Sep 54 min read

Black Myth: Wukong Review

Updated: Sep 15

Black Myth: Wukong weaves a captivating web of the events that followed one of China’s most legendary tales, it’s just a shame the combat isn’t as eye catching as the world it is situated in

Black Myth: Wukong is a game that is hard to pin down. Not comparable to any one action adventure game, it is a cocktail of God of War, Sekiro with a dash of Devil May Cry sprinkled in for good measure. While it does a good job with parts of all of these, it never really excells or pushes the boundaries of any one of them. While this does make for a unique experience it leads to a game that is pretty good at everything in terms of combat without being great at any one thing. There is ample opportunity to mix up your approach with different spells, charms, stances and transformations that you can switch out at any point in the game and while these options are welcome, there was never a point in the game where I felt any of the new abilities obtained were essential to win a fight. For the most part I stuck with the original four spells for the entirety of the game as they honestly felt most effective and as for stances, none really seemed to hit as hard or move as fluidly of the one you start with. The only thing being switched regularly was charms that would give me a specific resistance to say, fire, when I am battling against a fireweilding boss. That was it. The breakneck speed and beauty of some of the fights did keep me engaged but the combat itself bordered on repetitive at times. It wasn’t boring and some of the boss fights were best in generation but it once again didn’t break any new ground in the genre considering you are embodying someone as all powerful as Sun Wukong.

The game also has a plethora of RPG elements: crafting armor, forging weapons, changing the brew of your potions and an in-depth leveling system that helps you plan for your preferred style of play. It’s all standard RPG but lends another layer to the experience and gives you specific goals and things to look for while your exploring the world and completing the main/side quests.

The real high point in the game is its take on the events that followed the epic tale of the 16th century novel: Journey to the West. You control the destined one, a potential heir to the throne of the Monkey King who must embark on his own journey to the west to regain the powers that his predecessor scattered across this stunning game world. The game takes a more God of War like open hub approach which doesn’t really hinder the game (invisible walls aside) but more gives you the opportunity to appriciate the stunning beauty on display in each section. From sandy wastelands to plush mountain forests all the way to a frozen paradise the game is truly one of the prettiest to look at of the entire generation. It is also steeped in Chinese lore with a whole host of characters from the famous Journey to the West reappearing as bosses or allies throughout the game leading to some truly awe inspiring fights. The opening is truly one of the best I can remember as you take on Wukong’s oldest rival among the clouds as the celestial court looks on, so memorable is this opening fight that the objective for the rest of the game is to effectively become as powerful as you were in those opening five minutes once again.

Equally memorable is the host of characters you come across in your journey: Zhu Badjie one of Wukong’s oldest allies is your travel companion for around half of the game and does most of the heavy narrative lifting given that the destined one is also a mute. A missed opportunity given how good the voice of the original Wukong was in the opening. The various enemies and other friendly NPCs you bump into across the me game also linger in the memory from wise old monks to druken monkeys to headless singers, the game does a fantastic job of making your journey feel like the timeless novel come to life.

The music is also spectacular, with it clear as day that the team behind the title are Chinese as every track is perfectly placed really capturing the tone of each open section throughout the game.

In the end Wukong is memorable for the story it tells and its graphical feats rather than the competent if slightly repetitive combat. The characters, lore and variety of the world is what keeps you wanting to make that next step rather than the gameplay itself pushing you on. The graphics are best in class if a little buggy in the occasional cutscene with the title truly feeling like The Journey to the West brought to life from the page. The staggering setting complete with some of the greatest boss fights in recent memory make this a title worth exploring if you are a fan of Chinese Mythology.