10 Things To Know Before Playing Black Myth: Wukong

10 Things to Know Before Playing Black Myth: Wukong

Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re breaking down everything we know so that you know what you need to know before playing Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong.

NOT A Souls-Like

Let’s get something out of the way immediately: No, Black Myth: Wukong is NOT another Souls-Like and honestly, thank God. Although the game will still feature many of the staples now familiar with the genre, i.e. bonfires, stamina bars, health flasks (or in this case gourds), that’s where most of the similarities end. The game is more akin to modern God of War than to Dark Souls proper. The game will however still offer those looking for a Souls-Like challenge plenty to live, die and repeat for but don’t expect there to be the same repercussions upon death. Although you will still lose “Will” (the game’s version of Souls) if knocked out during combat, if you manage to collect enough and fill the bar to create a “Spark”, which acts as skill points, it's yours even after death.

The Mythology

Black Myth: Wukong is based on one of the most popular and highly revered novels in Chinese history, “Journey to the West”, written in the 16th century. The novel has inspired countless other works of fiction including more direct video game adaptations such as Ninja Theory’s 2010 action-adventure game “Enslaved: Odyssey to the West”. It tells the tale of Sun Wukong and the magical abilities and skills he learns as he travels searching for the secrets to immortality. Throughout the journey, Wukong is shown as brash and arrogant which eventually leads him to clash with the heavens and eventually rebel against the gods themselves before being beaten, humbled and forced to reflect on his actions. While it’s unlikely the game will follow this narrative even remotely, it does set up an exciting premise and world for players to explore and battle numerous foes as they grow into the strongest being on Earth: The Monkey King.

Beautifully Unreal

Developer Game Science unveiled Black Myth Wukong to the world in August 2020 with a stunningly gorgeous reveal trailer that went on to blow up across social media. Since then, the developer has consistently pulled back the curtain on the game revealing more and more gorgeous environments, animations, and character designs. In 2021, Game Science announced they were shifting the game over to Unreal Engine 5 and the results are somehow even more impressive. With interactive snowy mountain passes, lush vibrant forests, and some incredible water effects, the game continues to impress and is aiming to accomplish all this incredible detail alongside 4K 60FPS presentation as well as ray tracing and all the bells and whistles possible through Epic’s increasingly powerful game engine.

Crafty Crafting

In addition to a skill tree, players will also be able to craft and equip armor sets that will grant the player special buffs and attributes depending on how many pieces of a specific set they have equipped. Crafting materials can be found within the environments as well as from defeating enemies and bosses and these armor pieces can even be upgraded as the game progresses. The armor system will be broken down into 4 categories, leg and chest, gauntlets and helms which players can mix and match to suit their playstyle or just their favorite look. Crafting is also an important part of potion creation. Potions can be used not only for health regeneration, but also to grant Wukong certain buffs such as elemental resistance.

Off the Beaten Path

Although Black Myth: Wukong appears to share quite a lot of DNA with the Souls series, it skews closer to the original Dark Souls games than FromSoft’s recent Elden Ring. While players will be able to explore various biomes such as the prominently featured forests and snowy mountains, the game will guide players on a relatively linear path with numerous larger areas sprinkled in for the player to explore. Even though the game will be mostly guiding the player from one area to the next, there will be hidden paths and secrets hidden within the world for players to discover, including entirely missable bosses and areas full of valuable crafting resources. Players will also encounter NPCs and be able to take on side quests later in the game as the world slowly begins to open throughout the story.

Transforming Skills

Much like in the novel that inspired it, Wukong’s transformation abilities will aid him in combat. With the footage and gameplay Game Science has released, players have seen a few of the possible transformations Wukong will have available in his arsenal which will grant his special abilities and be especially useful against the many Yaoguai the Monkey King will encounter. Some of these bosses can grant Wukong new transformations which imbue him with the powers of the boss he just defeated. These transformations have their own dedicated health bar and how long you can maintain the transformation depends on how much damage you take, while others have a timer. These abilities are on a cooldown meter much like Monkey’s other powers but could end up being crucial to save you from death at the last second while also giving you the boost in power you need to come out on top.

Speed is King

Another vast departure from the Souls-Like formula, Black Myth: Wukong completely drops the traditional block and parry system in favor of faster combat focused on dodging rather than the slow methodical combat of the genre. Think Bloodborne meets Devil May Cry. Likewise, this focus on dodging rather than parrying opens new possibilities for players to experiment with the game's many special attacks and abilities. That’s not to say there isn’t a block button at all, however. Players will be able to hold down the trigger button and Wukong will spin his staff to block incoming projectiles. Just don’t expect this move to save you in a pinch when a boss is coming at you full speed. Wukong is a very agile fighter but spamming the dodge button will result in a lengthy cooldown as players can only use the mechanic 3 times in quick succession before their stamina runs out.

Combo Focusing

Keeping in the tradition of an action RPG, Wukong’s attacks will build towards his combo meter which will in turn allow him access to new and more powerful abilities from one of his 3 different stance forms which players are free to switch between at their own discretion. The first form is the “Smash Form” which rewards aggressive players who get up close and personal during encounters. The second is the “Pillar Form” which grows in strength the more the player essentially taunts their enemy. This form allows Wukong to climb to the top of his staff and the longer he remains there and avoids attack the larger his staff grows, allowing him to unleash a devastating blow. The final form is the “Thrust Form” which can only be acquired after reaching level 20 and will allow players to deal heavy thrust attacks that can knock back even the biggest and baddest of bosses.

Boss Rush

The bosses of Black Myth Wukong have made up some of the best parts of the gameplay footage we’ve seen and according to reports from those who have had hands-on time with the title, the game is absolutely stacked with them. While the odd basic enemy will still be able to give players a challenge, the bosses are where GameScience will separate the Monkey Kings from the Monkey Princes. It’s reported the final game will have 160 different enemy types and 80 full boss encounters. All the bosses are visually distinct and come with their own moves and attacks and some will even have unique personalities. Players will need to learn and adapt on the fly if they want to emerge victorious. Some bosses will also have numerous phases which can only be triggered if the player either whittles down their health or defeats them within a certain time limit.

Learning the Basics

Game Science recently revealed the long-awaited release date for Black Myth: Wukong will finally be on August 20th, 2024, alongside numerous editions of the game both physical and digital and will be available on PS5 and PC. While there is currently an Xbox Series X/S version planned, there has been no confirmed release date for this edition of the game at the time of writing. Those who pre-order Black Myth: Wukong will receive a number of additional pieces of content, although most of it can be acquired during normal gameplay. Those who prefer physical copies of the game will be disappointed they will only include a downloadable code for the game instead of a disc, although Game Science is reportedly looking for solutions for future physical copies. There is also a deluxe edition and collector’s edition, the latter of which comes with a fully detailed statue of the Monkey King himself.

Are you excited for Black Myth Wukong? What are you most looking forward to in the game? Let us know in the comments.