Phantom Blade Zero Lets You Earn the Platinum Trophy in One Run, While Sixty Six Days Mode Adds a Much Harder New Game Plus Challenge

Phantom Blade Zero will allow players to unlock every achievement and earn the Platinum Trophy in a single playthrough, even on the easiest difficulty. The game will still include a far more demanding New Game Plus mode called Sixty Six Days for players who want a much harsher challenge.

Director Soulframe Liang explained that the original concept for Phantom Blade Zero was much more punishing. Early ideas involved an extremely difficult structure where players could effectively fail after 66 deaths and lose a large amount of progress.

That system was eventually considered too frustrating for the main game, so the development team moved toward a more conventional difficulty structure.

Feature	Phantom Blade Zero
Platinum Trophy	Available in one playthrough
Required difficulty	Any of the first three difficulties
Easiest mode	Wayfarer
Hardcore mode	Sixty Six Days
Sixty Six Days availability	New Game Plus
Manual saving in hardcore mode	No
Separate save file	Yes
Achievements tied to hardcore mode	No
Total weapons	55

Platinum Trophy does not require the hardest difficulty

Players who care about achievements will not need to complete the most demanding version of the game.

All achievements can be earned across the first three difficulty levels. That includes Wayfarer, the easiest setting.

This means you can explore the world, complete objectives and unlock the Platinum Trophy without mastering the hardcore systems.

The decision keeps the achievement structure accessible while allowing the developers to make the optional challenge mode considerably more punishing.

There are also no trophies specifically tied to Sixty Six Days mode.

Sixty Six Days removes normal safety nets

Sixty Six Days will become available through New Game Plus and uses its own separate save file.

The mode does not allow manual saving. Progress is automatically recorded at specific checkpoints, including when you interact with designated bells.

This prevents you from reloading an earlier save after making a mistake.

The mode is built around a limited number of days. If all of them are used, the playthrough reaches a special failure ending with its own short sequence.

That save is then effectively finished, and the game asks whether you want to begin again.

The structure is much closer to the original high risk concept the team had considered early in development.

New Game Plus will include more than higher difficulty

The developers are also adding incentives beyond the challenge itself.

Some late game weapons will reportedly become more useful in subsequent runs, giving you more reason to experiment with equipment that might otherwise appear too late during a first playthrough.

Weapons also have their own growth systems.

A weapon at level 30 may behave differently from the same weapon at level 1 because progression can alter characteristics beyond basic statistics.

That means weapon development may affect combat strategy and handling rather than simply increasing damage numbers.

Phantom Blade Zero includes 55 weapons, giving New Game Plus runs plenty of room for experimentation.

The overall structure is designed to serve two very different types of players.

If you mainly want to experience the story and world, you can complete the game on Wayfarer and still earn every achievement. If you want a much more demanding test, Sixty Six Days offers permanent consequences, restricted saving and a limited failure window.

That separation gives the game room to be accessible without weakening its hardest content.