How Long Is Phantom Blade Zero? Length, Endings & the True Ending

How long is it?

• Main story only: about 20–25 hours
• Full playthrough with side content: 25–40 hours — the director’s own figure is 25–30, while reviewers landing 40–50 were typically sweeping side content or playing Hellwalker
• Completionism: a full clear is achievable within a single playthrough, roughly 30–40 hours

Those numbers fit the structure: eight hand-painted, seamlessly joined regions that are wide and branching but not an open world.

How many endings are there?

Eight. Endings are shaped primarily by side-quest completion — the game tracks how much of the world’s threads you followed, not just which final choice you pick. That makes the mid-game, not the final menu, the real ending selector.

How do I get the true ending?

Two habits decide it:

1. Do purple-icon side quests promptly. These quests expire as the story advances — miss the window and the quest is gone for that run.
2. Defeat the two optional bosses: Zhu Yuan and Bi Feng. Both are required alongside full side completion for the true ending.

What happens when I die?

Lightly punished: you respawn at the last bell, and multi-phase bosses restart you at the phase where you died. Die in a boss’s second phase and you begin again at that second phase. When you’re ready for stakes, New Cycle adds Hellwalker and the 66-death 66 Days mode. For the journey itself, start with the beginner’s guide.