Following last month’s Phantom Blade Zero Q&A where the devs at S-Game shared the game’s length and more, S-Game has today revealed that Phantom Blade Zero won’t feature microtransactions along with more gameplay-related details.

In a new Q&A conducted on the game’s Discord, the studio once again took to answering some of the burning questions around their upcoming title, Phantom Blade Zero. Amongst those questions were the likes of whether the game would feature any microtransactions or gacha mechanics, as well as some related to whether this title would have similar difficulty to a Souls game, and about the DualSense features, and more.

Here’s a quick and easy breakdown of what was revealed, as well as the full QA:

• Weapons featured in the trailer are all in the game and have unique moves and combos. Studio is open to weapon suggestions.
• No gacha or microtransactions.
• Features soul-like elements but is approachable as they aren’t leaning fully on difficulty or punishment.
• Will make full use of the DualSense, with haptic support confirmed.
• Might release an art book for Phantom Blade Zero
• Might do a dev diary around the inspiration of the game.
• Soul is in the main character’s name. He is an agent of the order, trained in espionage and assassination.
• Phantom Blade is a miserable place in general, though after breaking free of manipulation, Soul leaves light of hope everywhere he goes.

(Note: For clarity, we have edited the Q&A for grammar and spelling).

Question 1: What kind of weapons would you like to see in the game?

What you saw in the trailer is only part of your arsenal in the final game. Each weapon affects gameplay with unique moves and combos. Since the game is still in the making, we’re open to suggestions from the community.

Question 2: About gacha elements?

Nope. You’ll be paying for a complete experience. No gacha or microtransaction.

Question 3: Are there soul-like elements in the game? Such as difficulty, soul/upgrade currency loss?

Yes and no. There are Souls-like elements, but we’re not going full throttle on difficulty and punishment. “Approachable” is the key here. The idea is that you don’t need lightning reflex or supersonic finger movements to find fun in the game.

Question 4: Does this game support haptic feedback?

Yes. We will be making the most out of the DualSense controller of PS5.

Question 5: Are there any plans to make available concept art books for Phantom Blade Zero? I have seen before that you have had concept art for Phantom Blade sold in China and I would love something like this internationally.

Yes, we did release concept art for several mobile titles before, but those are hardly an “art book.” With the global release of Phantom Blade: Executioners, creating an (English) art book does sound like a great idea. It will also serve as a resource book for those who are new to the Phantom Blade universe. There may be an art book for Phantom Blade: Zero, too, but that will wait till the game itself ships.

Question 6: Is PBZ a sequel to Rainblood Town of Death (or is it more like a remake of the entire story line)\

It’s a remake essentially based on the storyline of the original Rainblood but expanded enormously with additional content and multiple endings. What you’ve seen in Rainblood accounts for probably 10% or less of PBZ.

Question 7: Can you make a video on the inspiration for the game like what Wulin is?

Maybe. It does make sense to include that in the roadmap.

Question 8: More background story about the protagonists?

The Order is a powerful institution that tasks itself with maintaining the check and balance between forces of good and evil. For this purpose, it needs outstanding agents. Soul, like Zuo Shang, was adopted by the patriarch of the Order and trained into an expert of espionage and assassination. His job is to remove any person or faction deemed “disruptive” by the Order.

From birth to death, fate has hardly been merciful to him. He’s manipulated as a pawn in one conspiracy after another, but finally managed to defeat the “player” pulling strings behind the scene. The world in Phantom Blade is a miserable place in general, but wherever Soul passes, he leaves a light of hope in his wake.

That’s all for this week, and should the studio answer any more questions in the coming weeks, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Phantom Blade Zero currently has no release date and is set to launch on both the PS5 and PC.