Dreaming of ruling the roost in a brutally challenging action RPG? Phantom Blade Zero could be your arena, where enemies evolve and strategize against your every move.
In an interview with PC Gamer magazine (reported by GamesRadar+), director Qiwei Liang shed light on how gameplay dynamically shifts on tougher settings, particularly the “Hellwalker” difficulty.
Liang has expressed that he does not wish the game to be labeled as just another Soulslike, even though it shares elements with the genre. He explained the logic behind seeking inspiration from alternative sources for specific boss encounters in Hellwalker mode.
One boss, named Huangxing, channels inspiration from the strategic depth of fighting games, taking cues from titles like the well-known 2013 Killer Instinct. Its AI observes the unfolding combat and the player’s behaviors, adjusting its tactics accordingly.
Analyzing And Adapting To The Player
Liang explains that on all difficulties aside from Hellwalker, Huangxing relies on the standard tactics of a Soulslike boss, using predetermined attack sequences which are learned by the player through trial and error.
However, the Hellwalker difficulty forces a change of strategy, with S-Game implementing a concept from fighting games to enhance the AI, as Liang described.
As in many fighting games, Huangxing on the highest difficulty will evaluate his current situation, determining whether it is advantageous or detrimental. He will then respond with attacks tailored to those circumstances.
…We have a state we call ‘lucky draw’ where if he lands a hit he’ll continue a combo, but if it doesn’t hit, he’s gonna do something else. He tries to use the result of his last attack to determine what to do next. – Qiwei Liang
It remains to be seen if the AI will be as intricately designed as that of the Shadow Lab mode in 2013’s Killer Instinct, where the AI analyzed a player’s unique playstyle and mirrored it, including its imperfections, in matches against other players online; this is similar to how Super Smash Bros. handles Amiibo characters.
How complex this system will be in Phantom Blade Zero is still unknown, but players will clearly need to rethink their approach to combat compared to the typical Soulslike experience.