Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must admit that Black Myth: Wukong has certainly piqued my interest. The game’s action-packed combat and visually stunning environments are undeniably alluring, but as someone who appreciates a responsive control scheme, the input lag issue is a significant concern. When the heart of an action RPG lies in its combat, a less-than-responsive feel can significantly dampen the experience.


The action-packed game titled “Black Myth: Wukong” is currently soaring in popularity, allegedly selling more than 4.5 million copies on its debut day and reaching 2.41 million simultaneous players on Steam (second highest ever recorded on this platform). It boasts a remarkable 96% “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating from 255,718 user reviews. Critics have generally given it high praise for its combat, visuals, settings, and boss battles. There’s even speculation that it could be a strong contender for Game of the Year.

Looking at the lengthy development phase and team size involved, it’s pleasing to see Game Science making good progress with their project. However, even the best games have room for improvement, and _Black Myth: Wukong_ is no exception. There are several aspects that require attention, such as technical glitches or gameplay flaws. Here’s a list of ten areas that Game Science might want to focus on, with the hope that these improvements can be made promptly rather than later.

Lack of In-Game Map

“One significant inconvenience in playing Black Myth: Wukong is that there’s no map within the game. Although you can quickly travel to different locations in a specific area or region, it becomes challenging to recall the paths when you’ve progressed deep into the game after numerous hours of play. Even if it was easy to remember where to go if it were only an hour or two ago, it becomes difficult as time passes.”

As a gamer, when I’ve conquered the game and yearn to explore more, I often find myself going back to previous areas to take down those elusive optional bosses and uncover hidden secrets. However, sometimes I get lost in these areas because there are no clear markers indicating where I’ve been before. This makes it hard to figure out my next move since there’s nothing to tell me what’s old and what’s new.

Invisible Walls

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

You might say that while it’s not an open-world game, there’s still a problem with too many hidden boundaries. It’s frustrating when areas are blocked off by the developers, but what really irks is when these boundaries are invisible, making it difficult to explore freely.

If you come across something intriguing that seems worth investigating, yet find yourself prevented from doing so, your immersion is disrupted, even though the surroundings are breathtakingly beautiful. It’s a minor annoyance, but knowing there are boundaries in place makes you less inclined to stray from the main path or explore other areas, which feels fruitless.

PC Performance

It’s clear that this game is challenging – just watching the opening scene confirms this. However, when even top-tier gaming systems need to lower their settings to maintain a smooth frame rate, there’s an issue at hand. It seems AMD users are experiencing particular difficulties, with some Steam reviews setting the quality to low and capping the frame rate to navigate through the initial stages. Regardless of individual opinions on other aspects, let’s hope that Game Science enhances the PC version’s overall performance.

Loading Times

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

The loading times, in a sense, are still an issue. They’re approximately 21 seconds on PC with ray tracing activated when resuming from the main menu. Additionally, when using fast travel, it takes around 28 seconds on PC. It’s not terrible, but it seems like the game should load quicker. Despite not being an open-world game, the rapid loading times observed in games such as Elden Ring and the near-instantaneous fast travel in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 demonstrate that Wukong has room for improvement.

Input Lag on Performance Mode for PS5

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

Conversely, the PS5 edition presents an intriguing dilemma. It offers three distinct play modes, with the Performance Mode being ideal for its fast-paced action due to its 60 frames per second speed. Although it maintains stability overall, we encountered frame drops in larger battle situations, such as during boss fights. However, what truly detracts from the experience is the input lag. Since this hack-and-slash action RPG’s main attraction lies in its combat, and responsiveness is lacking, it’s a matter of concern. The extent to which it affects the overall enjoyment may vary for different players, but it requires addressing.

Bugs

Of course, there are other technical issues like the PC version crashing. If you crash right after defeating a boss, you must fight it again, which is a downer. IGN’s review noted bugs like the sudden lack of audio and subtitles in a cutscene for no reason or English voice acting suddenly switching to Chinese. Another bug saw the character slammed into and through the ground, resulting in an infinite fall. One Steam user review noted how the AI of two bosses suddenly stopped working, resulting in both needing some restarts before they could finally be defeated. As with many triple-A titles, expect these to be ironed out in subsequent patches.

Lack of More Challenging Difficulty Options

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t have different difficulty levels. Even though it might be tough when you first play, what comes after that? No need for upgrades or improving skill trees? How about a run without magic, transformations, and spirit skills? Or completing the entire game with just one stance? Yes, there’s New Game Plus, but it would be great if there were extra challenge levels or options players could use for a tougher gaming experience. Why not even add a hardcore mode where you only get one life and face harder bosses to really test some players’ skills!

Enemy Density in Some Areas

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

In Black Myth: Wukong’s, the main bosses have been prominently featured in marketing for quite some time. However, there are other adversaries to confront and hidden regions to discover along the way. The issue lies in the enemy population density in certain locations, which can seem scarce, especially during the first two chapters. Introducing additional enemies and perhaps increasing their difficulty level would significantly enhance these areas, making them feel more inhabited and authentic. Furthermore, while it’s exciting to watch the protagonist defeat serpents, bears, and various creatures, there’s also enjoyment in obliterating swarms of common opponents.

Lip-Syncing for English Dub

If you played the game with an English dub rather than Chinese, it’s quite noticeable that the dialogue doesn’t seem to match the characters’ lips (and this isn’t just a minor issue). Now, some might argue that this doesn’t really matter because the Chinese voice-over offers a more authentic experience of the story (and maybe even a better one). However, if an English dub is included in the game, shouldn’t they make an effort to ensure it syncs properly? The Director’s Cut of Ghost of Tsushima has shown that lip-syncing problems can be addressed after release, though hopefully, Game Science won’t charge for this fix.

Tough to Follow Story

Black Myth: Wukong – 10 Things That Need to be Fixed

Although the plot is simple, jumping straight into the action without any prior context can make it confusing and difficult to follow, especially for those seeking a deeper understanding of the story. Providing some background details would be beneficial.

Read More

2024-08-26 14:42