Black Myth: Wukong Review, Becoming MOnke
Black Myth: Wukong might actually win GOTY at various game awards ceremonies.
At first, I thought it was just a well-polished AAA game, making it stand out above the rest of this year’s releases, which have mostly been lackluster or unpolished messes. But Black Myth: Wukong isn’t one of those. The game plays well, looks great, and is designed with care.
Even though it doesn’t introduce any new or innovative features like some other games, it’s fun and simple. What really makes it a complete game for me is the surprisingly compelling story. The main story is fantastic, but the side characters and background lore make it feel like there’s an entire other story going on with them.
The best part? These side characters and stories don’t overshadow the main plot.
Instead, they complement the Destined One’s journey—our monkey’s story—really well. This makes backtracking and discovering secrets incredibly rewarding.
Simply put, Black Myth: Wukong isn’t just well-optimized; it delivers a complete package of fun and exciting gameplay with great characters and a solid story. Everything is tied together neatly, with no loose ends—except for one left by the “True Ending” that may hint at future DLC.
Random useless babble here, I was thinking of naming the review Black Myth: Wukong Review Monkey Business or some crap but this is fine.
Black Myth: Wukong Gameplay
Black Myth: Wukong is as much an RPG as God of War, where your character’s progression mainly revolves around Abilities and Spells. Abilities are the Destined One’s innate strengths—like Staff Stances and Foundation. Stances allow the Destined One to master different movesets with his staff from three base stances: Smash Stance, Pillar Stance, and Thrust Stance. Each stance has its exclusive moves that aren’t available in the others.
Spells are magical tricks or incantations that the Destined One can use to assist him in battle, either offensively or defensively. They’re divided into four groups: Mysticism, Alteration, Strand, and Transformations. There are too many spells to list, but a few introduced in the tutorial include Immobilize, Rock Solid, and A Pluck of Many. Immobilize stops an enemy’s movement briefly, opening them up to various attacks. Rock Solid temporarily turns the Destined One into stone, deflecting incoming attacks. A Pluck of Many lets him summon multiple clones by pulling out a strand of his hair. These are just a few; there are tons more that can complement different playstyles.
Black Myth: Wukong Combat
Combat is one of the two main gameplay loops in Black Myth: Wukong, along with exploration.
You’ll encounter common enemies while exploring different areas and eventually meet stronger opponents to test if you got mad skills or not.
These stronger enemies are either mini-bosses that prepare you for the main story boss or side story characters that unlock more secrets or lore. The different bosses in the game offer various challenges, but ultimately, they just want you to “get good.”
Bosses in Black Myth: Wukong don’t always drop special items, but when they do, you might unlock new equipment or spells.
Sometimes, bosses and even common enemies drop Spirits, which allow you to temporarily transform into them to perform a special attack. Spirits are crucial for mixing up your attacks and can sometimes be used defensively if you’re clever enough.
Black Myth: Wukong Exploration
As I mentioned earlier, exploration is the other main gameplay loop in Black Myth: Wukong, and you’ll likely spend hours trying to check every nook and cranny of each Chapter. Each Chapter is set in a new region, offering hours of exploration. Not all Chapters have the same region size or design, so you might find yourself finishing some quicker than others. Some regions are more linear, while others are semi-open, allowing for more freedom in exploration.
Secrets are a big part of Black Myth: Wukong, and there are a lot of them. In fact, you’ll need to find many secrets to unlock the “True Ending,” which is much brighter than the regular ending you’d get if you simply finished the game without exploring side bosses, areas, or items. Backtracking is essential for finding these secrets, as some require you to progress the main story and revisit earlier locations to uncover them. This isn’t an uncommon feature, as other games, like those from FromSoft, are filled with similar mechanics.
Black Myth: Wukong Characters and Story
The story and lore of Black Myth: Wukong are incredibly engaging, even if you’re not paying extra attention. Each Chapter focuses on different parts of Sun Wukong’s story, including what happened to the people he met before his downfall at the start of the game. Some Chapters actually focus more on these side characters than on Sun Wukong himself, which may get you invested in their fates following his apparent demise.
More of Sun Wukong’s story is revealed through secret side stories, locations, and bosses, adding depth to the Monkey King’s character.
As mentioned, the “True Ending” requires players to uncover various secrets, shedding light on what went through Sun Wukong’s mind before his defeat by Erlang, the Sacred Divinity.
Just a quick story clarification!
If you haven’t guessed it yet, or maybe it’s not obvious during the early parts of the game’s story, the monkey you play as after the prologue is not Sun Wukong but rather the Destined One, a different character.
There are a lot of charming sidekicks and helpful characters but I won’t spoil them, it’s best you find them for yourselves!
You may also ask, “Is it accurate to the actual Journey to the West source material?” I have zero clue. They may have changed some parts to fit well in the entire span of the game but I truly cannot tell.
Is Black Myth: Wukong A Good Game? Is Black Myth: Wukong Worth it?
Yes, Black Myth Wukong is a good game and I think it is worth buying. Even with its high price, I think it justifies itself. However, some may think it does not deserve the price it has but this may be due to a different preference over Black Myth: Wukong’s gameplay loop. On the other hand, the pricing might just really be too high for some and that is a completely fine take.
More Black Myth: Wukong Screenshots
Black Myth: Wukong FAQs
What mythology is Wukong from?
Wukong, or Sun Wukong, best known from a Chinese novel published in 16th century called Journey to the West. His story has been depicted and been used as reference in many media such as God of High School, Dragon Ball, and even video games like League of Legends and Dota 2.
Is Black Myth: Wukong available in PC?
Yes, Black Myth: Wukong was released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.
When is Black Myth: Wukong’s Release Date?
Black Myth: Wukong was released last August 19, 2024.
Is Black Myth: Wukong a souls like game?
Personally, I do not consider it a souls like as it is much easier and it does not require you to get back resources you dropped when dying. However, it has similarities with Souls games in different key features such as level design, combat, and camera movement.
Is Black Myth: Wukong’s Journey to the West?
Yes, Black Myth: Wukong is based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West.
Why is Black Myth: Wukong so hyped?
Monkey.
Will Black Myth: Wukong be on Steam?
It already is.
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