Black Myth: Wukong hands-on captivated, challenged, and delighted
6.16.2024
By Charlie Wacholz, Contributor
Combining some of the most impressive visual fidelity I’ve ever seen with responsive combat and the universal appeal of a beloved and influential story, Game Science’s upcoming action game is sure to be a hit when it launches on the Epic Games Store in August. An off-kilter sense of heart and grandeur permeated every inch of my hands-on demo. From Wukong’s tacit mischief to the mountain caretaker’s poetic way of speaking, this world feels both fresh and familiar in the best ways.
And I mean, come on—what’s cooler than a magical monkey-man who can transform and fight foes with a big staff while questing for enlightenment and immortality? If this sounds familiar to you, that’s because it probably is. Black Myth: Wukong is based on Journey to the West, a classic Chinese novel that's hundreds of years old and that is loosely based on historical events dating back to the seventh century. The same story is directly referenced in modern-day series like Dragon Ball and Pokemon—but beyond that, Sun Wukong is yet another visage worn by Joseph Campbell's famed Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Even as someone who’s never encountered the original version of Journey to the West, this is clearly a story with mass appeal. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Superman, then you'll recognize Black Myth: Wukong. Though they may look and act differently on the surface, the characters at the heart of these modern-day myths speak to the human condition and our constant quest to become the hero of our own story.
Don’t let its trailers mislead you, though—Black Myth: Wukong is not a traditional Soulslike. Although it borrows some elements from FromSoftware's popular formula, Black Myth: Wukong's combat flows as much like a traditional character-action game as Elden Ring.
Instead of a heavy (and slow) dodge-roll, Wukong smoothly sidesteps slashing swords and flying arrows—and can even slow down time following a well-timed dodge to get some extra hits in. Instead of character builds that hinge on stats, Wukong dons different gear to become more powerful and levels up abilities using a skill tree. In other words, Black Myth: Wukong makes you feel more like a godly figure than some maidenless wannabe.
Based on my time with Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science seems far more interested in lifting its favorite parts from a ton of great action games, Soulslike or otherwise. It’s comparable to how Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are Soulslikes on the surface, but also borrow from the likes of Uncharted and Metroid Prime. Black Myth: Wukong is perhaps less of a departure than Respawn’s efforts, but occasional flashes of Bayonetta and Devil May Cry shine through.
Armed at first with just a staff, Wukong feels quick and light on his feet. The staff connects with a satisfying thwack, with one light attack that feeds into a combo and one chargeable heavy attack that does a good chunk of damage and can even stagger or knock down the wolves hunting our simian hero. You can charge the heavy attack in multiple ways, either successfully landing light attacks and filling a Focus Meter or by holding the heavy attack button before unleashing a stronger version of the heavy overhead slam.
Regardless, the heavy attack is super helpful in boss fights—especially when a well-timed dodge gives you some extra time to execute the longer animation and take a nice chunk out of the boss’s health bar. Attacks, sprinting, and dodging all use up a stamina bar. Like much of Black Myth: Wukong, this will be familiar (if more forgiving) to any Souls veteran.
Defeating enemies helps you level up and, in turn, helps your skill tree to blossom. Again, the chunk of Black Myth: Wukong I played was very early in the game, so a lot of the skill tree was gated off—though I did unlock two useful combat abilities, so I’m certain it will open up as the game progresses. That said, the skill tree didn't rewrite the book. Most of the skills I saw buffed Wukong’s stats (health, attack power, range, stamina) or added something new to his moveset, like an additional swing at the end of his light attack combo.
But I wasn’t just ducking, weaving, and hitting baddies with Wukong’s staff for two hours straight. I got to try out some magic—specifically, the Immobilize spell. For just a little bit of mana and no strings attached, Immobilize allows you to freeze any enemy (or any enemy I faced during the demo, at least) in their tracks. And yes, that includes bosses.
At first, it almost felt like cheating, being able to freeze even the bosses in a genre that’s defined by rigid hitboxes and frame-specific animations. But Immobilize quickly became a satisfying and reliable tool. Maybe a boss was winding up for an attack that I hadn’t quite figured out yet, and I needed to freeze them and get out of the way. Or maybe I’d finally built up my Focus Meter and wanted to unleash a powerful slam but needed time to close the distance.
Regardless of how you use it, Immobilize is deeply satisfying. Even the sound design around this effect feels incredible, a tingling chime as the enemy is shackled in time before it shatters a few seconds later, releasing them.
Immobilize can be a double-edged sword, as well. It freezes enemies exactly where they were, meaning they'll pick right back up where they left off when the spell breaks. If you freeze an enemy mid-animation and get greedy with your attacks, you might wind up on the clawing end of a big bad mid-swipe. With the amount of health I had during the demo, those big swipes could be pretty devastating. I took on a handful of bosses during my hands-on time, and most went down in a few tries—but two of them really stumped me with flashy and hard-hitting attacks.
After hitting my head against the first major boss a few times to no avail, one of the developers suggested I go back and try my hand against an optional boss that I’d missed on my way through the lush forest. A towering robed wolf sporting a flaming double-sided spear greeted me with a volley of heat.
I managed to drop him after a try or two and, much to my delight, defeating him allowed me to briefly transform into him and use some of his moves, a la Mega Man. Timed using a secondary stamina meter and a separate health bar, transformations can be extremely helpful in battle. In the case of the big fiery wolf, hitting an opponent enough times with fire-based attacks causes a burn effect to stack up, dealing helpful amounts of extra damage and buying you some time to heal as they (figuratively) lick their wounds.
Transforming is also a useful get-out-of-jail-free card when you’re backed into a corner. The animation is pretty quick, and (at least in the early parts of Black Myth: Wukong that I played) the fire-wolf’s health bar was bigger than Wukong’s. It gave me time to breathe, deal a bit of damage, and find some distance before returning to simian form and healing.
My only concern with this mechanic is how each transformation plays. While the transformation I unlocked was locked to three different attacks, each with very simple inputs, I could see things getting more complicated and difficult to wrap your mind around as you unlock more and more cool critters—especially if the bosses we’ve seen in Black Myth: Wukong's many trailers are any indication of what we might be able to transform into.
Speaking of those trailers, Black Myth: Wukong is one of the most powerful showcases of Unreal Engine 5 that I’ve seen. It really does look as good in-person as it does in the trailers. Even though the area I explored wasn’t the most visually diverse, Black Myth: Wukong made up for it with lush greenery, rugged stone structures, flowing fur, and realistic particle effects and water. This realism elevated the look and feel of stuff like the fur on my canine enemies or the shiny slime on a frog mini-boss, enhancing Black Myth: Wukong's fantastic setting and premise.
Combine that with Black Myth: Wukong's stylish animations and character designs, and you have an absolute feast for the eyes. Even something as simple as resting at a shrine is preceded by Wukong taking a piece of his hair and transforming it into a stick of incense. Small stuff like this is executed with a masterful flourish that leans into the over-the-top style you’d expect from a Devil May Cry or Bayonetta.
The story and writing further compound this heightened sense of style. Dialog is almost exclusively delivered in a poetic rhythm (if not in outright rhyme), and I’m surprised I’ve never encountered this in a game before because it gives Black Myth: Wukong's take on this story an epic sense of weight befitting its legacy. Plus, it’s so darn charming to chance upon a drunken monkey-man on your path and have him start speaking in rhyme to you.
Ultimately, my time with Black Myth: Wukong cemented it as one of my most anticipated games of the year. I had an excellent time marveling at its rich forest, slapping down droves of evil foxes with my staff, and taking on challenging bosses who pushed me beyond what I thought I could do as the Monkey King—and still, it seems like I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.
I’m excited that I don’t need to wait long before I can hop back in and complete Wukong’s quest. If you’re a fan of Soulslikes, character action games, or Journey to the West, then Black Myth: Wukong belongs on your wishlist.
Black Myth: Wukong releases on the Epic Games Store on Aug. 20.