Phantom Blade Zero Director Reveals How He Made ‘A Playable Kung Fu Movie’ with Donnie Yen
Phantom Blade Zero aims to make players feel as though they are starring in a wuxia film, with flowing, highly stylised martial arts at its core. Director Soulframe Liang says the ambition has made development difficult, as the studio is building its first big-budget game and creating much of its approach from the ground up.
Actor and martial artist Donnie Yen joined as a creative consultant, contributing his kung fu experience and helping direct combat, as well as performing motion capture for his masked character, Mó Yuan. Yen often travelled to Shanghai on weekends while filming other projects, and worked with a team of 15 to 20 people that included action director Kenji Tanigaki; combat director Yang Liu also helped shape the game’s fights.
In short
- Phantom Blade Zero is designed to feel like a playable wuxia film.
- Donnie Yen advised on kung fu and performed motion capture.
- The studio built its action approach for its first AAA game.
Explained simply
Wuxia is a Chinese tradition of stories about martial artists, often featuring skilled fighters, codes of honour and stylised action. Phantom Blade Zero is a video game built around that tradition, aiming to let players take part in fights that feel like scenes from a martial arts film.
The game is being made by a Shanghai studio for which it is the first large-budget project. Director Soulframe Liang is leading the effort to create its approach to combat, with actor and martial artist Donnie Yen advising on the action and performing movement capture for the character Mó Yuan. Action director Kenji Tanigaki and combat director Yang Liu are also among those shaping the fights.
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