Yes—Phantom Blade Zero is connected to Rainblood, but it is not best understood as a numbered sequel or a one-to-one remake. S-Game founder and creator Soulframe Liang describes it as “the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood.” The new game carries forward the franchise’s creative lineage while presenting a new story in a very different form: a large-scale 3D action game rather than the original’s small, 2D, turn-based RPG.
That distinction matters if you are deciding whether to play the older games first. Phantom Blade Zero has a new story and does not require prior Rainblood or Phantom Blade knowledge. You can approach it as an entry point, while still understanding why its creator calls it a rebirth of the series that began with Rainblood: Town of Death.
What is the connection between Rainblood and Phantom Blade Zero?
The connection is a shared creative and franchise history, not a confirmed direct continuation of the original game’s plot. Phantom Blade Zero comes from the lineage of Rainblood, the independent game Soulframe Liang made before Rainblood grew into a broader franchise and took on the Phantom Blade name.
Liang explained that origin in a PlayStation Blog article published May 24, 2023. He said he made Rainblood: Town of Death himself in RPG Maker while studying architecture, and that the game later grew into a franchise under the Phantom Blade name. He introduced the new title with a deliberate description: “Allow me to introduce Phantom Blade Zero, the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood.”
That wording is the clearest guide to how to describe the relationship. Phantom Blade Zero belongs to the Rainblood/Phantom Blade family and revisits its creative foundations, but “spiritual rebirth” does not establish that it picks up the original game’s events as a conventional sequel would. It signals continuity of origin and identity alongside a substantial reworking.
So, if you are asking whether Phantom Blade Zero is based on Rainblood, the answer is yes in the sense of lineage and creative roots. If you mean whether it retells the same plot scene by scene or is simply Rainblood 3, the available description does not support that. “Reimagining” or “spiritual successor” is more precise than “direct sequel.”
Is Phantom Blade Zero a sequel, remake, or reboot?
The most accurate label is a reimagining or spiritual rebirth—not a straightforward sequel or literal remake. The new game draws on the series’ history but is described as telling a new story that does not require familiarity with earlier entries.
A sequel normally implies that a player is continuing a particular story or set of events. A remake, meanwhile, usually means that a specific earlier game is being rebuilt or retold in a new format. Liang’s description points somewhere else: he is returning to the original Rainblood idea and creative world, but realizing it as a much larger, differently structured game.
That leaves “reboot” as a tempting but potentially misleading shorthand. It may communicate that newcomers can start here, but it can also imply a clean break or a replacement of established continuity. The more careful explanation is that Phantom Blade Zero is a new standalone story rooted in the franchise’s existing creative lineage. The creator’s own phrase, “spiritual rebirth,” captures both parts.
In practical terms, you do not need to know exactly what happened in Rainblood: Town of Death to follow the new game. The historical connection is useful context, not a prerequisite or a promise that every old plot point will return.
What is the Rainblood and Phantom Blade timeline?
The series began as Liang’s independent project around 2010, expanded into a franchise, and was publicly reintroduced to a wider console-and-PC audience through Phantom Blade Zero in 2023. The timeline explains why the new game can be both connected to Rainblood and a fresh starting point.
- Around 2010 — Rainblood: Town of Death begins. Liang says he made the game himself in RPG Maker while studying architecture. It began as a personal indie project rather than as a major console production.
- After the original — Rainblood expands. Liang says the game grew into a wider franchise and later adopted the Phantom Blade name. The broader Rainblood/Phantom Blade identity developed over time, including games made for the Chinese mobile market during the 2010s.
- May 24, 2023 — Phantom Blade Zero is introduced publicly. In his PlayStation Blog article, Liang presents the game as “the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood.” This is the clearest creator statement of the relationship.
- Current platform framing — PlayStation 5 and PC. Current coverage identifies Phantom Blade Zero as a PlayStation 5 and PC game. Platform and release information can change, so check an official storefront for the latest availability and edition details.
This is a franchise-history timeline, not a recommended sequence for following one continuous plot. The available description of Phantom Blade Zero presents it as a new story, so the chronology of the games’ development should not be mistaken for an in-universe order that players must follow.
What carries over from Rainblood?
The strongest continuity is creative: the same creator, the franchise’s wuxia-influenced identity, and ideas from the world Liang started building in the original project. That can make the new title feel connected without requiring it to duplicate the old game’s plot or structure.
Liang has described Phantom Blade Zero as drawing on story foundations he revisited from earlier scripts and drawings. That supports calling it a return to the source material’s creative roots. It does not mean every character, event, or piece of earlier-game lore has been confirmed to carry over unchanged.
The broader franchise history also matters. Rainblood did not remain only the name of one small RPG; Liang says it grew into a franchise and took on the Phantom Blade name. The new title is therefore not an unrelated project that happens to share a creator. Its relationship is embedded in the series’ evolution and in the creator’s stated intent.
Liang also described a fan base of more than 20 million. That figure is his and S-Game’s account of the franchise’s audience, not an independently audited market statistic. It offers context for the scale of the franchise’s reach, but it should not be read as a verified sales total for Rainblood: Town of Death or as a figure for Phantom Blade Zero alone.
What changes between the original Rainblood and Phantom Blade Zero?
The presentation changes almost completely: a small 2D, turn-based RPG becomes a 3D, real-time action game made in Unreal Engine 5. That is why the new title is better described as a modern realization of the lineage than as a direct format continuation.
| Aspect | Rainblood: Town of Death | Phantom Blade Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Origin and scale | A solo independent game made by Liang around 2010 | A larger console-and-PC production from the franchise lineage |
| Format | 2D, turn-based RPG | 3D, real-time action game |
| Technology | RPG Maker | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Story relationship | The original starting point of the lineage | A new story; earlier-game knowledge is not required |
| Player entry point | The beginning of the franchise’s development history | A standalone way into the modern Phantom Blade series |
The table describes a change in form, not a measure of artistic worth. The original’s significance is that it began the world and franchise; the newer game’s scale and technology allow S-Game to present that lineage through a different genre and production approach. RPG Maker and Unreal Engine 5 are not interchangeable versions of the same toolkit, and the shift from turn-based play to real-time action changes what a player does moment to moment.
It is also important not to infer story continuity from visual or thematic similarities. A shared wuxia-influenced identity and revisited story ideas support a connection, but they do not by themselves prove that the new game retells the exact narrative of Town of Death.
Do you need to play Rainblood before Phantom Blade Zero?
No. Phantom Blade Zero is described as a new story that does not require knowledge of the earlier games. You can start with it without treating Rainblood as required homework.
If you are curious about the franchise’s origin, Rainblood: Town of Death is the logical historical starting point because it is where Liang says the series began. Playing it first would help you understand the scale of the transformation from a solo RPG Maker project to a large 3D action game, and why Liang frames the new title as a rebirth. But that is context for the series’ development, not a stated condition for understanding the new story.
Likewise, there is no confirmed mandatory play order in the available material. The safe recommendation is to choose based on what you want: start with Phantom Blade Zero if you want the new action game and a fresh story, or seek out the earlier Rainblood material if you are interested in the franchise’s history. Do not assume that playing older games first is necessary to understand characters or plot details in the new one.
Is Phantom Blade Zero the same story as Rainblood?
No exact story retelling is established; the new game is described as telling a new story. Its connection to Rainblood is best understood through shared creative roots and the franchise’s evolution, rather than an assumption that it reproduces the original plot.
There is room for the new game to revisit ideas from Liang’s earlier scripts and drawings while still telling a different story. “Inspired by” or “rooted in” does not automatically mean “identical to.” The creator’s phrase “spiritual rebirth” leaves space for that combination: recognizable foundations, reworked presentation, and a new narrative entry point.
For readers trying to map the stories, the most responsible expectation is therefore modest. The lineage is confirmed by Liang’s account; a scene-by-scene retelling, direct continuation, or precise canon relationship is not. Unless official story details establish more, describe the connection without assigning the new game a specific place after the events of Town of Death.
Why does the Rainblood connection matter?
It explains what Phantom Blade Zero is trying to be: not merely a new action game, but a larger realization of a world and creative project that began with its creator. That history adds meaning to the scale change while leaving newcomers free to enter through the new story.
The origin is unusually personal: Liang says he created the original alone while studying architecture. Its growth into a franchise and later adoption of the Phantom Blade name show a long creative evolution, not a sudden rebrand invented for the new release. His “spiritual rebirth” description connects the modern production to that history without claiming that the old game and new game are interchangeable.
For players, the distinction resolves two common questions at once. Yes, the games are connected; no, that does not mean you must complete the older titles or expect a direct sequel. Treat Phantom Blade Zero as a standalone new story with Rainblood’s creative DNA, and you have the clearest evidence-based picture of the relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Rainblood: Town of Death?
S-Game founder Soulframe Liang says he made it himself in RPG Maker while studying architecture. He described the game as beginning around 2010.
How many fans does the Rainblood and Phantom Blade franchise have?
Liang cited more than 20 million fans for the franchise. That is a creator- or studio-reported audience figure, not an independently audited sales number.
Was Rainblood originally made in Unreal Engine?
No. Liang identifies RPG Maker as the tool he used for the original game. Unreal Engine 5 is the technology associated with Phantom Blade Zero.
Why did Rainblood become Phantom Blade?
Liang says Rainblood grew into a wider franchise and later picked up the Phantom Blade name. The available account establishes that evolution, but does not give a more detailed explanation of the naming decision.