Phantom Blade Zero vs Wukong, Sekiro, Nioh 3 and Khazan: Which Is It Really Like?

Phantom Blade Zero keeps getting called a Sekiro clone. I've platinumed Sekiro and finished Black Myth: Wukong, Nioh 3 and The First Berserker: Khazan, so here's where Phantom Blade Zero actually sits among them: the bars, the defence, what the colours mean, the weapons and what happens when you die, with what its director Soulframe Liang and the other games' own makers have said. One verdict per fanbase, a cheat sheet at the end, and the game it's closest to isn't the one everyone names. Phantom Blade Zero Isn't Sekiro: How Its Combat Actually Works:    • Phantom Blade Zero Isn't Sekiro: How Its C...   Pre-launch breakdown:    • Phantom Blade Zero: Everything We Know Bef...   The Previews Are In:    • Phantom Blade Zero: The Previews Are In   Who Is Soul, and Who Framed Him? (the lore):    • Phantom Blade Zero Lore Explained: The 18-...   Chapters 0:00 Cold open 1:05 The yardstick: Sekiro 3:39 The sibling: Black Myth: Wukong 5:30 The ancestor: Nioh 3 7:33 The cousin: Khazan 9:42 Where it may fall short 10:40 The cheat sheet Phantom Blade Zero launches 29 October 2026 on PS5 and PC (28 October in some regions). Sources: Soulframe Liang's 2019 essay on Sekiro (Zhihu, reposted by 游戏葡萄); 游戏陀螺 (2023); A9VG and GamerSky (Jul 2024); 上观新闻 (Feb 2025); PC Gamer (2025); 智能路障 (Jun 2024); the Beijing group interview written up by GamerSky and A9VG (Oct 2026); Liang's Weibo and Junho Lee's letter (Jan 2026); the Sekiro official manual; Black Myth: Wukong patch notes 1.0.13 and Game Science's sales announcement; CGMagazine (Aug 2026); the Nioh 3 manual, IGN First, Famitsu and Denfaminicogamer (Fumihiko Yasuda); Khazan's official guides, Deep Dive with the Devs and patch notes; Push Square; 触乐 (Oct 2026); 17173 (Dec 2025); GamerGuides and PC Gamer on the 2025 demo; ARKADE K17 on YouTube; DarknessBlue_ on Bilibili. Liang quoted by an outlet is marked REPORTED on screen, hands-on impressions PREVIEW, anything from the 2025 demo OLD BUILD, and our own readings OURS. A note on words: 武侠 (wuxia), 打铁 (dǎtiě, blacksmithing) and 大学生 (dàxuéshēng, university student) are said in Mandarin. Sha-chi is S-GAME's own spelling of 杀气, killing intent. Footage: Sekiro, Black Myth: Wukong, Nioh 3 and Khazan are my own captures. Phantom Blade Zero footage is official S-GAME and PlayStation material, S-GAME's own ChinaJoy 2024 panel and S-GAME x NVIDIA's RTX demo; some of it is from the 2025 demo and trailer, older builds, labelled on screen. Used for news reporting and commentary. #PhantomBladeZero #Sekiro #BlackMythWukong #Nioh3 #Khazan