Review in Progress - Black Myth: Wukong

Being of European descent, I grew up with tales of Thor, Odin, King Arthur, and Heracles, to name a few. These stories of heroics, tragedy, and wisdom formed much of my youth and spurred me on to learn more about the different cultures and folklore on offer around the world, with the help of many games such as the Shin Megami Tensei and, later in life, SMITE. However, I realised I had never actually heard the story of Sun Wukong, the beautiful Monkey King! Sure, I knew of the character and story via other media, but the original tale was very much unknown. As such, when I was given the opportunity to experience a world inspired by it in Black Myth: Wukong, I did my best cloud summersault and dove right in after the immediate medical treatment.

The game starts off in a tutorial section, which, to the best of my knowledge, takes place at the end of the introduction of Journey to the West, wherein Sun Wukong faces a vast army of heavenly foes. After an amazingly over-the-top and fun sequence, which taught us the basics of combat, the tutorial ends abruptly as the original Monkey King’s battle does: with our hero buried deep within a mountain. The game proper picks up an indeterminate time later, as the monkey people tell legends of their erstwhile king and how one of their kind is destined to find Sun Wukong’s magical artefacts and uncover the reasons behind his fate, possibly bringing their beautiful king back.

We play as one of the monkey people, named the Destined One, as we venture down the mountain path on our quest, taking on many foes ranging from wolf people with swords and glaives to frogs and snakes with venom and stealth on their side. Luckily, not everyone we meet is as vindictive as most, as we meet a bearded spirit of the small shrines found every now and again. I say bearded, but he’s more like a forgotten potato at the back of your fridge that hasn’t seen the light of day in an age of men. I absolutely love this design; it’s both cute and disturbing!

The combat of Black Myth: Wukong is based on quick reactions and swift strikes, with an almost dance-like back-and-forth between fighters. Time your dodges right, and you’ll charge up your focus for a hard-hitting heavy attack, but get hit, and that focus is lost. You also have a Stamina meter to keep an eye on lest you find yourself in the path of a giant fist with no breath to spare for a roll to safety. Finally, you have a flask of coconut wine to guzzle whenever you’re feeling a bit worse for wear. Every beaten foe grants you some progress toward a Spark, which you can use to further develop your skills or learn new ones, like stances to wield your trusty staff!

Now, you may have heard Stamina management, dodging, and a healing drink and may have strayed to label this game as a soulslike… however, I don’t believe that to be the case. While there are certainly elements of the classic FromSoftware-like formula to be found (down to the places of rest that will revive most enemies), the combat itself is much more forgiving than any soulslike I have tried. Enemies react to blows with a satisfying stagger if you time your hits right — even bosses! — and you can take out the “lesser” enemies with a few strikes. Additionally, the levelling system and gear crafting are more reminiscent of an action RPG, which is what the game markets itself as. Regardless of the apparent ease, the bosses are fantastic fun in a very Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice way and offer a meaty challenge to a goof like me, though souls veterans may think differently.

While the Destined One is a master of martial arts, they are not without some magical tricks of their own, as their apparent predecessor. Our hero can pull off spells to deal damage or immobilise foes, allowing you to take a breath or get a good combo in. The amount of spells available is limited by your mana. Additionally, you can gain Transformations by defeating certain foes, which allow you to take on their form for a limited time! While transformed, you unlock a unique move set and even get a separate health bar, though the change is only temporary. Additionally, some bosses may drop a Spirit you can absorb (once you learn the technique), which can then be equipped and used as a special attack. These spirits can be pretty powerful, which is a great way to motivate players to search for any and all big baddies to absorb.

In terms of visuals, the world of Wukong is gorgeous to explore; the verdant forests and little creeks look serene and offer a great background for your epic encounters. The enemy design is equally fun, incorporating interesting styles for each of the separate peoples you meet, with their own seeming cultures and styles of combat. The combat itself also seems to flow like something from a martial arts film, with hits having a great sense of impact and weight. I also adored how the enemies you face seem to have their own “lives” and duties in their areas. If you are sneaky enough, you may notice a guard praying before a Buddha or you may catch a gang chatting at a campfire. Though the areas themselves can be a bit confusing to navigate (especially the dense forests), the enemies add a splash of life to the world I was not expecting.

I enjoyed the time I had with the game a lot and was even inspired enough to buy a translation of Journey to the West to see how the game lived up to the original tale. However, there was an issue. For some reason, during my time with the game, I could not interact with certain objects at all without facing an error message and being forced to restart the game, be it opening a chest, ringing a bell, or talking to another monkey person I met during my travels. While this would not be a problem if it occurred seldom, and I made it pretty far in even with the problem, I ran into a point where I simply could not progress at all. I very much liked what I saw up to that point and am still eager to see what lies beyond the door that stopped me, as I think Black Myth: Wukong has a lot of potential! But as it stands, things aren’t looking great.

I have hope that the issue I faced will be fixed after the game officially launches, so I am withholding a formal review until then. The game definitely has promise and I look forward to seeing what the story has in store for me and what kind of over-the-top encounters I can dodge my way out of, but before that, it’d be nice to be able to loot things first.