Phantom Blade Zero and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort review roundup

Two very different games have new reviews this week. Phantom Blade Zero, a wuxia action RPG from the Chinese studio S-Game, had its reviews go live on October 26, three days before it launches on PS5 and PC. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, a Switch 2 sequel that brings back Wuhu Island from the Wii, came out on October 22.

The short version: Phantom Blade Zero has some of the best action-game reviews of the year. Critics love the combat almost without exception and agree the story is a mess. Switch Sports Resort is a clear step up from the 2022 original. Critics call it the best game in the series, but say some of its 12 sports are much better than others.

Scores below were taken at the time of writing and may still move.

Phantom Blade Zero and Switch Sports Resort at a glance

Phantom Blade Zero review scores: 88 on Metacritic

You play Soul, an assassin framed for the murder of his order's patriarch and revived with 66 days to live. The setting is the Phantom World, loosely based on Ming dynasty China, mixing wuxia with steampunk and dark fantasy. S-Game calls the style "kungfupunk."

Metacritic lists it at 88 on PC from 46 critics and 87 on PS5 from 42. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 89 from 57 critics, with 96% recommending it. Our guide to how Metacritic and OpenCritic scores work explains the difference.

What critics love about Phantom Blade Zero

The combat, nearly everywhere. IGN's Travis Northup calls it "an unbelievably smooth action game filled with memorable boss fights." VGC's Dave Aubrey says it is "one of the fastest, flashiest action games I've ever played," and rates it above Black Myth: Wukong.

Push Square's Liam Croft (9/10) sums it up as "It looks great to play; it feels great to play; it is great to play." He notes there is no stamina bar for attacks, dodges or parries. GameRant's Nick Rodriguez says the combat "feels every bit as cool as it looks," and praises the large weapon list and boss roster.

At the top end, Wccftech's Francesco De Meo (10/10) calls it "one of the best current-generation titles to date," and DualShockers' Christian Bognar says it is "hands down the best action RPG this year."

Where Phantom Blade Zero reviews split: the story

Almost every complaint is about the story. GameSpot's Richard Wakeling gave it 8/10 and put the problem in his headline: the combat is so good "you won't care the story makes no sense." GameRant describes "an emotionally impenetrable main plot," with key context hidden in collectible text logs. VGC finds the characters "bland, generic, and uninteresting."

Push Square is harshest on this point. Croft writes that "Poor storytelling threatens the fast-paced nature of the title through incessant flashbacks and tedious collectibles."

There are smaller notes too. VGC says the levels are very linear, with invisible walls and optional areas locked until later. Push Square saw frame rate drops in some boss fights on PS5 Pro, plus dialogue that is much quieter than the music. Eurogamer's Emma Kent gave the lowest score here, 3/5, though she still says it achieves "wonderfully fluid and cinematic kung fu-style combat."

How hard and how long is Phantom Blade Zero?

It isn't a Soulslike, according to Push Square. Enemies don't respawn, you lose nothing when you die, and there are Easy, Normal and Hard modes. Croft says the campaign "should prove quite a bit easier than a FromSoftware hurdle." Our guide to choosing a difficulty setting can help if you're unsure.

Push Square puts the main story at 25 to 30 hours and everything at around 45. GameRant logged just under 43 hours and still had side quests left. There is also New Game Plus and a permadeath mode. The PS5 physical edition doesn't arrive until 2027.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort review scores: 79 on Metacritic

Switch Sports Resort has 12 sports: Tennis, Volleyball, Bowling, Basketball, Golf, Boxing, Table Tennis, Archery, Thumb Wrestling, Power Cruising, Prop Plane and Skateboarding. Skateboarding uses the Joy-Con 2's mouse controls. Single-player content is built around Wuhu Island, with Sightseeing Tours, collectibles and an Island Crown challenge mode.

Metacritic lists it at 79 from 74 critics, with 61 positive, 13 mixed and none negative. That is up from 72 for 2022's Nintendo Switch Sports. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 80 from 50 critics, with 81% recommending it.

What critics love about Switch Sports Resort

That it finally feels complete. Nintendo Life's Jim Norman (9/10) says it "is everything Switch Sports should have been at launch and more." VGC's Chris Scullion calls it "the fifth and finest iteration of the series to date," and Eurogamer's Matt Wales calls it the series' "most refined outing yet."

Archery comes up again and again. VGC singles it out along with Table Tennis, Power Cruising and Prop Plane, and TheSixthAxis's Jason Coles says it "just feels good to do." VGC also likes the Sightseeing Tours as a way to explore Wuhu Island.

Where Switch Sports Resort reviews split: uneven sports

The gap between the best and worst sports is the main complaint. IGN's Jesse Vitelli (7/10) notes "the quality of its sports varies drastically." VGC calls Basketball "probably the weakest sport in the game," and GameRant's Dalton Cooper says it's "way too easy to swat away the opponent's ball and block their shots."

Others find it too familiar. TheSixthAxis says "it's also a game that's largely more of the same," and finds Boxing "a mere shadow of the Fitness Boxing series." Nintendo Life misses Wii Sports Baseball and Disc Golf, and notes "you still can't play local co-op in Table Top Mode."

Which one to play

Phantom Blade Zero is for anyone who wants a demanding single-player action game this autumn and doesn't mind skipping the plot. It's the higher-rated of the two, but give it 25 to 30 hours, and longer if you want to see everything.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is for families and groups who own a Switch 2. Play it with other people, in the room or online. It's $10 cheaper, but solo players may tire of it faster.

If you're fitting them in before GTA 6 on November 19, our plan for clearing your backlog before GTA 6 can help. You can also keep track of what you're playing and rate it when you finish in Perthro.

Sources

• Metacritic: Phantom Blade Zero
• OpenCritic: Phantom Blade Zero
• OpenCritic: Phantom Blade Zero is a "genuine game of the year contender", reviews say
• Steam: Phantom Blade Zero
• Wikipedia: Phantom Blade Zero
• Phantom Blade Zero reviews: Wccftech, PlayStation Universe, DualShockers, IGN, GameRant, Push Square, TheSixthAxis, Gameblog, Hobby Consolas, Hardcore Gamer, MMORPG, Everyeye, GameSpot, Shacknews, VGC, Eurogamer, Polygon
• Metacritic: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
• OpenCritic: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
• Metacritic: Nintendo Switch Sports
• Nintendo: Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
• Nintendo Switch Sports Resort reviews: GameSpot, Nintendo Life, GameRant, MonsterVine, Eurogamer, VGC, Shacknews, TheSixthAxis, The Games Machine, COGconnected, Wccftech, IGN, Everyeye, Polygon