Phantom Blade Zero Director Explains Why Weapons Won’t Be Perfectly Balanced

The team behind the upcoming action title Phantom Blade Zero is intentionally avoiding the traditional ‘perfect balance’ found in competitive multiplayer games. In a recent interview with PCGamesN, game director Soulframe explained that the game’s 30 weapons are designed with specific roles and power levels in mind rather than strict competitive parity.

Intentional imbalance for gameplay variety

Because Phantom Blade Zero is a single-player experience, the developers at S-Game feel less pressure to force every piece of equipment to be equally viable in every situation. According to Soulframe, the existence of stronger and weaker weapons is a deliberate choice. The primary goal is to encourage players to experiment with their loadouts rather than sticking to a single “meta” weapon throughout the entire game.

Strategic weapon selection

Rather than serving as simple cosmetic variants, the weapons in Phantom Blade Zero significantly impact movement and damage output. The developers use weapons as a tool to solve specific combat challenges. “When you encounter some bosses and when you encounter some even minor different enemies, like the shield guy… you will resolve that with the axe or with the big flower blade,” Soulframe told PCGamesN.

By presenting players with varied combat problems, the game pushes you to rotate your gear. While players are still free to try to brute-force encounters with any weapon they choose, the game rewards those who identify the right tool for the job. For instance, specific weapons can mitigate the impact of a boss’s primary attacks, making difficult encounters more manageable if you are willing to adapt your playstyle.

Why it matters

For players, this design philosophy means that mastery in Phantom Blade Zero isn’t about perfecting a single build, but about building a versatile arsenal. Expect to frequently swap gear as you encounter different enemy archetypes and boss mechanics.

By moving away from the strict balance constraints often seen in multiplayer games, S-Game is aiming for a more tactical, puzzle-like combat loop where your inventory is your primary means of adaptation. If you’re the type of player who likes to find one “best” weapon and stick with it, you may find the game actively pushing you outside of your comfort zone to overcome specific environmental or enemy-based hurdles.