There’s one point in Phantom Blade Zero where you, playing as the impressive swordsman Soul, walk onto a bridge. A man, stumbling around without a care in the world, starts to speak with you. He’s clearly drunk and eventually pulls his sword free. That man is Hua Qianxiao, and despite being fairly early into the game, the encounter demonstrated how challenging things would be–the first boss was just an appetizer for what the new action RPG would deliver.