Reckless Pursuit Walkthrough - Phantom Blade Zero Guide - IGN

Reckless Pursuit is the second part of the Phantom Blade Zero prologue. This walkthrough picks up after you learn about Soul’s venom-filled heart.

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This chapter begins as Soul journeys to a town named Pangzhen while speaking to a traveler named Old Man Gen . He tells Soul that there’s a plague there, causing townsfolk to lose their minds.

People have also seen lifelike wooden puppets near the town, pulled by strings. Soul believes it’s a phenomenon called Soul Displacement caused by the Thread-Binding Sect .

Reckless Pursuit is a fitting title because you’re thrust into a chase scene as two enemies interrupt your conversation with Old Man Gen.

This is a bit of an on-rails action segment – you don’t need to steer the cart right now. Hold block to block all incoming gunshots until you see a blue flash from one of the gunmen. Parry as soon as you see the flash to counterattack.

Then, block more incoming bullets until you see a red flash. Dodge the red flash to counter and trigger a quick scene that changes the camera angle.

The enemies are now on either side of you, in melee range. You can block or parry all of their normal strikes, then pay attention to the colors of their combo finishers. Parry the blue flashes and dodge the red flashes.

Attack with your own standard or Sha-Chi combo once you’ve parried or dodged a combo finisher. Press Circle on controller or E on keyboard to execute an enemy when the prompt shows up on their body.

A third assailant appears after you beat the first two. This time, it’s a one-on-one fight in the carriage bed.

Approach it the same way as you did the other two – block or parry standard slashes, and watch for blue or red flashes. Another scene plays after you defeat that one. It’s time for a high-speed boss fight.

Boss Battle: The Hunt, Hunter of the Order

The Hunt is a sickle-wielding spectral entity who is chasing Soul because he attacked Zuo Shang, the Shadow Sovereign. This fight takes place on the carriage bed, so there isn’t much room to move. Here are all the special attacks you need to watch out for:

There isn’t much room for movement since you’re on a carriage here. Dodging doesn’t always work out as intended because of the limited space, so rely more on blocking and parrying here, especially when The Hunt’s attacks speed up.

Aim for standard or Sha-Chi combos whenever The Hunt is standing inside the carriage bed with you. Focus more on defense when the boss is standing on the horses and attacking from a distance.

You only have to get The Hunt down to about 50% HP to trigger a cutscene that brings the fight to an end. This is another named enemy who doesn’t feel like a true boss fight, but we’ll get to one soon.

Soul slashes The Hunt to end the encounter, then tries to leap across a huge chasm as the road ends. He falls down into a whole different area while remembering the Flesh Sculptor’s words from the day before.

The Flesh Sculptor said that there’s a Heart in Pangzhen that can remake flesh and raise the dead, and he’ll use that heart to allow Soul to live beyond 66 days.

That quick flashback brings an end to Reckless Pursuit . Next up, we enter the Weeping Creek Valley for Against the Flow .