Black Myth Wukong - Review
Developed by China-based GameScience, Black Myth Wukong is a reimagining of the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West. The game tries to establish itself among Souls-like titles, and if you're a fan of the genre, it offers a satisfying experience. However, considering the difficulty often associated with Souls games, Black Myth Wukong could be considered one of the easier entries in this genre.
As always, I prefer to start with the game's story, especially for a game with such a deep narrative. This also helps explain why it might have received a lower score. Our story begins with a magical stone infused with the essence of Earth and Heaven, balancing yin and yang. After a thousand years, the stone cracks open, birthing a fully grown Monkey. This Monkey joins another group of his kind, proving his courage and becoming the king of his clan. As he ages, like other living beings, the Monkey King starts to fear death and embarks on a journey to seek the secrets of immortality.
His travels lead him to become a disciple of Puti Zushi, an immortal sage, where he is given the name Sun Wukong, meaning "Awakened to Emptiness." Through training, he develops magical abilities such as transforming into countless creatures, creating clones, and performing the Cloud Somersault.
As Wukong grows stronger, he falls victim to his own arrogance, abandoning his master's teachings. You might expect this to lead to his downfall, but instead, he seizes the broken magical staff of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, a weapon that can change size, multiply, and fight at his will.
Despite having learned powerful spells and obtained a divine weapon, Wukong realizes he is still deeply dissatisfied, feeling like a divine outcast because he has no place in Heaven. The Celestials, in all their wisdom, try to appease Wukong by giving him a lowly position as a stable boy, which only makes him feel more humiliated.
Eventually, Wukong achieves the immortality he desires and, now armed with immense power, he attacks Heaven. But then, the unexpected happens: Buddha, the only being of peace and understanding, says "enough." Wukong's rebellion is decisively ended by Buddha, who literally drops a mountain on his head, imprisoning him for 500 years. This gives Sun Wukong plenty of time to reflect on his actions, realizing that true power might lie not in brute force but in enlightenment.
As a condition of his release, Wukong is offered the opportunity to protect the monk Tang Sanzang and join him on the journey to the West, along with other sinners, as a step towards enlightenment.
Now it's time to take control and play as the "Destined One," a monkey equipped with the powers of the Monkey King and his deadly staff.
Black Myth Wukong begins with a battle against the Celestials. Here, you can see all the powers at your disposal and their effects. But remember, once you pass this introductory section and are imprisoned in stone, all of this will be taken away.
When you truly start the game, you'll first face easy opponents. You have two attack techniques, light and heavy, and a rolling dodge for evasion. As long as you have stamina, you can use these techniques freely. But once your stamina is depleted, things get challenging. You'll become fatigued, making it difficult to move, and you'll need to rest or use potions to replenish your stamina.
The early fights in Black Myth Wukong can feel limited due to incomplete tutorials, as the game doesn't fully explain all its mechanics. Additionally, the skill tree initially offers uninteresting choices. However, after a few hours, the game begins to reveal its unique mechanics more deeply. For example, spells like freezing enemies or summoning clones can completely change the flow of combat. Moreover, a robust transformation system sets Black Myth Wukong apart from other RPGs. Mini-bosses you encounter can also be seen as elements to diversify your combat strategy.
Another factor to consider during battles is your focus points. You can accumulate focus points with light attacks and use them for combos and special powers. This applies mainly in the early stages of the game. As you progress, you'll gain access to special moves and transformations that make fights easier. These, of course, consume mana. So, what happens when your mana runs out? You can replenish it by praying at shrines or offering sacrifices as you progress.
So far, Wukong shares similar features with Souls-like games, including the ability to level up by collecting sparks in its RPG elements. Once you collect enough, you move to the next level, unlocking new skills and abilities. But remember, if you die, you'll lose some of your progress points.
Don't be too afraid of dying, as you can level up by re-killing the creatures you previously defeated. When I faced a particularly tough boss in the first chapter, I was defeated in a single blow. Repeatedly restarting and re-killing enemies along the way to level up became a bit of a habit for me.
It seemed that to defeat the chapter's main boss, I would need to die several times. However, I had died and progressed so much before reaching the boss that I managed to defeat it on my first try. Apparently, the game's core mechanic is based on dying and growing stronger, allowing for smoother progression. This, however, turns the game into a somewhat repetitive experience.
In addition to this, there are also invisible barriers that block your path, indicating that your route lies in a different direction, which isn't very enjoyable.
Every area you explore offers a unique view. Simply looking around is a pleasure. However, after a while, you'll notice that it starts to feel repetitive. Additionally, there are definite optimization issues. Even on an RTX 4080 graphics card, I experienced frequent stuttering, despite lowering the settings. There were also moments when textures loaded slowly. Although the environments generally offer beautiful vistas, they are often empty. In the middle of a large scene, you might find only a single flower to collect. A bit further, there's a shrine. Move forward a little more, and you'll encounter an enemy. This is the usual progression pattern.
At times, I was getting FPS values between 50-60, but in some fights, this dropped to as low as 20 FPS. Particularly during boss battles with fiery explosions, I found myself suddenly knocked down. This was certainly frustrating. However, suspecting that this might be related to my computer, I checked other reviews. Many players encountered similar issues, leading me to conclude that the optimization isn't good. No patches have been released to address this yet.
Despite the issues mentioned above, Black Myth Wukong remains a highly playable game. Fans of the God of War series should definitely take a look at this game. Although they are set in completely different worlds, there are many similarities.
Black Myth Wukong aims to present the classic Journey to the West story in a more understandable and interactive way. The cutscenes in each chapter are fantastic, although traditional and mythological elements are sometimes presented as long texts. The visual quality and variety of bosses are among the game's strongest points. Therefore, players looking for impressive boss battles will be pleased. Patience may be required to find Black Myth Wukong's rhythm.
