Making the headlines in recent weeks as the game with the most concurrent players on Steam at launch day, Black Myth: Wukong (BM Wukong) has even non-gamers talking about it.
The third-person action-adventure game is developed by Chinese game developer, Game Science, which is based in Shenzhen, and it’s an ambitious AAA game aimed at a global audience.
Inspired by the 16th century Chinese classic, Journey to the West, BM Wukong focuses on combat and 81 yaoguai (Chinese for monster) bosses to defeat over six chapters. It features locations, events and characters derived from the classic tale, created with a generous dose of imagination.
BM Wukong’s challenging battles begs comparison to Souls-like games although it is less brutal and punishing than Elden Ring or Dark Souls. Even so, it tests a gamer’s resolve when one has to die, die and die again. At least it doesn’t state the obvious “You Died” when the inevitable happens.
In the game, you play an anthropomorphic monkey referred to as the Destined One, but not Sun Wukong himself.
The game opens with an epic battle worthy of a wuxia (martial arts hero) film, with Sun Wukong being defeated by celestial beings and turned into a rock. With his six senses escaping and scattered across the land as relics, the young Destined One needs to find the relics and revive Sun Wukong.
Beating the yaoguai
What really impresses are BM Wukong’s motion capture, graphical and animation quality, as well as the designs of the yaoguai. Among them, there are different tiers and varying difficulties of yaoguai, ranging from low level minions such as wolves, spiders and snakes, to moderately tough yaoguai chiefs to very challenging yaoguai kings.
The high-ranking yaoguai are tough, dishing out powerful attacks, quick combos, area damage and lingering debilitating status effects like poison and fire. Some brutally difficult bosses can even take on different forms and secondary phases with full health, which require a lot of practice, patience and persistence to beat.
The game is not as punishing as true Souls games since gear and experience are not lost or dropped upon death. Another forgiving feature is the opportunity to re-spec Wukong’s skills, spells and abilities at shrines any time without limit or cost.
This is helpful especially when there is a boss that might require specific tactics to beat and you might need to experiment with various skill trees and specific abilities. Since there is no penalty for death (unlike Elden Ring or even Flintlock), you can give up on boss fights and return after levelling up or gaining new abilities.
Armed with a staff and fancy martial arts moves, the Destined One doles out satisfying hits and combos on enemies. Combat is fluid and fun, with plenty of abilities, spells and items to experiment with. Some bosses will take everything in your arsenal to beat, and every little advantage counts.
Apart from light, heavy and combo attacks during combat, the Destined One can cast spells, change stance, transform, use various abilities and consume potions and medicines.
So, although boss battles are challenging, there are many options to try. One action that’s missing is parrying — our hero can only dodge but not block attacks.
When I played the game, there were times that damage dealt against the tough bosses was akin to an ant bite, and I had to do some grinding by respawning and defeating lower minions in order to level up and gain more abilities. Beating some optional bosses can let you use their special abilities in combat in future, which can really turn the tide of some tough fights.
With a dizzying plethora of abilities, spells and transformations, BM Wukong offers plenty of opportunities to experiment. Some tough bosses took me many attempts, several skill and spell respecs, and very sore thumbs to beat, but the sense of accomplishment is immense!
The game’s 324 level cap and many tough bosses mean plenty of repetitive grinding to level up sufficiently. Being beaten repeatedly takes a toll, and I find myself needing to take a break from the frenetic action.
Sadly, there isn’t much exploration to do in the limited map tightly bordered by invisible walls despite the pretty scenery, and progress into new areas is blocked by boss yaoguai which you must defeat.
Monkey business
The Destined One has a complex skill tree that comprises abilities, such as staff stances as well as foundational physical and combat attributes, and spells that include mysticism, alteration and transformations.
To gain new skills, abilities and spells, Sparks need to be invested. Sparks can be gained from levelling up the Destined One as well as meditating at scenic meditation spots.
In addition, there are also Spirits to collect from defeated yaoguai bosses that will grant the Destined One signature moves of the bosses. These Spirits can be cultivated using Will and special items for stronger attacks and quicker cast.
Healing comes in the form of a gourd that contains a healing brew that the Destined One can take a swig from. Both gourd and brew can be upgraded for stronger efficacy and volume. There are also an assortment of soaks with beneficial properties that can be added to the brew.
For a boost in your well-being, there are also medicines that can be purchased, and eventually crafted, at the multipurpose shrines. Chinese medicine like lingzhi, ginseng and fungi can be gathered in the wild and are used in crafting medicines.
The main currency of the game is Will, which is obtained by felling foes, breaking pots, selling gold looted from dead enemies and even gathered from various parts of the map. Will is required to purchase upgrades for gear and spirits as well as buying consumables and crafting materials at the Shrines and merchants you find along the way.
Seeking the Way
BM Wukong isn’t a fully open world and offers limited exploration as its maps are contained. Some places look like they can be accessed but are actually blocked by invisible walls. Surprisingly, our simian protagonist has limited climbing freedom and is unable to jump or climb to high places.
Despite the limited exploration, the game is full of secrets and surprises. There are many hidden paths to explore, some that lead to smaller yaoguai bosses that can give the Destined One a boost in new abilities and transformations when defeated.
Even while innocuously gathering herbs, I encountered gigantic ginseng and fungi yaoguai to be defeated. Some bosses are also hidden behind walls that need to be broken down using a special ability in order to access, so it pays to search every nook and cranny thoroughly, and deal with every yaoguai encountered.
Apart from secret optional bosses, there are also items and treasures to be found. These include resources for crafting and upgrading gear, weapons and medicines, as well as souls that resemble green flames to fill up the Destined One’s healing gourd, and chests that contain loot, such as pieces of gold that can be sold for Will.
Unfortunately, there is no in-game map to reveal hidden or unexplored areas, so one has to be very diligent in exploring. Thankfully, you can always use shrines to fast-travel back to previous chapters to explore more. Gluttons for punishment who have completed the game can also choose to start NG+ (new game plus) to unlock all the achievements, rare attack moves and gear.
Monkey see, monkey do
BM Wukong’s character designs are innovative and memorable, such as a headless minstrel monk, bosses in animal forms such as wolves, bears, tigers and dragons, as well as gigantic monks with big heads.
Some of the more unique yaoguai look stunning, with beautiful fur and hairs worthy of a shampoo ad. The game’s animations and motion captures are blockbuster standard, and are a visual treat.
The Destined One’s journey traverses mountains, forests, caves and deserts, which offer a great variety to please the eye. Even the settings for boss battles are dramatic and memorable, such as fights over water and in a temple compound where the boss yaoguai can scuttle up the rooftops.
The ambient music while exploring is generally subdued and contemplative, with flutes, knockers and chimes traditionally heard in temples. But the music tempo picks up during epic boss battles as a perfect accompaniment to a thrilling and sometimes frustrating battle.
The game’s English translations, both in the written and spoken word, are of superb standard. Most impressively, there are painstaking efforts put into rhyming and alliterations of poems, fables and myths, which is a great way to introduce Chinese fables and culture to the English-speaking audience.
The fascinating journal, which details the characters, items and gear, is a worthwhile read as it includes the tales and myths behind them.
BM Wukong played smoothly on my Windows 10 PC with an Nvidia RTX 3070 graphics card and 32GB RAM, holding steady at 60 FPS (frames per second), though I did encounter some minor graphical glitches like enemies falling into walls.
The recommended system requirements of the game are less daunting than the game itself – it requires an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB graphics card, 16GB RAM and ideally running off a solid state drive with room for a 130GB installation. So, despite the great graphics, you don’t need to upgrade to a top-of-the-line system just to play BM Wukong.
TL;DR
Made for the resolute gamer who loves challenging boss battles, BM Wukong is an impressive AAA title from China made for the global audience in mind.
BM Wukong reimagines the characters, events and settings from Journey to the West with an artistic flair, incorporating superb visuals, animations and voice acting that bring the myth to life. The developer also took pains to describe characters, yaoguai and myths eloquently in the journal, which is worth a read.
For fans of Journey to the West, gamers who adore combating spectacular bosses and don’t mind the grind or soul-crushing defeats, BM Wukong is a satisfying challenge. But for casual gamers and those who dislike constrained maps, repetitive grinding and constant deaths, my advice is to not monkey around and stay away.
Black Myth Wukong is available for PC on Steam and Epic Games at S$79.90 and the PlayStation store at S$81.39. Gamers who want to play on Xbox will have to wait as BM Wukong is not released on the Microsoft console yet.
