As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I found myself enchanted by the visual splendor that Black Myth: Wukong presents – yet, left yearning for more substance to truly captivate me. Having played on the PS5 version, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by its smooth performance, despite the occasional hiccup with the environment or enemies getting stuck.
Action games are characterized by an engaging rhythm, often involving a dynamic exchange with adversaries, particularly bosses, where you dodge, counterattack, deliver powerful blows, retreat, get hit occasionally, manage your health reserves, take calculated risks. The thrill lies in pulling off the stunning comeback or, at times, falling short of landing the final blow. Picking yourself up, brushing off the dust, and trying again. Seeking out those fleeting instances of mastery. That flawless dodge. That brave parry. That risky sequence to finish them off. Beating that move you’ve been struggling with all fight at the opportune moment. It’s in these moments that action games truly shine, resonating deeply. They echo with life.
As a gamer, let me confess, Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t quite live up to my expectations as much as I’d love it to. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments where it really shines. However, these shining moments are often overshadowed by minor inconveniences, and it seems like an eternity before you reach those brilliant scenes. Frankly, I can’t blame anyone for giving up on Wukong before experiencing its true potential. It’s truly unfortunate.
Monkey Man
As a gamer, let me tell you, I’ve dived into Black Myth: Wukong without knowing much about its roots. This game seems to be a continuation of Wu Cheng’en’s classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West, which I wasn’t overly acquainted with before starting this adventure. The developers, GameScience, make numerous references to the novel’s events and characters, but they don’t provide extensive explanations outside of readable journal entries. These journals are engaging, but there’s a lot to take in, so if you’re interested in fully immersing yourself in this game, it might be helpful to familiarize yourself with the story of the original novel (and maybe even learn what a kasaya is) before jumping in!
In this game, you take on the role of The Chosen One, who bears a striking resemblance to Sun Wukong, though we’re certain it’s merely a coincidence. Unlike the talkative Wukong from Chinese mythology, The Chosen One remains silent as they traverse the tales, much like a reaper armed with a staff. The characters you meet are vibrantly animated and excellently voiced, but their screen time might be limited, making it challenging for them to leave a lasting impression. If you’re familiar with the original story or willing to delve deeper into these characters, there’s more to uncover, but if you jump in blindly, you might need to do some reading to fully immerse yourself.
What stood out most in the game’s narrative was the stunningly crafted cutscenes at the end of each chapter, which provided insight into the main antagonist of that particular level. Each scene boasted a distinctive visual aesthetic, although I won’t reveal them to avoid spoilers, but they all looked breathtaking and left me eager to see more. Sadly, I felt that the overall storytelling lacked some of the energy found in these captivating cutscenes.
Souls-like? More Like Soulslite
Black Myth: Wukong can certainly be called a Souls-like game in some aspects, but it also differs significantly from the formula. While it does feature a stamina bar, respawn points acting like bonfires, and an emphasis on dodging and counterattacking enemies, there are key differences. For one, dying doesn’t result in any penalty other than respawning at the last checkpoint; you don’t lose any accumulated experience points. Secondly, gear isn’t as crucial to the gameplay loop. There are weapon and armor upgrades, but instead of improving existing equipment over time, you simply replace older items with better ones when you acquire them. Lastly, you use your experience solely to upgrade your skills; there are no other uses for it.
The design choices in this series are quite intriguing, and for the most part, they seem to work effectively. Wukong plays like a conventional action game with Souls-like elements; if you will, it’s a blend of the two, or “Soulslite.” In combat, particularly against bosses, the mechanics remain relatively consistent. You dodge attacks, some skillfully timed to make you panic-dodge, and capitalize on openings to deal damage.
Besides these tricks, you’ll also gain the ability to cast spells that could dramatically alter battle outcomes. The initial spell you’ll encounter is “Immobilize,” which, as its name suggests, freezes enemies solid, allowing you to strike them with your staff and possibly stun them for additional damage, even on bosses. Next up is “Cloud Step,” which renders you invisible while placing a decoy in your former location. This spell is perfect for escaping dangerous situations, and if you attack upon reappearing, you’ll deal some substantial damage. “Rock Solid” transforms you into stone, and when used correctly, it can be utilized as a defensive maneuver to counterattack enemies, further increasing the potential damage output. Keep in mind that these spells consume mana and are subject to a cooldown period, so choose your moments wisely.
A Little Bit of Sicko as a Treat
Overcoming particular adversaries will grant you the ability to assume their forms. Defeat Guangzhi, an early-encountered wolfman wielding a fiery glaive, and you’ll be able to take on his form. Guangzhi has his own health bar and fighting style, featuring a dangerous dash attack that can be chained. By defeating him, you accumulate Focus Points, which enable you to dodge into a potent leap attack that sets enemies ablaze. It’s quite impressive, and he’s only the beginning. What makes this even better is that these transformations don’t require mana; they’re tied to a cooldown instead. Additionally, there are Spirit Skills, which you acquire by defeating powerful mini-bosses and infusing their power into your character’s gourd, serving as both a healing flask and a vessel for these abilities. There are numerous such skills available, but I found the Wandering Wight, one of the first ones you can obtain, particularly appealing because his headbutt deals immense damage and has the potential to stun bosses.
In Black Myth: Wukong, the combat system is impressive once you can utilize all of its features fully – and that takes some time. A significant drawback in its design is that it takes an excessively long period to provide you with your entire arsenal. For a considerable part of the first two chapters, you’re left relying on a simple light attack combo since other moves are not yet available. Even Rock Solid, which serves as your parry, isn’t introduced until chapter two, resulting in a lengthy wait to obtain what most action games consider fundamental abilities. Combine this with monotonous enemies that fall easily and relatively straightforward early bosses, and Black Myth: Wukong starts off feeling incredibly dull. I breezed through nearly everything in the initial chapters on my first attempt, but found it less enjoyable due to the limited options available. This issue is not unique to Black Myth: Wukong; Final Fantasy XVI experiences a similar problem as well. However, it’s more apparent here.
As you progress in the game, things start to improve significantly. With more options unlocked in Wukong’s skill tree, which includes both flashy combat abilities and energy-saving upgrades, his fighting style becomes much more engaging and rewarding. You’ll discover some intricate combos if, like me, you enjoy delving into the finer details. While it may not reach the heights of genre greats such as Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, the combat is still solid. It’s a pity that you have to persevere for quite some time before reaching this enjoyable stage, and I can understand why someone might decide to stop playing before then.
Monkeying Around
What doesn’t improve over time is Wukong’s environment design. That’s not to say that the environments you’ll traipse through aren’t gorgeous, because they are. Everything in Black Myth: Wukong is, whether you’re in a lush forest, a windblown desert, or somewhere in-between. The real issue here is that in shooting for such impressive visual fidelity, Game Science has lost something when it comes to readability. This isn’t a problem in combat, as enemy moves are easy to distinguish, which is essential in a game like this. But it is a problem when navigating the environment. There is no map in Black Myth: Wukong, and these environments, while more of the wide-linear than open world world variety, are pretty big. There are tons of branching paths, little secrets, and optional bosses hidden throughout Black Myth: Wukong, and finding them is a lot of fun. But boy do I wish I had some sort of reference to keep track of it all. I often found myself taking what I thought was a new path only to loop back to a place I’d already been, just from a different angle.
Wukong can be frustrating to maneuver due to its unclear boundaries for what you can climb over or break through, invisible walls that aren’t in obvious places, and lack of clear guidance on how to navigate the environment. While I appreciate that Game Science didn’t use yellow paint to mark everything, it would have been helpful if they had provided some navigation tools. The levels are visually stunning but not particularly memorable or densely populated with enemies. Instead, the game feels like a series of boss fights, which can make exploration feel cumbersome. However, discovering optional bosses, upgrades, and hidden areas is rewarding. I just wish the environments were more thoughtfully designed for easier exploration.
For this critique, I tested the PS5 edition of the game. Since Game Science was hesitant to distribute PS5 copies before launch, I wasn’t certain about the quality. However, I’m pleased to share that my experience was mostly bug-free. Occasionally, I or a few adversaries might become trapped within the environment, but generally speaking, the PS5 performed well (I opted for performance mode) and boasted an appealing visual presentation.
Once More, With Feeling
I wish I could say the same for Wukong’s camera and controls, however. The camera follows The Destined One very closely. Normally, this is fine, but if you’re locked onto an enemy and they leap into the air, it can jerk around to keep up in a way that can make dodging incoming attacks more difficult than they should be. Similarly, the triggers in Black Myth: Wukong do a lot of work, managing your usable items, spells, transformations, Spirit Skills, and so on, and I can’t tell you how many times I pressed the right and left triggers to trigger a Spirit Skill only to bring up the spell/transformation/item menu and watch as a boss knocked me upside the head because the thing I wanted hadn’t registered properly. Feels bad, man.
If you’re a fan of action games and are willing to be patient with Black Myth: Wukong while it finds its footing, you might enjoy your experience. However, there were several aspects that left me feeling bored and frustrated, such as the slow progression of my equipment, the absence of a map, empty environments, and control issues that hindered my desired actions. Black Myth: Wukong isn’t necessarily a bad game, but it doesn’t quite reach greatness either. I think it improves in New Game + when you have more freedom with your gear, but getting there can be challenging. It’s common for the initial playthrough in action games to serve as a sort of practice round, and the real game often begins on the second playthrough. However, my boredom during this initial playthrough was more pronounced than in any Devil May Cry game I’ve played before. This is significant because if not for the need to write this review, I would have likely stopped playing around two hours in due to a lack of enjoyment.
Black Myth: Wukong offers a solid gaming experience, but falls short of reaching the pinnacle in the action game genre. It showcases some captivating boss battles and provides ample opportunities for exploration, however it doesn’t quite match up to the greats within the genre. The game is enjoyable, but lacks that special touch that sets it apart from others. It may draw you onto the dance floor with its appealing moves, but whether or not you enjoy it will depend on your tolerance for its occasional rough edges and stepping on your toes at times. Personally, I prefer an action game that allows me to take charge occasionally, and delivers those high notes consistently.
This copy was paid for by the reviewer.
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2024-08-30 17:28