incredible. If no one else will show them, we will."

Kungfupunk

The creative team coined the term "kungfupunk" to describe the game's aesthetic, which fuses traditional kung fu with industrial and cybernetic augmentation. The Phantom World blends wuxia martial arts with steampunk machinery, occult powers, and dark fantasy horror. The Order's Instruments, for example, are warriors who have been "reengineered and repurposed," mixing martial tradition with something more mechanical and disturbing.

Cultural Mission

Soulframe Liang has framed the game as a deliberate cultural effort: "We want to create our own sub genre... maybe 'Kung fu action game' or 'Wuxia action games'... To leave a cultural impact." The Rainblood series that preceded Phantom Blade Zero was similarly rooted in Chinese martial arts fiction, starting with Liang's solo RPG Maker creation in 2008. Phantom Blade Zero is the culmination of nearly two decades of work in this space.