There are two things I know for certain about China. The first thing is the massively impressive population size, second only to India in overall numbers. The second thing is their passion for gaming and playing video games. Some estimates put their overall gaming population at about 500,000,000 people. That is half a billion people playing video games in China alone. It was only a matter of time before a China-based studio led by Chinese people focusing on Chinese ideas for gaming put out a smash hit. I didn’t think it would be this soon, but Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science has arrived and… well, to be frank; the game kicks so much ass they had to import colons from other countries just to meet the demand.
My wife and I began our journey with Black Myth: Wukong largely clueless about the source material Journey to the West. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve definitely seen shows where Monkey pops up, but I never really sat down and absorbed what the source material was trying to say or why it was important. That changed immediately when I played the intro to Black Myth: Wukong. Holy hell, I’ve never seen an intro as impressive as that. It was beyond impressive and the game hasn’t stopped being impressive since then.
While many people have called the game a Soulslike, it’s nowhere near as difficult or convoluted. The level design is reminiscent of Uncharted in that your path seems open, but is largely linear until you reach certain sections that open the world up a bit more. The combat is more akin to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or God of War: Ragnarok. The game presents a challenge, but a fair one. To give you an example because people love to say this and I’m sure readers wonder “What does that even mean?” Well, I’m happy to explain so you have a better idea of what you’re working with in Wukong.
The game is largely boss fights with some other baddies sprinkled in here and there. One of the first bosses you fight is a giant world named Lingxuzi. It took me three tries to beat him, but I had taken about 60% of his health on the first try and closer to 85% on the second. I was losing, but I could see visible progress and a path to beating Lingxuzi in front of me. I wasn’t walking into a fight and getting splattered immediately. It was clear from my attempts that not only was he beatable, but I could have done it on the first try had I played my cards slightly differently.
This is largely what Black Myth: Wukong is as a game. It offers gorgeous scenery and memorable boss battles with uniquely crafted characters straight out of Chinese mythology. This title celebrates everything about China and that’s where the love for the title manifests. Gamers have likely played some form of title that features Greek, Roman, American, Polish, and Japanese mythology, but this level of attention being paid to Chinese mythology is not something we’ve seen until Black Myth: Wukong.
Numerous titles celebrate the heritage of countries and peoples not mentioned here, but these are the omnipresent mythologies within gaming. They are everywhere and all of them have been tied to a smash hit. Now Chinese mythology has a smash hit and China has proven they can develop gaming titles with the best of them. Game Science truly took the time they needed, didn’t rush the product, and ultimately delivered something ready to go right out of the box. Sure, there were minor fixes needed, but that’s every title nowadays and the game wasn’t even close to being Cyberpunk 2077 levels of fixing either.
Black Myth: Wukong and Game Science also endeared themselves to gamers by not flooding the game with microtransactions. There were two versions customers could purchase and that was the extent of their digital extras. While there may yet be DLC for Wukong or characters related to Journey to the West, it seems likely the content will focus on actual gaming rather than cosmetics and pointless add-ons. It is rare to see this out of a company, especially when they have a major title that is highly anticipated.
If you want to know exactly how much China loves Black Myth: Wukong, look no further than Steam’s player account. Black Myth: Wukong shattered records on Steam for the overall concurrent player count. 2,406,967 people were playing the game at one time. Only PUBG: Battlegrounds beat it out with 3,236,027 players, but here’s the amazing kicker; When Chinese players log off for the day, the concurrent player count drops to 247,000+ people. That’s 2,000,000 players in China just playing Black Myth: Wukong. When I said Chinese people love gaming, this is what I meant.
If you have the means, Black Myth: Wukong is a game you cannot miss. If the opening of the game doesn’t convince you of that, then you might not be into these types of games. This is my Game of the Year so far and it will take quite a bit to top it. Add in the fact that this was China’s first attempt at a Triple-A game and when that is added to the game itself, it seems hard to find someone capable of toping this effort. Do not miss out on this game. Wait for a sale if you have to, but Black Myth: Wukong is why people purchased next-generation systems and it shows.
Long live the Monkey King.
BSO Rating: 9.75-of-10
