Black Myth: Wukong is an upcoming third-person action RPG with stunning combat and graphics, and is based heavily on Chinese mythology.
Black Myth: Wukong Everything We Know About the Upcoming Action RPG
In this article, we’re going to be checking out everything we know about Black Myth: Wukong. It is a third-person action RPG that has captured the gaming world’s attention with its visually stunning graphics, intriguing setting and lore, and an exciting-looking combat system.
The game is being developed by Game Science Studio, and is an ambitious project that draws inspiration from the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” We’ll be exploring the game’s various aspects, from the story, locations, the main character, and various systems.
Story and Setting
In “Black Myth: Wukong,” players step into the shoes of Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King. It is set in a fantastical version of ancient China, loosely based on the 16th-century Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. The game blends traditional mythology with a dark fantasy twist. Players can expect encounters with gods, demons, and other fantastical creatures as they unravel the main character’s mythical journey.
Our main character is the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, who has been granted immortality. However, this immortality becomes both a blessing and a curse. His longevity allows him to witness centuries pass, but it also isolates him from mortal life. He can see the rise and fall of entire civilizations as he stays alone. The emotional toll of immortality eventually drags him down, leading us to some inner turmoil that the main character will hopefully express.
In the source material Journey to the West, Sun Wukong is known for his incredible speed and strength as well as the ability to transform into various people, animals, and objects, all of which were displayed in the initial gameplay trailers for Black Myth: Wukong.
He wields a magical black iron staff that can grow in size or shrink based on its owner’s commands, perfect for creating a weapon that could be used up close or at a medium range at a moment’s notice.
According to the book, Wukong possesses several other abilities. He can also clone himself, use a cloud for traversal, and even leap entire buildings in a single bound (take that, Superman!). Being an ancient mythical figure also has its mystical perks, as Wukong has some degree of magic at his disposal. He can change or at the very least manipulate the weather itself, or even control and influence minor spirits.
Gameplay (Exploration)
The game world is vast and meticulously crafted. As players, we’ll traverse diverse landscapes—lush forests, towering mountains, ancient temples, and hidden caves. If Elden Ring taught us anything, every nook and cranny holds secrets waiting to be discovered.
No specific location names were given, except for “Fright Cliff”, an area that debuted in the Gamescom 2023 coverage. Given its namesake, the Fright Cliff is a rocky and expansive mountainous region. Despite brown being the main color palette used in the location, it was able to show off the game’s impressive lighting system that could depict a great contrast between sunny and darker areas. Additionally, light sources such as torches and magical runes stood out, further accentuating how “special” they looked.
Black Myth: Wukong also doesn’t settle for static environments. Instead, it boasts dynamic weather patterns and a realistic day-night cycle. Rainstorms obscure visibility, snowfall blankets the ground, and fog shrouds mysterious corners. The stark contrast in weather types made things look much more believable and visually stunning.
Gameplay (Combat)
Fluid Combat System
The game’s combat is heavily influenced by the Souls genre, an inspiration that it proudly wears on its sleeve. We have an ever-present stamina bar that depletes when performing actions like attacking, dodging, or running. The game also has a healing gourd similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, another game that draws inspiration from Asian culture. Sun Wukong wields his iconic staff, which transforms into various forms during battle. Timing, dodging, and mastering combos are essential for survival.
Wukong will be able to swap through various stances (or forms) to be able to highlight a particular combat style at any given time. These are called Smash Form, Pillar Form, and Thrust Form. Like Lost Ark’s Glaivier class, Wukong can switch between specializing in stabbing and poking with his staff and using wide-angle sweeps. Players will also of course be able to chain hits together, beautifully weaving light and heavy attacks in a satisfying string of combo hits.
We don’t know what other kinds of weapons Sun Wukong can make use of, at least in his base form. Footage has shown us that the staff can extend and shorten itself, allowing us to perfectly adapt to any situation. One of the more comedic scenes shows Sun Wukong extending his staff a few dozen meters, allowing him to perch up in the air as if taunting the incoming boss.
Black Myth Wukong also looks to be sitting in the spectrum between Lies of P, Sekiro, and Bloodborne, as it places great emphasis on speed and relentless offense instead of slower and more calculating attacks like you would see in the likes of Lords of the Fallen or Dark Souls. Due to the nature of the character, making the most of his agility will be paramount to victory.
Wukong can’t even block enemy hits. Instead, you will need to rely on staying on your toes by dancing around the battlefield either by simply running around, jumping, or dodging. Evading can also be leaned onto the offensive side, as the developers have teased that there’s an unlock later on that will create a phantom copy of yourself from where you evaded that will automatically counterattack any enemy that tries to attack it.
Three’s Plenty
Another skill that Sun Wukong generously makes use of is his ability to create clones of himself right out of thin air. This will have many practical combat applications in Black Myth: Wukong, the most obvious of which is to make distractions that can lead the enemy in a certain direction, opening them up to some well-timed back attacks.
Alternatively, it looks like the clones can even deal a small amount of damage, given that there are enough of them. Sun Wukong’s clones can swarm enemies, all the while hitting them with sticks that seem just as painful as our main character’s.
Shapeshifting Abilities
Sun Wukong’s ability to transform into different creatures almost immediately adds tons of strategic depth and options in combat. Whether you become an agile insect, a hulking beast, or something in between, each form grants unique skills. Adaptability is key in intense battles, where switching forms at the right moment can turn the tide.
One form that was shown off is the humble Cicada. This bug form is heavily showcased in some of the earlier parts of the trailers, setting the stage for some monologue and story exposition. We don’t know just yet whether the Cicada form will be usable in combat, as it looks as if this has no practical way of dealing damage. Perhaps the one biggest use it could have is to dodge enemy attacks as an emergency button.
Wukong can also take the form of some defeated enemies, though probably not all of them. Some footage includes the character transforming into a massive grey feline who traded staff strikes for bate hand (or claw) brawling. This form lets Wukong deal massive AoE damage to everything in the nearby vicinity. The transformation also lets him jump up into the air and crash down into foes, which knocks them back giving you some much-needed breathing room.
He also turned into a fiery martial artist, who can set his staff ablaze. It looks like this transformation makes Wukong move even faster, while also stylishly charring enemies to a crisp.
Another form that was shown was some sort of creature that looked as if it fell face-first into some rock and soil. There’s no easy way to describe this transformation, as it looks as odd as it sounds. Since the creature is quite literally just a mud ball with legs, it doesn’t make use of traditional attacks. Instead, it rams itself into enemies to deal damage. Alternatively, it can just fall over and break off the extra grime and dirt, letting Wukong return to his normal monkey self.
Other forms from various gameplay demos have also shown off a firey wolf form and poisonous creature forms.
In the book, Wukong can transform into over 70 distinct forms. This would be highly impractical (not to mention difficult) to implement in a video game, so only the best of the best of his forms will make it into Black Myth: Wukong.
Bossing Around
Another of the most striking features of the game is the emphasis on boss fights and mini-boss fights. The trailer showcases a variety of enemies, some of them huge in size and scope, such as the dragon fight that resembles a Monster Hunter World encounter. Bosses come in all sizes as well, as you have some human-sized opponents that you will need to contend with. The game seems to focus more on these epic and challenging battles than on the level design and the enemies in between.
Black Myth: Wukong’s Big Focus on Boss Fights is also an exciting affair, as these encounters will take place in unique “arenas” specific to each enemy. We have seen some majestic areas, such as in front of a massive bell tower, a burning courtyard, and even a frozen lake.
Certain arenas will also help highlight the various technologies that the game uses. The Macaque Chief boss on the mountaintops is full of snow-covered terrain. This dynamically moves in respect to your and the bosses’ actions, making quite the visual spectacle, provided you can pay enough attention not to get his. Another boss called the Tiger Vanguard sits in a pool of blood that will act very much like water, creating ripples and splashes when needed. Hopefully, your blood won’t add to the already messy pool.
Just like in the novel, Sun Wukong often faces off against these larger-than-life entities, gods, demons, and other mythical creatures. Oftentimes in extreme grandeur as well.
Gameplay (Leveling Up, Customization, etc.)
Skill Trees and Progression
Customization plays a significant role in Sun Wukong’s journey. Skill trees will players to allocate points, enhance combat prowess, unlock new moves, and improve survivability. However there has been no coverage yet on specific skill tree unlocks, what kind of perks you may have, or even if there will be an in-depth leveling system where you can allocate points to certain attributes. Unlike Elden Ring, you aren’t a generic character in Black Myth Wukong so there is a certain assumption on what kind of fighter you may be.
A lot of the progression will likely come from gaining and upgrading spells that you receive from certain bosses, such as The Pluck of Many (the clone summon ability), Immobilize (freeze enemies in place), Stone Solid (freeze yourself in place), and Ring of Fire (burn everything that’s not you).
It is also said that there will be certain spell interactions that the player can learn that may not be too apparent at the start. For example, drinking a healing gourd will be more effective when you’re inside your Ring of Fire, as compared to when you take a swig outside of it. Perhaps Wukong just really likes to watch the world burn.
Equipment and Upgrades
You’ll discover powerful artifacts, armor, and weapons throughout your adventure. Upgrading gear is essential for survival. Balancing offense, defense, and utility becomes a strategic choice. There haven’t been any specifics yet on what types of gear you’ll be able to place onto Wukong.
Players will also collect various potions and elixirs to use to help enhance certain combat capabilities, depending on whether they want to offset some of their weaknesses or lean heavily toward one stat group.
Black Myth: Wukong Release Date and Sale Price
As of now, no official release date has been announced. However, it has been speculated that the title will be released sometime in the Summer of 2024 which may or may not coincide with Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Black Myth: Wukong is expected to be a premium title that will cost $69.99, given its ambitious approach to the soulslike genre. Its visual quality, exciting combat, and different lore focus seem like they will make it worth the price of admission for action RPG fans.
The game has already been in development for several years, following its initial announcement back in February 2020. Black Myth: Wukong’s initial interest was sparked by the title’s extremely impressive visuals and intriguing focus on a different mythology. It was originally developed using Unreal Engine 4, but later on, swapped to the newer Unreal Engine 5. This is so that the developers could leverage the advanced engine’s capabilities, and create even more visually stunning graphics.
