Black Myth: Wukong review

It wasn’t until I learned to let go and allow Black Myth: Wukong to guide me at its own pace that I clicked with the game. After a bombastic opening, I was eager to experience a narrative and mechanical buildup back to the level that the intro sequence promised. While it eventually did, Black Myth: Wukong takes its time in revealing all its cards. That pace can be frustrating early on but is offset by an impressive level of graphical detail and enemy variety. Where the game undoubtedly falls short is in its storytelling and world-building, which is criminally hidden away where most will never access it.

Calling Black Myth: Wukong a soulslike isn’t accurate despite it borrowing a handful of mechanics from the genre. It is a challenging game, but offers you more than enough tools over time to find a strategy that works for you to overcome any challenge. It just might take a while before you are given that tool. I had hoped for a more thorough dive into the world of Journey to the West, but Black Myth: Wukong is remarkably stingy with its storytelling. When it does pull out all the stops, it does so with ferocious ambition and success. Like everything else, however, you must be patient to find that ultimate reward.

Black Myth: Wukong

Pros

• Visually stunning
• Tons of bosses
• Unique transformation system

Cons

• Scarce story and lore outside of menus
• Early game feels limited
• Poor tutorialization

Price and availability

Black Myth: Wukong will be available on August 19 for $60 on Steam and PS5. It is a 3D action RPG based on Chinese mythology where you play as the Destined One on a quest that pits you against dozens of monsters and figures of legend.

A lacking translation

Show, don’t tell

The opening moments of Black Myth: Wukong is a masterclass at investing the player into the world. Following the same structure as the ancient story it is based on, the game opens with an epic confrontation between Sun Wukong and other deific figures at the height of their power. Trading words and blows in equal measure, my hopes were raised for the level of storytelling and spectacle I was in store for.

Sadly, once this brief prologue concludes, Black Myth: Wukong shuffles its storytelling to the sideline. I am put in the shoes of the Destined One and sent out to do…something. Your goals, motivations, and even your identity are all painfully vague. Aside from seeing new locations and enemies, I was given no personal or intrinsic motivation for going on this journey for far too long. Each major area has a new guide you learn a little bit about, but the Destined One remains stubbornly silent and more like an avatar than a player in the plot despite how he’s built up by other NPCs.

The narrative twist of the knife is that the game does have all that juicy lore and mythology I was hoping for but sanctioned off into lengthy lore entries in your menu. This isn’t some souls item description-level narrative trick where you piece together things one or two sentences at a time. No, these are entire short stories you could spend 10 minutes at a time reading. The quality and substance is all great, but a waste when most people will never bother seeking them out.

What ended up becoming my strongest motivation to continue my journey were the major cutscenes I was treated to at the end of each major area. These wordless short films use a variety of mediums that are exceptionally well produced and were easily the highlight of my playthrough.

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Monkey see, monkey do

After a slow start, combat shines

As mentioned, Black Myth: Wukong isn’t a true soulslike. While you do have a limited healing flask, stamina bar, and checkpoints that respawn minor enemies, that’s about where the similarities end. Dying costs you nothing, you are rarely locked into lengthy attack animations, and only having a dodge for defense encourages a more aggressive approach. Levels are mostly linear affairs, though do have a handful of secrets and optional sections to explore or go back to.

Early combat feels somewhat limited mostly due to a poor tutorial that doesn’t properly explain all the mechanics, and the skill tree initially had little of interest to invest in. But after a few hours, the game begins drip-feeding its more unique mechanics. Spells like the ability to freeze enemies in time for free hits or summon clones completely change the flow of a fight, but the robust transformation system is what sets Black Myth: Wukong apart from other RPGs. Most minibosses you encounter in the field can be absorbed and equipped as a temporary summon to unleash one powerful attack unique to them during a fight as well as offer a passive buff.

Rarer are the true transformation spells where you fully embody a different character and their moveset for a limited time. These are not only fantastic for variety but also come in clutch during boss battles since they act as a pseudo-second health bar. And it can’t be understated how many bosses there are in this game. Normal enemy variety is decent, but it felt as though I was fighting one or two unique minibosses on the field between each major boss, of which different regions could have three or more. And I’m sure I missed even more hidden ones along the way.

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Should you try Black Myth: Wukong?

An uneven journey

If you were hoping for a more approachable and interactive dive into the classic story of Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong will make you work for it. The few cutscenes bookending each chapter are fantastic, but too much of the lore and mythology is relegated to long text dumps in the menu. The game is punching far above its weight in visuals and boss variety, so anyone looking for a meaty quest that cuts the fat between visually spectacular boss battles will be more than satisfied. Just be willing to be patient as Black Myth: Wukong finds its pacing.