Black Myth: Wukong Review - Serious Monkey Business

Believe it or not, classical Chinese novels have provided a rich source of inspiration for video games over the years.

From Suikoden to Dynasty Warriors and even League of Legends, Chinese literature is woven into the fabric of gaming, and now, developer GameScience is adding to that tapestry with Black Myth: Wukong.

As you've probably guessed, the inspiration for Black Myth: Wukong is the great Chinese novel Journey to the West, whose descendants also include Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Dragon Ball. The developers have hinted that this could be the start of a series, but is Wukong a solid foundation or are its tricks just smoke and mirrors?

Black Myth: Wukong's Mythical World is Delightful

Black Myth: Wukong is based on Journey to the West, but you won't need to have read the novel to understand what's going on (although it will likely enrich your experience if you have).

Here's the setup. At the outset, Sun Wukong challenges the authority of the Celestial Court and is sent hurtling down to Earth as a result of his insubordination. Many years later, a young monkey sets out on a journey to recover Wukong's relics, which have been scattered throughout the land.

It's worth noting that if you're used to more linear, straightforward storytelling, you might find Wukong to be a bit of a lurch at first. It's unapologetically elliptical; characters shift from scenario to scenario with no explanation as to how they got there, and chapters don't necessarily run on sequentially from each other.

That's part of Wukong's storytelling charm, though. When pieced together, the chapters tell a beautiful, if oblique, story about perseverance, the nature of myth, and how the past informs the present.

Wukong's world is also gorgeous. You'll meet many impressive-looking characters and creatures from Chinese mythology and folklore, and they inhabit a breathtakingly beautiful world that has plenty of varied biomes to explore.

From dimly lit forest villages to erupting volcanos and serene temples, it's clear a huge amount of work has gone into making Wukong's world look and feel like a real place, and that work has paid off in spades.

It helps that Wukong's visuals are absolutely stunning. Sunlight shines through trees, sand blows lazily across dunes, and lava belches and bubbles with incredible verisimilitude. It's a joy simply to exist in Wukong's environments.

Combat in Black Myth: Wukong is Complex and Satisfying

Of course, a beautiful world with no substance is no world at all, so I'm very happy to report that Black Myth: Wukong's moment-to-moment gameplay is also excellent.

True to Wukong's legend, you're armed with a quarterstaff and a variety of magic spells, and you'll need to use them to do battle with a range of enemies, including vicious yaoguai, disciplined monks, and huge, hulking monsters.

At its core, Wukong is perhaps best described as a cross between a Soulslike and a hack-and-slash-style character action game, although it leans more towards the former than the latter.

Your staff is your only weapon, but you've got access to three different stances that add variety to proceedings. One allows Wukong to perch atop his staff and deliver a devastating blow, while another lets you thrust at enemies from afar, keeping a safe distance.

Given that Wukong doesn't have any other weapons, it's a good thing the staff is hugely satisfying to use. Weaving combos in between enemy and boss attacks feels great, and there's a solid sense of weight to combat as well, making each blow feel rewarding.

Spells, too, are a key part of your arsenal, and I never found any of them to be redundant. Perhaps the most useful spell is the one that stops an enemy in its tracks for a few seconds, allowing you to wail on them with impunity, but you can also summon an army of mischievous clones, transform into various creatures, and more.

Everything you've got access to in combat adds together to create a lean, engaging combat loop that keeps throwing new challenges at you, confident that you've got the tools to succeed. It's been a while since I've played a Soulslike with combat this satisfying.

Black Myth: Wukong Has a Ton of Enemies and Bosses

Happily, Black Myth: Wukong is also absolutely loaded with different enemy and boss types for you to test out your skills.

Lesser Soulslikes such as Thymesia or Lords of the Fallen struggle most when it comes to enemy variety; they simply can't find enough bad guys for you to fight, and combat becomes routine as you constantly and wearily dodge attacks you can see coming from a mile off.

That problem doesn't plague Wukong. Barely a moment goes by when it's not trying to show you another interesting creature it's cooked up. I was astounded by just how many fresh and fascinating boss fights Wukong kept throwing at me, even 20 hours into the story.

Many of the bosses here have interesting gimmicks for you to overcome as well. You'll take on your fair share of one-on-one duels, and they feel inordinately satisfying thanks to the aforementioned great combat, but there are just as many weird bosses that don't fit neatly into existing Soulslike boxes.

One of my favorites is a late-stage boss that consists of two floating heads. After taking down one head, you can angle an attack just right in order to punt it at the other, knocking it down for some free attacks. 

That's the kind of creativity Wukong displays on a regular basis, and it keeps having new and interesting ideas right up until the final boss, which is also superb. Pretty much every challenge Wukong tosses your way is finely tuned, exciting, and satisfying to overcome.

Levels in Black Myth: Wukong Are Just Fun to Explore

For the most part, Wukong's level design keeps up with its relentless enemy and boss variety as well. 

Each of the stages GameScience has designed is absolutely massive, with plenty of diversions hiding important loot, unique bosses, or sometimes even completely new areas to explore. 

At times, Black Myth: Wukong's levels can feel almost intimidatingly big. While this is undoubtedly a linear experience, it's perhaps best compared to something like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice thanks to its proliferation of optional paths and areas.

That sheer size can sometimes make it easy to get lost, and there can be a lack of distinct landmarks in some levels, leading to frequent feelings of "have I been here before?". Luckily, those moments are few and far between; exploring Wukong's levels is mostly a joy.

There's one moment late in Wukong (which I don't want to spoil) that tests this level of quality, however. Let's just say things open up a touch towards the end, and the sudden lack of direction doesn't really work in Wukong's favor.

Thankfully, that's a pretty brief interlude in what is otherwise a superbly designed experience full of memorable moments and excellent level design.

Black Myth: Wukong Review | Final Thoughts

Black Myth: Wukong is one of those games that doesn't come along very often. From its superb combat to its expertly crafted levels and breathless variety, every second I spent with Wukong was tinged with that kind of exquisite sadness of knowing I wouldn't get to experience it for the first time again.

Short one brief moment at the end when things get a touch muddy and confusing, Black Myth: Wukong is a brilliant experience from start to finish. This is one monke you'll want to return to.

Black Myth: Wukong was reviewed on PC with a copy provided by the developer over the course of around 28 hours of gameplay. All screenshots were taken during the process of review.