Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of gaming, I can confidently say that Black Myth: Wukong is shaping up to be a truly extraordinary experience. With its stunning visuals and epic premise, it’s clear that Game Science has put their heart and soul into this project.


Looking ahead to August, titles like “Star Wars Outlaws” and “World of Warcraft: The War Within” may catch your eye, but it’s the highly anticipated “Black Myth: Wukong” that has everyone buzzing. This game has consistently ranked at the top of Steam’s most-wished-for games for weeks on end, and the excitement surrounding its release is tangible. Set to debut on August 20th for both PS5 and PC, here are 15 key points you should be aware of before making a purchase.

Boss Rush

Wukong can be described as a game primarily focused on intense boss battles. While it also features a storyline with cinematic elements, exploration of smaller enemies and areas, and a narrative, the epic confrontations with various bosses are the key highlights of this game.

Combat Basics

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

As a passionate gamer, it’s become evident that Black Myth: Wukong isn’t following the path of Souls-like games, although it shares certain aspects, such as a stamina bar. From the get-go, I, as The Destined One, can execute Light and Heavy Attacks, combining them in diverse sequences. I can also switch stances, like Pillar Stance, to scale my extendable staff and dodge attacks, or stay aloft long enough to replenish Focus. Once airborne, I can transition into other moves, such as a powerful slam attack. The Thrust Stance allows me to jab enemies from a distance and even knock down bosses. Additionally, I have magical abilities at my disposal, including spells like Immobilize, which freezes both foes and bosses in their tracks.

Perfect Dodges

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

Besides being skilled at spinning the staff and deflecting oncoming attacks, The Chosen One doesn’t use a conventional block method. Instead, you can avoid damage by dodging, with up to three dodges available simultaneously. After using all three, there is a brief cooling-off period. If you dodge an attack flawlessly, a ghostly image remains and time appears to slow down momentarily, offering the opportunity for retaliatory strikes. A successful perfect dodge also restores Focus, creating a good equilibrium between evasion and delivering heavy, powerful attacks.

Transformations (and Their Weapons)

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

One fascinating aspect of the game Black Myth: Wukong is the Transformations. In combat, you can temporarily assume the form of enemies or bosses you’ve defeated. Defeating Guangzhi grants you the ability to transform into him and employ some of his unique moves. Additionally, these transformations provide an opportunity to wield various weapons; for instance, Guangzhi carries a flaming staff that imparts burn damage over time, according to GameSpot’s June hands-on preview.

“A Lot of Spells and Transformations”

In Black Myth: Wukong, there’s a focus on diverse combat styles rather than just straightforward skill trees. This is achieved through an abundance of spells and transformations, as revealed by the developer’s representative to Eurogamer. The result? Players can craft their unique combos and develop their own playstyle. Though it might not surpass games like Elden Ring in the short term, Black Myth: Wukong leans more towards action RPGs than typical character action games, offering players a higher degree of freedom.

Might

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

In other words, each transformation has its own life meter, meaning the Main Character won’t be harmed directly when taking damage. In dire situations, transforming can help keep going in battle or make it to the next save point. However, these forms have a limited lifespan until their health is exhausted. Another factor to consider is Might, which decreases after using various attacks. Additionally, transformations are subject to a cooling-off period similar to spells, so choosing when to activate them strategically is crucial.

Respawning Enemies and Fast Travel

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

In this game, you can find Shrines that serve as both healing stations and respawn points. However, upon dying, some experience points are lost. Furthermore, enemies will resurface, but there are tactics to dodge them or quickly return to your last death location. Interestingly, you can also teleport between the Shrines if you wish to revisit earlier areas.

Loot

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

Adventurers can uncover various types of treasures as they traverse and conquer foes, such as armor boosting defense, offensive power, immunity to status ailments, etc. These treasures come in varying rarities, including Rare and Epic; the latter often features unique abilities. For instance, the Ginseng Cape grants an increased Focus level when consuming the healing Gourd. Additionally, materials can be utilized to craft various staffs and armor ensembles.

Set Bonuses

One engaging feature of the loot system is the set bonuses. When you wear several armor pieces from the same set, unique benefits are activated. Although the specific effects aren’t disclosed yet, it certainly offers more personalization options, especially if you can combine different sets for a variety of advantages.

Ray Tracing and Nvidia DLSS 3.5

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

According to information disclosed in March, both ray tracing and Nvidia’s DLSS 3.5 are compatible. The ray tracing feature offers advanced effects such as fully ray-traced water caustics and reflections, global illumination, and shadows. Meanwhile, DLSS 3.5 includes Ray Reconstruction, which enhances performance and image quality.

PC Requirements

Given the graphically rich nature of the game “Black Myth: Wukong”, it’s not surprising that it might demand some substantial system specifications. However, fortunately, these requirements are generally manageable. Here’s what you’ll need:

Recommended requirements include a Core i7-9700 or Ryzen 5 5500, 16 GB RAM and a GeForce RTX 2060, Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc A750. DirectX 12 and a solid-state drive are also necessary for High settings and 1080p. Ultra requirements for Very High settings at 4K also require a Core i7-9700 or Ryzen 5 5500 but with an RTX 4070 or RX 7800 XT with 32 GB RAM.

From a gamer’s perspective, when it comes to ray tracing, you’ll need at least an Intel Core i5-9400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 paired with a GeForce RTX 3060 and 16GB of RAM to run Medium settings at 1080p with Ray Tracing set to low. If you want to bump up the Ray Tracing to medium, I’d suggest stepping it up to an Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500, along with an RTX 4060 and still keeping that 16GB of RAM.

Ultimately, to enjoy 4K gaming at its highest settings with Ray Tracing cranked up to Very High, a Core i7-9700 or Ryzen 5 5500 CPU, RTX 4080 Super graphics card, and 32 GB of RAM are essential. For anything beyond the basic requirements, an SSD is indispensable.

Playtime

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

Although Game Science boasts an impressive narrative and environment, it’s not intended for a drawn-out, extensive journey through its world. In an interview with IGN last September, producer Feng Ji disclosed that completing the game would take approximately 15 hours. Given the transition to Unreal Engine 5 during this timeframe, and considering that the stated playtime might pertain solely to the main storyline, it’s plausible that the gameplay experience may be relatively shorter compared to other RPGs in the genre.

Although Black Myth: Wukong follows a linear storyline, it presents optional challenging bosses for players who wish to test their combat skills beyond their current level. A representative shared with Eurogamer in June 2024 that several levels are significantly larger than the ones shown during recent demonstrations, implying that there will be hidden areas and secrets to discover.

Tells a “Complete Story”

In September 2020, IGN China had a chance to play “Black Myth: Wukong” at Game Science after its initial reveal. At that time, the developers expressed optimism that this game could be the foundation for a universe inspired by Chinese mythology. Additionally, producer Feng Ji announced two other “Black Myth” games, but it’s uncertain where they currently stand in development.

Despite the fact that Black Myth: Wukong primarily focuses on action, it ensures a “full narrative”. In other words, this game is designed to convey not just battle stories but also the characters’ lives and emotions. The developers aim to create characters that feel real and alive, such that when players engage with the game, they don’t only sense their own power, but rather relate to the main character’s journey emotionally.

Delayed for Xbox Series X/S

Black Myth: Wukong – Everything You Need to Know

One unusual event preceding the game launch is a postponement of its release on Xbox Series X/S. Game Science stated they are enhancing the game to ensure it matches their quality expectations. However, there have been unconfirmed suggestions that there might be an exclusivity agreement for this title on PlayStation, according to Jez Corden from Windows Central.

Microsoft’s representative shared that they are thrilled about the game’s debut on the Xbox Series X|S and are collaborating with Game Science to make it available on their platforms. Unfortunately, they couldn’t disclose the details of any agreements made by partners with other platform holders. So, Xbox Series X/S players will have to stay patient to play the game.

Potential DLC

In the world of Black Myth, Game Science has hinted at possible future content releases for Wukong after its launch, although nothing is confirmed yet. At launch, there won’t be any microtransactions, but further down the line, they might introduce downloadable content (DLC) and in-game purchases that do not offer an unfair advantage (non-pay-to-win). These additional purchases could potentially include cosmetic items for the Destined One. However, we’ll have to wait for more updates to know for sure.

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2024-08-05 15:14