My Black Myth: Wukong First Impressions
By the time I have posted this, I have already played Black Myth: Wukong for more than a few days now. However, I did write down a lot of points that struck me the most in the first hours of my Black Myth: Wukong playthrough.
Black Myth: Wukong Gameplay
Black Myth: Wukong is not a Soulslike. The term “Soulslike” has become so vague that almost any third-person action RPG where the player character can die and respawn is labeled as one. Moving forward, let’s consider Black Myth: Wukong for what it truly is—an action RPG.
The game begins with a distant view of large figures facing a lone monkey, Sun Wukong. The legendary Monkey King then rides toward the army on his magical cloud, often referred to as the Flying Nimbus in English or Jīndǒuyún in Chinese.
As Sun Wukong confronts the army, a human figure descends from above to challenge him. The player then takes control of Sun Wukong as the battle begins.
This prologue sequence serves as a tutorial for the combat system. Right from the start, Black Myth: Wukong emphasizes its combat by making it the first thing you learn.
The tutorial has you face off against Erlang, the Sacred Divinity—a character inspired by Erlang Shen, a god from Chinese mythology. During this sequence, you’re taught how to dodge, perform light and heavy attacks, use skills, and recognize attack patterns, highlighting the importance of pattern recognition in combat.
While you can’t die in this fight, you also cannot defeat the tutorial boss, Erlang, the Sacred Divinity. Once his health drops below half, the tutorial shifts into a cutscene to continue the story.
In this cutscene, Erlang’s army joins the battle, attempting to overwhelm Sun Wukong. The Monkey King tries to escape by transforming into a bird, but Erlang pursues him and casts a curse that causes Wukong to fall from the sky. During this sequence, those familiar with Sun Wukong’s legend might recognize the appearance of the iconic golden headband around his forehead—a significant element in his story. As Wukong plummets, the scene transitions to a timelapse with a narration explaining how the Monkey King disappeared for many years. Eventually, he reappears, stripped of the regal garments that once signified his strength and divinity.
Now, I could walk you through my entire playthrough in chronological order, but let’s dive into other key aspects of the game instead.
Black Myth: Wukong Enemies and Level Design
While Black Myth: Wukong shines primarily through its combat, exploration is also a key feature, as the story unfolds across different regions with grounded level designs.
Each region represents a chapter in Sun Wukong’s journey back to glory, offering varied levels and settings.
The first area in Black Myth: Wukong takes place in the forested terrain of Black Wind Mountain, which is divided into three main regions: the Forest of Wolves, the Bamboo Grove, and Black Wind Cave.
From what I’ve heard, there are a few secret areas hidden within this region, though I haven’t discovered them myself yet.
As the name suggests, this area is indeed filled with wolves. However, the enemies you encounter here are not ordinary wolves. Like Sun Wukong, these wolves are half-human—more akin to demi-humans.
The enemies are relatively easy and positioned throughout the level similarly to games like Sekiro or Dark Souls. But as I mentioned earlier, Black Myth: Wukong is not a soulslike. It also shares some similarities with God of War: Ragnarok, where specific sections have a few enemies that you can choose to fight or bypass to progress. However, there are key areas blocked by bosses that you must defeat to move forward.
In this first chapter, Black Myth: Wukong feels very linear in its level design, which makes the story progression linear as well.
Enemies are scattered across the map in fixed locations, allowing you to memorize their positions as you play. They respawn when you die or rest, but some unique ones or those related to some story or side character do not. Some enemies also specialize in certain attack types, and you can often run past them if you prefer not to engage.
When your health is low, you can drink from a Gourd to restore it, similar to the Estus Flask in Dark Souls. You can find different types of Gourds throughout the game, each offering unique effects—like increased healing on the first drink or boosted combat stats afterward. The Gourd has limited uses and can only be refilled by absorbing spirits or resting at Shrines.
Shrines serve as checkpoints where you can fast travel, rest, and respawn. From my experience, the distance between Shrines is well-balanced, encouraging thorough exploration without causing boredom or frustration.
Black Myth: Wukong Story, NPCs, and Setting
Black Myth: Wukong appears to draw heavily from the story of Journey to the West, incorporating key story elements and characters from both the novel and broader Chinese mythology.
While I haven’t personally read Journey to the West, I’m somewhat familiar with its themes. I’ve also played other games inspired by Chinese mythology, like Warriors Orochi and Dynasty Warriors. Though I’m no expert in Chinese mythology, this familiarity helps me recognize some of the characters and references that Black Myth: Wukong borrows.
The game also seems to faithfully capture the essence of its story through its stunning graphics and overall visual design, showcasing beautiful landscapes and environments that bring the mythology to life.
Black Myth: Wukong Graphics
The graphics in Black Myth: Wukong is stunning and truly what you’d expect from a AAA game built with Unreal Engine 5. While I’m not usually someone who focuses heavily on visuals, I have to say they’ve nailed it here. That said, there are a few issues I’ve noticed, like texture pop-ins, forced Super Resolution Sampling causing light shimmering, and occasional stutters.
The light shimmering is the only issue that’s really noticeable to the point of being slightly annoying, but even that doesn’t detract much from the overall experience.
All things considered, Black Myth: Wukong is an incredible game. It absolutely lives up to the hype, the praise, and the financial success it’s enjoying.
Is Black Myth: Wukong A Good Game? Is Black Myth: Wukong Worth it?
I’m usually cautious about games that cost more than a thousand pesos (around $17). However, if you’re a fan of Nioh or Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty style combat, then Black Myth: Wukong could be a good purchase for you. Are you also into Chinese mythology? If so, you should first consider whether you enjoy combat-heavy gameplay, because that’s at the core of Black Myth: Wukong.
More Black Myth: Wukong Screenshots
Black Myth: Wukong FAQs
When is the Black Myth: Wukong release date?
Black Myth: Wukong was released on August 20, 2024.
How big is the game Black Myth: Wukong?
Black Myth: Wukong is 128.68 GB big.
Is Black Myth: Wukong based on the Monkey King?
Yes, Black Myth: Wukong is based on Sun Wukong, a character inspired by the Monkey King from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West.
How long is Black Myth: Wukong? How long does it take to beat Black Myth: Wukong?
I’m not entirely sure, but reports suggest Black Myth: Wukong takes around 30 to 50 hours to complete, which seems accurate based on my experience. The game also appears to be structured in chapters, though I don’t know how many there are in total.
Is Black Myth: Wukong Multiplayer?
No.
What type of game is Black Myth: Wukong?
Black Myth: Wukong is a Third-Person Action RPG inspired by Chinese Mythology.
Is Black Myth: Wukong open world?
No.
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