An ancient tale, often re-told – and that’s just the story of the development studio that made it.
It’s the Journey To The West-inspired boss rush Souslike Black Myth: Wukong!
Jeremy: I am half Taiwanese and spent most of my 20s living in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Therefore, Sun Wukong and the rough plot of Journey to the West is ingrained into my consciousness in the same way that someone growing up in the UK or US might read tales of King Arthur as a kid. And while there have been many games inspired by Wukong’s journey across China to obtain scriptures and evolve into Buddhahood, there are none that have done it with as much panache and flair as Game Science’s Soulslike.
Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t actually put you in the role of the Monkey King – rather, you’re the Destined One, a quasi-descendant who might be capable of harnessing Wukong’s power one day if you collect all of the McGuffins he left behind after a failed revolt against the Heavenly Court. In order to obtain these McGuffins, off you go on a mission across six tightly-designed chapters, which aren’t open-world but are still damn big. Along the way, it’s boss after boss after boss, all of whom you’ll smash with your staff, a facsimile of Wukong’s famous Ruyi Jingu Bang that extends to thunderous heights by the end of the game if you play your cards right. Oh yeah, and in the final chapter, you can ride on Wukong’s flying cloud too – hi, Dragonball fans.
There was a lot of controversy prior to Black Myth: Wukong’s release, mostly because the devs said misogynistic claptrap on Sina Weibo that reached the wider internet thanks to an IGN report. Also, there were guidelines that told streamers not to criticise the Chinese government, mention COVID, or indulge in “feminist propaganda” when playing the game. Game Science received justifiable amounts of criticism for these scandals, and Black Myth unfortunately became a flashpoint for both tankies and folks on X who love to rally behind “anti-woke” games that they think are being unfairly “censored.”
All of this headache-inducing stuff made me not want to like Black Myth. But as I continuously upgraded my staff, fought all manner of grandiose enemies inspired by Chinese mythology, and wrote walkthroughs for the game’s six Chapters (allow me to shamelessly plug our comprehensive Black Myth walkthrough hub), I couldn’t help but be bitten by the wonder of seeing a story I had grown up with realised in such a thrilling manner. This is a very good Soulslike (invisible walls aside), and it’s all the more impressive considering that it’s Game Science’s first major release. Any criticism behind its development is valid, and I sincerely hope the devs avoid indulging in sexism prior to releasing sequels. But that said, this is a Journey to the West worth taking, and when I think of how I used to draw pictures of Wukong as a 12-year-old, I gotta admit to feeling a certain degree of pride when I see the worldwide acclaim that Black Myth has achieved.
Nic: I only played enough to fight about three bosses, but what bosses they were! I think there’s a real cleverness and vision to realising that boss fights are such an integral part of what makes FromSoft games so exciting, and spinning that out into a full game – especially one with such fluid combat – is a neat trick. Also, the move where you scurry up your pole to avoid ground attacks is an instant all-timer.
Ed: It’s made me interested in Chinese mythology and Journey To The West, and I think that’s really neat.
Head back to the advent calendar to open another door!