Combat and systems
What S-GAME has confirmed
Main weapons 30+
Over 30 main weapons, unlocked while exploring the Wulin. Each has its own moveset, with combos that are easy to learn yet rewarding to master, rooted in traditional martial arts.
Phantom Edges 20+ / 25
Secondary weapons, many of them taken from fallen foes. The Steam page says “more than 20” and the PlayStation Blog (August 2026) says 25. They give you ranged attacks and other special options.
Builds
You can upgrade weapons, pair them with accessories and reforge them to get the materials back and reinvest them in another weapon. There are also summons to help you in battle.
Dodge, deflect, counter
The official description sums up combat like this: “Dodge, deflect, counter, and strike in one seamless flow, where victory and defeat are decided in an instant.”
Difficulty modes
| Mode | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Wayfarer | For players who mostly want to enjoy the story. |
| Hellwalker | More challenge: enemies with more advanced and adaptive intelligence. |
| Sixty-Six Days | The extreme challenge. According to RPGFan, a post-game roguelike-style mode with 66 lives before a permanent game over. |
The Steam page also lists “Adjustable Difficulty”. We do not know yet whether there are more modes beyond these three: we will confirm at launch.
How combat works
What follows comes from journalists who played preview builds (the latest, in October 2026, was “near-final”). Names and details may change in the final game.
Blue attacks: parry
Enemies flag Brutal Moves with a blue light: those are meant to be parried. A perfect parry triggers a Ghoststep, moving Soul behind the enemy for a counterattack. Parrying is one of the pillars of combat.
Red attacks: dodge
Killer Moves show a red light and cannot be blocked or parried: you have to dodge. With the right timing you get a Perfect Dodge.
Sha-Chi
The combat resource: it drains while blocking and attacking (especially with heavy attacks). Switching weapons mid-combo refills it. Enemies have Sha-Chi too: drain it and they are open to finishers.
Two weapons at a time
You carry two main weapons and swap between them mid-fight, plus your Phantom Edges. Examples from the previews: a Drunken Style weapon that gets stronger when Soul drinks, and Jagged Steel, which fills a Bleed Gauge until it triggers Blood Loss.
Bosses in phases
In multi-phase boss fights, if you die you restart at the beginning of the phase you died in, not the start of the fight. S-GAME told The Outerhaven this was an accessibility choice.
Stealth and environment
In the 2024 demo you could already crouch and silently kill enemies if they had not spotted you, and use the environment (for example, climbing a pillar) during a boss fight.
How to get ready
Learn the colours
Blue = parry (Brutal Move); red = dodge (Killer Move), since it cannot be blocked. Reading these warnings is the core of combat, according to every preview.
Try different weapons
S-GAME wants you to switch weapons instead of sticking with one early on, and swapping mid-combo restores Sha-Chi. Reforging gives your materials back, so experimenting is cheap.
Pick the difficulty for what you want
Wayfarer is for the story; Hellwalker for smarter enemies; Sixty-Six Days is the extreme challenge.
Explore and talk to everyone
Side quests and conversations can open new story paths, and there are hidden rewards (even Phantom Edges) for explorers.
PC: check your SSD
SSD installation is required, even at minimum specs (see the Editions and PC page).
No need to rush the pre-order
The pre-order and Deluxe bonuses can also be earned by playing: you just get them earlier.