Black Myth: Wukong, Game of the Year?

Black Myth: Wukong has become a global sensation, with the game easily breaking Steam's concurrent single-player record just hours after its official launch on August 19.

The game has generated a significant buzz in the gaming community since launch, and early impressions suggest it could be one of China's most significant attempts at a AAA standout action RPG. Ever.

With all the formalities and introductions completed, here are some of my early impressions based on my preview and my day one playthrough:

Visuals and Graphics

One of the most striking features of Black Myth: Wukong is its visual fidelity. The game is built on Unreal Engine 5, and throughout the game, players are introduced to a bevy of stunning environments, detailed character models, outstanding particle effects, and more. The attention to detail in the textures and lighting gives the game a lifelike quality, which is one of Wukong's most attractive qualities—even if you don't like the gameplay, man, this game is beautiful to just simply look at.

Gameplay Mechanics

Black Myth: Wukong balances challenging combat and fluid action with an attractive character design throughout the game's world. Players control the Destined One, who can transform into various creatures and utilize various magical abilities such as spells. The transformation mechanic adds depth to the combat, creating seamless yet dynamic playstyles and strategies to take down the challenging bosses how you see fit.

Naturally, due to the gameplay design and unforgiving difficulty spikes, the combat has been oft-compared to the Dark Souls franchise. That means this hame requires a player to execute with precise timing, dodging, and an understanding of enemy patterns. However, Wukong offers accessibility regarding its learning curve, making it approachable to a broader audience to dive in and learn the ropes.

Story and Setting

The game reimagines Journey to the West, a Chinese novel written and published during the 16th century. The novel has historically been attributed to Wu Cheng'en—a poet and politician who wrote the story as a recollection of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang and his pilgrimage to India.

Wukong retells the story with a deep appreciation for the ancient lore, honoring the roots of Chinese folklore and history. The game fully embraces this heritage, incorporating a variety of mythical creatures, deities, and legendary locations. I honestly love the game's devotion to authentic storytelling and the long-term potential of introducing a global audience to classic Chinese folklore in an interactive way.

My Gripes

As you've probably heard, some concerns about the game's overall polish and pacing have been raised. Given that Game Science is a relatively new developer, there was skepticism online about their ability to deliver a fully fleshed-out game that lives up to its early promise. There are also questions about the diversity of gameplay mechanics beyond combat, such as puzzle-solving or exploration elements, which have not been extensively showcased in early previews.

And then there was the odd list of "don'ts" that the game's co-publisher Hero Games issued streamers and potential reviewers. The "don'ts" sternly demanded that the reviewer not use the game to discuss "feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse" and "content related to China's game industry policies, opinions, news, etc." And during my time playing through the first couple of bosses, I couldn't help but think of this request. But as the game has officially sold 10,000,000 copies as of August 23, 2024, this controversy isn't stopping anything.

Conclusion

Black Myth: Wukong is a super dope game with a lot of promise. I admit that I'm not yet done with the experience (I'm still trying to defeat the Whiteclad Noble during the time of this review, IYKYK). But the game is shaping up to be a visually stunning and mechanically robust action RPG that is continuing the Chinese's streak of video game excellence following the success and acclaim of Stellar Blade.

Game Science delivered on the promise shown in their early trailers and gameplay demos and have created a major hit in the process. Don't look now, but Wukong may have the same lasting impact for Chinese developers as Final Fantasy 7 did for the Japanese trying to break through in the West back in the '90s. But, of course, only time will.