Black Myth: Wukong - One Big Boss Rush

By May be found at the following website: "Black Myth: Wukong". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Direct link to the media. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77711937

Black Myth: Wukong is a 2024 action RPG developed and published by Chinese game studio Game Science. Black Myth: Wukong is (as far as I know) the first big-budget video game release to western audiences from China. This game has always piqued my interest but I was hesitant to play the game because I erroneously thought Black Myth: Wukong was a “souls-type” game, like the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring. I do not enjoy playing “souls-like” games, but I decided to bite the bullet and play through Black Myth: Wukong.

The best way I can describe Black Myth: Wukong is that the game plays most similarly to the God of War series, but with influences from the “souls-like” games, such as a stamina bar and challenging bosses. Black Myth: Wukong is, at its core, a largely-linear action-adventure game, but it also can be a gateway game to playing other “souls-like” games.

My favourite thing about Black Myth: Wukong are all the different bosses you face over the course of the game. All these bosses are interesting on their own, which comes from the influence of Chinese mythology and old Chinese novels such as Journey to the West. Many of these bosses are challenging, but I would not call any of them unfair, especially when compared to Elden Ring or other Souls games. The combat feels weighty and intuitive, and the excellent controls feel like I did not have to struggle to use any tricks or moves at my disposal. I also appreciate that you can customize and re-customize your character’s skills with no penalty, so there is an encouragement to try and build your character’s skills in different ways to defeat particularly tough bosses.

The visuals, environments, music, and voice-acting are all solid, but I particularly enjoy some of Black Myth: Wukong’s cut-scenes. I do not want to get into spoiler territory, but some of the cut-scenes make use of different styles that sell the Chinese mythology influence incredibly well. 

My one major criticism of Black Myth: Wukong is that the exploration between fighting bosses feels dull. There are lots of different minor enemies to fight, but I find that the exploration does not feel engaging enough. There are some nice environments to look at, but I always felt I was just trying to get from one boss to another, and the overall exploration feels like a chore.

Black Myth: Wukong was one of those games where the further I progressed in the game, the more I loved the experience of this game. Once I beat the first chapter of the game, I could feel the game pulling me into its world. By the end of the game, I understood why this game got the “Game of the Year” nominations that it did. I had to work on playing this game to enjoy the excellent storytelling and mythology. The “down periods” of Black Myth: Wukong feel boring, but the bosses, combat, and overall story at the heights of this game feel enriching, rewarding, and satisfying. Black Myth: Wukong is a perfect game for gamers like me who find Souls games too daunting, but still wants challenge in a video game without the use of difficulty choices.