- Phantom Blade Zero has become the best-reviewed Chinese game to come out ever based on Metacritic scores.
- It boasts a staggering 88 critic score, followed by Genshin Impact at 86 and ICEY at 84 on the aggregator site.
- Meanwhile, Black Myth: Wukong and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers both secured an 81 rating, respectively.
After dominating the gacha genre over the last few years, Chinese AAA studios are pivoting towards high-quality single-player Unreal 5 titles. These games have taken the Western industry by storm, and Phantom Blade Zero is arguably the latest and best example of this phenomenon.
After selling like hotcakes ahead of launch, it has already become the best-reviewed Chinese game to ever come out. Based on Metacritic scores, Phantom Blade Zero is dominating all the other Chinese releases right now with its highly respectable 88 rating.
Why it matters: Phantom Blade Zero has set a new standard for the already flourishing Chinese single-player gaming scene. It is now increasingly challenging the standing of Western AAA studios, which have long faced criticism for playing it too safely for profits.
As of now, Phantom Blade Zero’s first spot is followed by Genshin Impact and ICEY. Meanwhile, Black Myth: Wukong is much farther behind in rating than one may expect. Metascores of all the top 10 Chinese hits on the PS5 platform can be seen below:
- 1: Phantom Blade Zero (S-GAME) – 88
- 2: Genshin Impact (miHoYo) – 86
- 3: ICEY (FantaBlade Network) – 84
- 4: Eastward (Pixpil) – 83
- 5: Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science) – 81
- 6: Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (Leenzee) – 81
- 7: F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (TiGames) – 81
- 8: Honkai: Star Rail (miHoYo) – 80
- 9: Zenless Zone Zero (miHoYo) – 77
- 10: Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games) – 74
Phantom Blade Zero has hit 579K concurrent players on Steam at the time of writing, so it may struggle to reach Wukong’s active player count for a while. However, it has proven to be more popular among critics and journalists so far.
The game has been heavily praised for its incredibly satisfying combat, weapon choices, and boss battles. Fleshed-out worldbuilding also prevents the experience from feeling repetitive even after 50 hours. It is now considered to be one of the leading GOTY contenders.
Do you think any other upcoming Chinese action RPGs in the future will surpass Phantom Blade Zero anytime soon? Does Black Myth: Zhong Kui stand a chance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devotedly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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