The game, “Black Myth: Wukong,” is beautiful – the story, the gameplay, the visuals and the music. Everything is built together perfectly to create an unforgettable experience.
The game takes place after the classic 16th century novel, “Journey to the West.” This game is an action filled prologue introduces the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Who, after ascending to Buddhahood returns to earth before being attacked by the army of heaven and imprisoned in stone.
You play as the Destined One, a young monkey warrior charged with recovering six relics required to free Wukong from his imprisonment.
As a soulslike action RPG collecting — items, crafting, and dying repeatedly are a core part of the game. Naturally, item crafting and unlocking new abilities are a natural reward for exploration.
My favorite are the transformations. I loved how different they were, and it added a fun sort of catharsis to be able to turn into those that gave me so much trouble.
Throughout the game, shrines act as respawn points, fast travel, crafting menus, stores and places to reset your abilities.
Combat in the game is careful and rhythmic, like a dance. Dodging and running, circling your opponent, exchanging attacks before circling again. Early on, I kept rushing in and dying, but after I learned to be more patient I found the fights very meditative.
Buddhism is an important theme. The six artifacts you seek each represent a sense, reflecting a Buddhist concept known as Ayatana. When you encounter foes, entries are revealed containing poetry and a story written in the novel’s style.
Each act ends with a lovely, stylized animation. Each animation is animated in a different style. The first one is about greed and evokes the appearance of an old Chinese painting. It’s told purely through visuals and music. If what I’d been sold had merely been a collection of these animations, I would have been satisfied. They are that good.
This game is a unique work of art, worth experiencing yourself.