Black Myth: Wukong Review

I don’t know about you, but I’ve developed a bad case of soulslike fatigue. It’s not the genre’s fault, it’s just the way things go within the popular zeitgeist. It happened with cover-based shooters, it happened with open-world titles, and it will soon happen to something else. With my terminal case of SoFat looming, I hopped into the world of Black Myth: Wukong fearing yet another bunch of bonfires, soul-currencies, and teeth-grinding challenges. However, as I progressed further, I found that I’d been the victim of one of the Monkey King’s Transformation pranks!

Based on the classic Chinese literature epic, Journey to the West, the game starts off with you controlling the iconic Sun Wukong himself. After some tutorialising and a pretty epic 1v1 bout with some deities, you are unceremoniously punched into a mountain after which the game proper begins. We play as the Destined One and are tasked by a wise old simian with finding the magical artefacts previously owned by your beautiful king, as their retrieval will somehow bring back the tricky immortal. After this brief story beat, we are let loose to explore a world filled with creatures from Buddhist and Chinese folklore and whack wolves with sticks!

It's a pretty nice stick too

The game consists of six chapters, with each being more-or-less self-contained jaunts in your quests. Impressively, the areas feel pretty lengthy — especially if you take the time to explore — clocking in at nearly a dozen hours each! The zones also feature unique enemies, boss encounters, and secrets for those with a keen eye and wit! I thoroughly enjoyed poking around the beautiful landscapes, as I was often rewarded with some choice items, an optional battle with cool mechanics, or simply a vista to adore and enjoy.

Now, exploring is all well and good, but the core of this title is definitely combat. You do not have much in terms of options for your weapon, as the Destined One is nothing if not loyal to his ancestor’s favoured weapon, the magical size-changing staff. At its base level, it’s about the size of a regular bo staff and can be used to perform a multi-hit combo. Once you get enough hits in (or charge up energy) you gain a Focus point. These points can then be used to perform stronger attacks that also stagger enemies — even bosses! Honestly, landing that fully powered spin attack on an enemy, interrupting their hard-to-dodge super hit? Amazing.

A textbook case of "uh oh"

Dodging is also very central to combat. There is no parry and very little in terms of shields, meaning getting out of the way is your best defence whenever an attack is imminent. Time that dodge perfectly and you’ll not only avoid all damage, but you’ll also get free focus points! Win-win, right? It also adds an amazing sense of flow to the combat, which I loved.

While fighting the normal enemies is entertaining enough, especially since they aren’t that tough in the beginning, the main draw of Black Myth: Wukong is the absolutely great boss fights. This is also where the game is at its most soulslike as they are challenging, cinematic, and flashy, some with foreboding second phases and some pretty interesting attacks! The encounters can be divided into minor bosses (optional and mandatory) and the major bosses found near the end of each chapter. While the minor bosses are generally weaker than their major counterparts, they are no less flashy. For example, one of the early optional bosses is a frog that can croak lightning. The major bosses, on the other hand, are often very bombastic and feature interesting set pieces or mechanics, such as the use of sand-riddled wind.

Minor does not mean easy

Luckily, you have a few tricks up your sleeves in addition to your staff. Spells can be used to influence the flow of battle, with the first being able to freeze enemies — yes, even bosses — for a short time. Another allows you to summon copies of yourself to harass the enemy! Eat your heart out, Naruto. These cost mana, however, which can only be restored at checkpoints, but are very useful and powerful, so knowing when to use them is key!

In addition to spells, you also have Transformations, which may be my favourite mechanic added in a game this year! Gained after defeating certain enemies, Transformations allow you to take the form of said enemy for a limited time, gaining their abilities. Even better, while you are transformed, you have a separate health bar and none of the damage taken while in this form is transferred over. While it runs out pretty quickly, that extra bit of safety and the fun skills they offer make this skill an absolute gem!

Every boss should have a Timeout button

Another way to take on a new form is Spirits. Basically the same thing as Transformations, Spirits are special attacks wherein you take on the visage of an enemy for the duration of a single attack. While less lengthy, they often offer great manoeuvrability and crowd control opportunities! That and you can turn into a big ol’ frog. Finally, you have Relics.

These legendary items are usually received after performing a questline in each chapter and are very specifically useful against the major boss of the area. For example, in the first chapter, you find a flameproof cloak… guess what the major boss spews every now and again? Used in the same way as Spirits, the effect of a Relic lasts much longer and is usually a passive effect.

As you battle the foes foolishly barring your way, you will slowly gain Sparks, which allow you to further advance your skills, which are represented in multiple skill trees. Wukong does a great job of allowing you to try different combinations and styles, as respecing your Sparks is free at any checkpoint! So if you want to unlock all three of the Staff stances to make the most of your martial arts or want to focus solely on spells or Transformations, you can! You can even change up your build if you feel a boss is giving you a hard time.

Now, onto the story… there’s not much. As stated before, the game is divided into chapters, with each one having a new location and story to tell. Sure, they all connect together and constantly reference Journey to the West, but there is little in terms of an overarching plot beyond “get them artefacts m’kay?” While some may find this a bit bothersome, I didn’t mind. Each area felt different and the few characters we meet were fun and memorable. Much like the story it is based on, Wukong tells snippets of a longer whole rather than following along step by step.

Visually, the game is stunning. Running on Unreal Engine 5, you can really appreciate how far graphics have come. The forest you start off in is verdant and mystical, a desert area has dynamic sand that you can leave a nice little trail on, and… well, it’s just pretty! The enemy design is also fantastic, with multiple different anthropomorphic animals making up the enemy roster. Wolf soldiers seemed to hunt in packs, snake warriors used quick strikes and poison, and weird half-body-half-stone creatures did their best and smacked their stone heads at you! Some enemies, especially the ranged variety, could be annoying, but they never felt unfair and were usually easy to snuff out once you got to them.

Just look at the detail!

The biggest issues I’ve had with the game so far are some unfortunate technical issues and a tiny bit of FPS dropping here or there, but generally, the game worked fine in my opinion. The FPS drops often hit in more open areas with multiple foes, or when a boss did something especially showy, though luckily in these cases the drop was very short. It’s a pretty hefty download and even had one 70 GB update at one point forcing me to clean up my drive, which is, naturally, just mean, but otherwise no issues.

To summarise my feelings on Black Myth: Wukong, I bought and read the book. This action RPG was a breath of fresh air and felt worth the wait. From the very pretty scenery to the memorable characters and boss fights, this is a title I found myself wanting to get back to. A meaty bit of content to play through, plenty of hidden quests to discover, and fun interactions and references to spot for those who know where to look! I bow to you, Beautiful Monkey-King, you have done well.