Phantom Blade Zero's new previews give you a reason to look past the boss fights: optional quests can provide combat rewards, and equipment can open routes worth returning to. For players who enjoy exploring, the October 8 and 9 hands-on reports add something more useful than another impressive fight clip.

S-GAME already described secrets and side quests in its August presentation. The new detail is how those ideas played out in preview sessions. This is reporting on those sessions, not a Game Pelt hands-on verdict.

An optional conversation can lead to another attack

The Outerhaven's Keith Mitchell describes returning a quest item to a character he had chosen to speak with in a village. His reward was a Phantom Edge that gave him access to a ranged attack.

That is a practical reason to investigate an optional encounter. The reward added a combat choice, rather than only more dialogue. It does not establish that the item is permanently missable or that every conversation produces equipment; those conditions still need checking in the finished game.

Soul on a village path amid wooden buildings and rocky cliffs in an official Phantom Blade Zero screenshot.
Image: S-GAME.

New equipment can make an old route worth revisiting

Insider Gaming's Charlie Champion describes acquiring gear that opened previously inaccessible areas. He also highlights side quests with distinct rewards after spending almost ten hours across two preview events.

Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard separately describes levels with shortcuts and characters offering missions. His report appeared October 8, but his session took place at Gamescom in August. These are newly published impressions, not three reports from the same October build.

Taken together, the accounts suggest that moving through the Wulin involves more than reaching the next arena. Remembering a blocked route and checking what changed after finding equipment could matter. That is a reason to explore, not confirmation of a fully open world or a complete route guide.

The official gameplay and story deep dive shows more of the Wulin alongside the combat.

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Side quests are part of S-GAME's plan, not a new announcement

The developer's August PlayStation Blog post says helping citizens can open additional story paths and deepen your understanding of the Wulin. It also describes secrets throughout the world.

The October previews put examples behind that earlier explanation. They do not announce a new quest system, prove multiple endings or establish how much of the campaign depends on optional content. Keep that distinction clear before treating a preview anecdote as a launch walkthrough.

Keep exploration on the watchlist, and buying separate

If you were mainly following Phantom Blade Zero for its fights, optional rewards and routes are now another part worth watching. Talk to characters and pay attention to places you cannot access yet, rather than assuming the main objective will show you everything.

The full campaign still has to prove its pacing and consistency. Preview machines and unfinished builds also cannot settle how the retail game will run on your setup. Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled for October 29 on PS5 and PC, with October 28 listed for the US and select regions. Watch the world footage as well as the bosses; wait for final testing if performance will decide your purchase.