As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Black Myth: Wukong has truly captured my heart and left me spellbound. The visual spectacle it presents is nothing short of breathtaking, reminiscent of a dreamy watercolor painting brought to life by the magic of modern technology.
Approximately six years following its initiation, and four years after Game Science initially unveiled it to the public, the game Black Myth: Wukong is set to debut on Windows PC and PS5 in a matter of days. An Xbox version is also under development. This highly anticipated title is expected to be one of the standout releases of 2024, particularly for enthusiasts of action-adventure games that incorporate RPG elements.
Players have been eagerly anticipating Black Myth: Wukong for quite some time, captivated by the spectacular boss battles and breathtaking visual landscapes showcased in its footage. This enthusiasm is clear as it tops Steam’s list of most-wishlisted games. However, the question remains: Does Game Science’s action RPG deliver on the hype? Is it indeed one of the standout PC games of the year?
After completing the game over the last week, I find myself in a dilemma about how to respond to certain questions. There’s no denying that Black Myth: Wukong is an excellent action role-playing game (ARPG), boasting captivating boss battles, entertaining combat mechanics, stunning visual and audio quality, and a compelling, well-crafted storyline. However, the levels connecting these key encounters, the enemies populating them, and a significant part of the game’s progression system fall short, preventing it from achieving true greatness.
What is Black Myth: Wukong?
To provide some context before we delve deeper, let me share a general description of the kind of game Black Myth: Wukong represents, and give you an idea of what awaits should you choose to play it.
Black Myth: Wukong is a solo-player action role-playing game created and distributed by Game Science, a team that’s been developing it since 2018. It was first made public in 2020 and has since garnered significant anticipation, potentially launching with one of the largest game releases this year. Similar to other action RPGs, it boasts a combat system complete with dynamic melee combos and agile dodges, as well as skill progression, magical abilities, equipment upgrades, and enhancements.
In contrast to expansive, open-ended games like Elden Ring, Black Myth: Wukong is more straightforward, featuring larger-than-life boss battles interspersed with simpler stages and encounters against lesser foes. Essentially, it’s a series of intense boss fights, each of which offers stunning visuals alongside engaging and demanding gameplay. It may not be the most difficult Action Role-Playing Game I’ve encountered, but it’s certainly not a stroll in the park either.
The game is modeled after the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” where players assume the role of the Prophesied Hero, a character reminiscent of Sun Wukong, one of the principal characters in the story. Similar to its source material, the plot and environment are deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and share numerous ties with it.
The release date for The Black Myth: Wukong has been set for August 20, 2024, but in the U.S., it will actually be available a day early on August 19. You can find this game on Windows PC and PS5, with options to buy it on Steam, Epic Games Store, WeGame, or the PlayStation Store. Interestingly, the Steam version is currently priced at $52.69 at CDKeys due to a deal. Although not specified, it’s expected that The Black Myth: Wukong will eventually be available on Xbox Series X|S as well, but the release date for that platform hasn’t been announced yet.
Black Myth: Wukong review — Gameplay and bosses
Black Myth: Wukong’s difficulty, its stamina-based combat mechanics, and its use of enemy-respawning checkpoints has led many to peg it as a Soulslike (a game designed to be similar to FromSoftware titles such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring), but having played it through, I’d say it’s more of a traditional ARPG with Soulslike elements — very similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, in fact. It may have “bonfires” and challenging encounters to master, but it deviates from the Soulsborne formula with skill trees, tiered gear unlocks and upgrades, one main weapon (your staff), and linear, straightforward levels.
Undoubtedly, the best part of Black Myth’s gameplay is its core combat system, which features three distinct staff forms — each with their own varied skill options — you can swap between as you fight. The default is Smash Stance, which gives access to a versatile moveset with both offensive and defensive capabilities. Then there’s Pillar Stance, a protective posture that allows you to perch on top of your staff to avoid sweeping ground attacks before delivering powerful counter-attacks. Finally, there’s the Thrust Stance, which is slower and emphasizes dishing out big chunks of damage from medium range with charged-up thrusts.
In all three fighting positions, you can activate skills by concentrating (Focus), which you can build by executing standard combos, pressing for heavy attacks, or precisely evading incoming strikes. Interestingly, since dodging interrupts any ongoing attack, you can seamlessly combine powerful attack sequences and Focus generation while protecting yourself. This results in smooth and enjoyable gameplay dynamics, with the only restriction being your energy (stamina), though it can be swiftly restored during a combo if you pick specific skills as you advance.
As a researcher exploring the captivating world of Black Myth: Wukong, I must express my enthusiasm for the game’s unique spells and transformations. These abilities, limited by cooldowns and a finite bar of Mana energy that can only be replenished at checkpoints, offer an exhilarating experience.
Speaking of boss battles, they’re the other highlight of Black Myth: Wukong, with each of the game’s chapters including multiple climactic showdowns with mythological beasts and warriors that are full of jaw-dropping audiovisual spectacle. With a handful of exceptions — Chapter 2’s final boss has a phase three that drove me up the wall, and one major boss encountered midway through Chapter 3 feels very cheap due to camera issues and a ridiculous health pool — each of these opponents also have beautifully animated and well-telegraphed attacks that make learning their movesets an intuitive and engaging process, and they’re balanced so that you’ll be able to beat them effectively regardless of how you choose to build the Destined One’s stats and abilities.
Regrettably, the transitions between levels in Black Myth: Wukong prove to be its major downfall, featuring uninspired and monotonous designs that offer little in the way of engaging side paths or a wide array of intriguing enemies. Linear progression can be acceptable, but when it’s not accompanied by interesting secrets to discover or a diverse roster of adversaries, the experience becomes rather tedious. While there are indeed hidden treasures like spells, stat upgrades, and optional mini-bosses to find, they pale in comparison to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty from last year. The shortcomings in level design within Black Myth are strikingly obvious when compared to the former game.
In Black Myth, the majority of items you encounter are chests filled with materials for crafting equipment. However, these items seem unnecessary within the game’s system because they’re primarily used to create new armor, weapon enhancements, and consumables at checkpoints. Despite gear and loot being a significant aspect in most Action Role-Playing Games (ARPGs), it feels insignificant in Black Myth. This is because there’s no need to make strategic decisions about what equipment to use due to the absence of an encumbrance mechanic, non-impactful item bonuses, and limited variety in the overall equipment selection. One might wonder why craftable gear was included at all.
Reflecting on the gameplay experience, I can’t help but ponder over two alternative scenarios for Game Science. One path could involve stripping down unnecessary elements and omitting gear progression, mirroring FromSoftware’s decision in Sekiro. The other option would be adopting Team Ninja’s strategy seen in Nioh and Wo Long, offering a diverse array of unlockables with significant advantages and disadvantages.
Black Myth: Wukong review — Story (No spoilers)
Without revealing any spoilers about Black Myth: Wukong’s story, let me express my enjoyment of the game (having not read Journey to the West prior), and share that its charming characters and engaging cutscenes make for a delightful adventure to play through. I can’t comment on its accuracy as an adaptation yet.
The most captivating parts of the story come from the game’s cutscenes, which effortlessly follow intense gaming moments and feature top-notch animation. During transitions between chapters, there are extra cinematics that are truly delightful, though I won’t reveal their content here. Rest assured, they’re a real treat.
In addition to the main points, the intricacies of the narrative are subtly communicated in a manner similar to that found in Souls games, using veiled dialogue, environmental cues, and hidden backstories revealed through defeated boss and enemy portraits. While it’s not groundbreaking material, I found myself captivated by exploring the richer background details all the same.
Black Myth: Wukong review — Visuals and audio
In Black Myth: Wukong, developed using Unreal Engine 5, I’ve explored a captivating mythological realm that leaves me impressed. It boasts vibrant colors, striking visual effects, stunning lighting, and exceptional animations, making it one of the most visually appealing games I’ve played in recent times. Combined with Game Science’s brilliant art direction, the level of detail is so high that it offers a visual delight, almost like a visual feast.
Specifically, the game’s settings are truly breathtaking and varied as they are stunningly beautiful. The journey of the Chosen One leads players through a wide range of landscapes, from lush, sun-kissed forests with vibrant autumn foliage to extreme terrains such as sweltering deserts covered in sand and frozen mountains blanketed in snow. Scattered throughout these diverse environments are meticulously designed interior spaces and man-made structures, including caves, underground passages, temples, and additional sites of interest.
In Black Myth: Wukong, the visuals are outstanding, but the audio enhances it even further. Fight sequences are filled with impactful, pleasing sound effects, while the Chinese voice acting sounds impressive (I played with subtitles, so I can’t comment on the English voice work). The music is also well-crafted, with an action-focused score that incorporates various Chinese instruments and maintains a lively rhythm.
Black Myth: Wukong review — Performance
Regarding its performance, Black Myth: Wukong largely impresses (don’t forget to review the game’s system requirements). When I played it on High settings with AMD Super Resolution and Frame Generation on a PC equipped with an NVIDIA RTX 3070 GPU, an Intel Core i5-12600K processor, and 32GB of DDR4 RAM, I managed to maintain a steady 70-80 frames per second throughout the game. Playing on my 3440×1440 ultrawide monitor, the gaming experience was remarkably smooth and enjoyable overall, though I did encounter some issues occasionally.
Initially, I encountered occasional slowdowns during boss fights, particularly when they employed numerous special effects. These instances would lower my frame rate significantly, often dropping it to the twenties. Although this didn’t severely impede my ability to dodge, there were several instances where I was struck because I was momentarily distracted by the unexpected performance drop or uncertain about when to activate the dodge command.
Additionally, I faced occasional small glitches and pauses, not just during the intense VFX scenes, but other moments as well. These issues were uncommon and generally minor, yet they could become quite frustrating if they occurred at inopportune moments.
Black Myth: Wukong review — Final thoughts
In summary, Black Myth: Wukong is an impressive action RPG, boasting exciting cinematic boss battles, stunningly detailed environments, a deep combat system offering various build options, and a compelling narrative. Nevertheless, it falls short in certain areas such as uninspired level design, lackluster enemy variety, unnecessary gear system, and some performance glitches that detract from the overall experience.
If you’re into action role-playing games with intricate challenges, stunning graphics, and compelling narratives, this game is definitely worth checking out – especially when it’s on sale. You can find the PC version at a discounted price at CDKeys during its launch. However, I must admit that I often wish for more depth and substance in some of its less developed aspects.
In August 2024, Black Myth: Wukong is set to make its global debut, initially available on Windows PC and PlayStation 5. Later on, it will also be accessible on Xbox Series X|S.
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2024-08-16 18:06