Phantom Blade Zero controls come in two layouts, one for PlayStation 5 and one for PC, and the single most important thing to know about both is that blocking and parrying share the same button: hold it to block, tap it just before an attack connects to parry. On PC the full remap system covers mouse sensitivity, Y-axis inversion, controller remapping and the Steam Input API, so you can bind any action to anything.
The Phantom Blade Zero controls on PlayStation 5
| Action | Button |
|---|---|
| Light attack | Square |
| Heavy attack | Triangle |
| Interact / talk | Circle |
| Jump / special movement | Cross |
| Block (hold) and parry (tap) | L1 |
| Power Surge | L2 |
| Dodge / Ghoststep | R1 |
| Phantom Edges | R2 |
| Sprint | Hold Left Analog Stick and R1 |
| Special skill 1 / special skill 2 | L1 + Triangle / L1 + Square |
| Switch weapon | Left D-pad |
| Switch Phantom Edge | Right D-pad |
| Use lower / upper medicine | Down D-pad / Up D-pad |
| Lock on | R3 |
| Switch lock-on target | Left or Right on the Right Analog Stick |
| Rotate camera | Right Analog Stick |
| Crouch | L3 |
| Run / walk | Left Analog Stick |
| Open map | Touchpad |
| Mind's Eye | Swipe up on the Touchpad |
PC keyboard and mouse layout
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move | WASD |
| Jump | Space |
| Dodge / Ghoststep | Shift |
| Crouch | C |
| Toggle walk and run | Alt |
| Interact and talk | E |
| Heavy attack and execute prompt | F |
| Light attack | Left mouse button |
| Block and parry | Right mouse button |
| Lock on | Middle mouse button |
| Power Surge | Q |
| Use a Phantom Edge | Ctrl |
| Switch weapon | 1 |
| Switch Phantom Edge | 2 |
| Lower and upper medicine | R and T |
| Map | M |
| Equipment menu | Esc |
These are the bindings for the retail build. If your install differs, the in-game controls screen is the authority, and since everything is remappable you can move anything anyway.
Controller or mouse
Most players still pick up a controller for this one. The tap-timing on a face button is more comfortable than a mouse button, and parry timing is where the game lives. The mouse is better for aiming the ranged Phantom Edges, such as the Feather Bow, so a mouse and a pad side by side is a valid setup.
What the hardware needs
If your hardware is a Steam Deck rather than a desktop, the Steam Deck page has the compatibility status and the frame rates you can expect, and the parry timing is what makes those numbers matter.
Controls are the easy half. The hardware requirements are the part that decides whether you get a smooth parry or a stuttering one. The PC performance page has the official minimum and recommended specs and the settings that move the frame rate the most.