My thoughts on Black Myth: Wukong
“His body was broken but his spirit endured"
This one has had a lot of people talking lately and I must say I’ve been eager to get my hands on it but I had to wait for the game to release on the PS5 which it has and now that I’ve finally got my hands on Black Myth: Wukong, I think we have a Game of the Year contender right here
Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I’m getting ahead of myself here, especially on a game that’s been out more than a month. But if GTA 6 released today, a lot of people would play it for five minutes and say it deserves GoTY because it’s got amazing graphics, but that’s not the case here.
I’ve got more than 50 hours of playtime on this game and there’s a lot to like about Black Myth: Wukong in such that the game’s graphics and visuals are simply icing on the cake. Let’s start with the story. So this game lets you play as a powerful Monkey warrior named The Destined One. If you’ve seen any of the Chinese Monkey King movies or even The Forbidden Kingdom which starred Jet Li as the Monkey King, the story in Black Myth: Wukong is quite similar to those stories.
That aside, I think Black Myth: Wukong has one of the best opening sequence I’ve seen in a game which shows the The Monkey King Su Wukong confronting a legion of god-like beings for apparently killing his kind, and in that scene he referred to someone as “My Master" and also talked about how the ones “High Above" didn’t trust him and wanted him to “obey and serve once more." However, Su Wukong vows to “slaughter each member of the court” including “those below and those above," which refers to bosses who can be fought on land and those with whom you’ll have to take the fight to the heavens
Things didn’t quite work out well for Su Wukong after he decided to take a fight into the forest but lost his powers in mid air (Buddha’s doing) and was struck down by the enemy. The elderly Monkey who narrates the story at the beginning stated that: “His body was broken but his spirit endured." Now, a new warrior (which is you) from the Monkey tribe named The Destined One, has stepped up to find six magical relics that can bring back Su Wukong in his complete form.
The game takes you through an emotional journey that’s filled with magical elements, a tremendous selection of bosses, superb combat system, abilities that showcase elegance and a storyline with a decent amount of heart.
Also, Black Myth: Wukong takes inspiration from several games. Remember how you can swipe up on your PlayStation controller and follow the wind in Ghost of Tsushima? Well this game also has a similar feature which means you won’t get lost on your journey as there’s some magical lights that look like little fireflies guiding you and always pointing you towards the next Keeper’s Shrine where you can rest, choose transformation spells or fast travel to various regions across the story.
Amongst the vast selection of bosses you can take on, the game doesn’t force you to fight everyone you come across but you will have to contend with some and must defeat the main bosses to make it to another chapter. And unlike other games where you get frustrated for not being able to beat a boss and continue your journey, developer Game Science did a fantastic job of letting the player off with distinct abilities that can help them out in battle. It’s up to you on how to take down an opponent. You can choose to rely solely on your skill or look for alternate methods to help you scale through.
While these abilities are there for you, you ought to use them only when you have to because relying on them won’t get you far. One thing I wished the game has is a parry feature which might’ve made it easier to block off certain attacks. The closest feature to a party is the Destined One’s Rock Solid ability where he turns into stone for a second or two and stuns an enemy just as they attack. The further I progressed into the game I realized that the toughest bosses (most of which are god-like beings) come with heavy attacks that you can’t really parry, at least not yet, or not as the Destined One but maybe as Su Wukong himself due to his many abilities which includes immortality.
Aside from the abilities, your basic fighting moves are a delight as well. Once again, this feels very much like watching The Monkey King in a movie. There’s a lot of skills you can unlock and use including flying on Wukong’s famous Somersault Cloud in Chapter 6 of the game. That was pretty cool. Also after you defeat certain bosses, you get to take their staff which also imbues you with their powers and some willingly offer it to you after you’ve bested them in combat. So you can take the form of a boss you’ve defeated and use their skills in battle for a while, you can also take the form of animals such as birds or even insects and make your way past enemies in stealth mode which is very cool and can come in handy in dire situations.
In some games like Sekiro, bosses you’ve put down will come back to life when you use a fountain to rest or fast travel which in Black Myth: Wukong are called Keeper’s Shrines. Once you choose to rest or travel, all your Health, Stamina and Might will be restored. Defeated enemies will also respawn but main bosses and certain enemies you’ve put down will not come back to life.
I think one of the biggest takeaways a lot of people will enjoy from this one is the story and combat. The Destined One has a lot of tricks up his sleeves and they’ve very cool to see, even cooler when you’re the one doing them. And just as in the trailers, the game is visually stunning as well. The bosses I’ve battled all look very appealing as seen in some of the trailers. I won’t be forgetting my fight with Tiger Vanguard or Yellow Looong anytime soon, that’s for sure.
The game’s controls are basic, which is ideal especially for players who aren’t used to these sorts of games. You’re going to meet friends along the way who will help and support you on your quest, and conversely you’ll meet a whole lot of foes who will try to stop you from getting all six relics and resurrecting Su Wukong.
I suggest playing this one using Chinese audio with English subtitles to immerse yourself into the game a bit more. If you’ve wondered what it’ll feel like playing a game as the Monkey King, with his famous magical staff Ruyi Jingu Bang and a captivating story with bosses that challenge you, then this one’s for you.
I haven’t noticed any bugs on the PS5 either, despite some PC players raising that they’ve experienced bugs with the game, so here’s to hoping it stays that way. Black Myth: Wukong gave me the chilling feeling of starting a new game you’ve been looking forward to and loving it.
