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Black Myth: Wukong

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Black Myth: Wukong
Developer(s)Game Science
Publisher(s)Game Science
Producer(s)Feng Ji [1]
Designer(s)Jiang Baicun [1]
Artist(s)Yang Qi [1]
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)
Release
  • PlayStation 5, Windows
  • August 20, 2024
  • Xbox Series X/S
  • TBA
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player
Black Myth: Wukong
Simplified Chinese黑神话：悟空
Traditional Chinese黑神話：悟空
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHēishénhuà: Wùkōng

Black Myth: Wukong (黑神话：悟空) is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Game Science. It is inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. It is scheduled to release for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 20, 2024, with an Xbox Series X/S version slated for a later release.

The game is reportedly the first installment in a planned Black Myth series, which will explore different stories in Chinese mythology.[1]

Gameplay

[edit]

Black Myth: Wukong is an action role-playing game.[2][3][4][5] It has sometimes been described as similar to soulslike games in the media during its pre-release, even though Game Science does not consider it as a soulslike.[6][7] The game is played in single-player mode[8][9][10] with a third-person view.[11] It is inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West.[8][12][13][14][15]

The player controls a monkey referred to as the Destined One, who is based on Sun Wukong from the novel.[2][8][16] The character's primary weapon is a staff known as the Ruyi Jingu Bang.[4] The staff is able to extend and shrink its size.[17] The combat involves attack stances, which allow for many strike patterns of distinct types of light and heavy attacks.[17][18][19] Focus accumulates by landing light attacks[20][21] and executing well-timed dodges.[21][22] Heavy attacks consume focus,[20][21] unless they are triggered by charging up instead.[20] Stamina depletes by sprinting, dodging, and attacking.[14]

Spells are available on cooldown and consume mana.[15] These include, for example, transformation spells that change the character into a different creature or being.[2][4][15] One of the transformations is Guangzhi, a wolfman who wields a fire glaive.[2][4][15] The transformations come with their own moveset and health.[15]

The game has a skill tree to upgrade the character.[2][3][14]

The game follows a mostly linear progression interspersed with larger areas.[7][17] There are shrines, which act as checkpoints for the player, along the way.[7][17] Throughout the world, the character encounters various yaoguai as enemies.[4][7] The game's difficulty can not be changed and is variable throughout a playthrough.[23][24] For instance, enemy bosses may enter a next phase if the player does particularly well in a fight.[24]

Development

[edit]

Black Myth: Wukong is a game developed and published by Game Science.[4][5][7] A few members of the staff in Game Science, founded in Shenzhen, moved to Hangzhou to start the development of the game in 2018.[1]

The game was first announced through a trailer showcasing gameplay in the pre-alpha build on August 20, 2020.[25][26] The trailer demonstrated the game on Unreal Engine 4.[25] It showed the protagonist venturing through the environment and fighting various foes.[25] It featured a location known as the Black Wind Mountain.[1] Within one day, it had nearly two million views on YouTube and ten million views on Bilibili.[27]

The game is developed on Unreal Engine 5.[9][10][11] The move to the engine was revealed through a trailer showcasing the game on the engine on August 20, 2021.[28][29] Game Science explained that they switched to Unreal Engine 5, which happened in 2021, because they were going for a realistic style, featuring natural Chinese environments for instance, and this would help with their pursuit of realism.[23]

The usage of the theme song from the 1986 television series Journey to the West was authorized by the China Central Television.[30]

Release

[edit]

Black Myth: Wukong is set to release worldwide for PC and PlayStation 5 on August 20, 2024 at 10 AM (UTC+8).[31] It runs on Windows for PC.[9][32] It will also be available on Xbox Series X/S on a later date, but its release date for the platform has not been announced yet.[10]

In January 2023, a promotional short film in celebration for the upcoming year of the rabbit revealed that the game would be released in the summer of 2024.[33][34] At The Game Awards in December 2023, Game Science released a trailer announcing the game's release date as August 20, 2024.[13][35] However, in June 2024, they disclosed that the game was delayed on Xbox Series X/S for optimization on the platform.[36][37]

The game comes in four editions on release: Standard Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Collector's Edition.[38][39] The latter three editions also contain in-game bonus content and a digital soundtrack, which are the same across these editions.[38][39] The in-game bonus content comprise the Bronzecloud Staff, Folk Opera Mask, Folk Opera Almsgiving Armor, Folk Opera Leather Bracers, Folk Opera Buskins, and Wind Chimes.[39] The two physical editions—the Deluxe Edition and the Collector's Edition—each come with a distinct set of physical collectibles,[38][39] but do not contain a physical disc.[38][40] Instead, they come with an activation code for the Digital Deluxe Edition on WeGame for JD.com purchases or Steam for overseas purchases.[40] Game Science stated that they are exploring options to offer physical discs, but that limitations in offline resources have made it difficult to offer physical discs simultaneously with the release.[40]

Pre-orders for the game started on June 7, 2024.[41] All pre-orders of any edition come with the in-game content Trailblazer's Scarlet Gourd, but this can also be obtained through in-game progression.[39] As reported early August, following the release of the final trailer and ahead of the release date, the game took the highest place in Steam's top sellers.[42]

The game is the most-wishlisted game on Steam since May 2024.[5][43][44]

The game won Best Visuals and was nominated for Most Epic at Gamescom in 2023, prior to its release.[45]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Young, Charles (September 11, 2020). "Black Myth: Wukong - The World Exclusive Story Behind the Breakout Action-RPG". IGN.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wood, Austin (June 16, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong is easily among the best and best-looking action RPGs I've played in years, and after 2 hours hands-on I see why the devs don't call it a Soulslike". GamesRadar+.
  3. ^ a b Smith, Mat (June 18, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong is pretty, intriguing and as challenging as it looks". Engadget.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Van Aken, Alex (August 20, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Preview - A Classic Tale Retold". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Shirey, J. Brodie (August 6, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Has Gone Gold". Game Rant.
  6. ^ Thorn, Ed (July 1, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong is a pleasantly surprising Soulslike, even if it's given me an enemy for life". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  7. ^ a b c d e Nightingale, Ed (June 25, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong is a brilliant boss rush, but is it a Soulslike?". Eurogamer.
  8. ^ a b c Wen, Alan (December 26, 2023). "2024 Preview: Black Myth: Wukong is China's most important premium game". VGC.
  9. ^ a b c Mukherjee, Rishov (August 2, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong system requirements – Minimum & recommended PC specs". Dexerto.
  10. ^ a b c Mooney, Kegan (August 6, 2024). "Black Myth Wukong: Release Date, Platforms, Features & Price". Techopedia.
  11. ^ a b "Black Myth: Wukong - Official Collector's Editon Trailer". IGN. June 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Van Allen, Eric (August 20, 2020). "Black Myth: Wukong Is an Upcoming Soulslike Adaptation of a Classic Chinese Novel". USgamer. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Holiday, Charming (December 8, 2023). "Black Myth: Wukong Confirms 2024 Release Date". Game Rant. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Wacholz, Charlie (June 17, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong hands-on captivated, challenged, and delighted". Epic Games.
  15. ^ a b c d e Hornshaw, Phil (June 17, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Is A Speedy Souls-Like Where You Can Transform Into Your Enemies". GameSpot.
  16. ^ Peachey, Jack (December 10, 2023). "Black Myth: Wukong's Character and Enemy Design Set It Apart From Other Soulslike Games". Game Rant.
  17. ^ a b c d Frye, Brendan (June 16, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Preview - A Journey To The Unknown". CGMagazine.
  18. ^ Nightingale, Ed (August 25, 2023). "Black Myth: Wukong's combat could surpass the Souls games". Eurogamer.
  19. ^ Purslow, Matt (August 26, 2023). "Black Myth: Wukong's Combat Feels As Good as It Looks | gamescom 2023". IGN.
  20. ^ a b c Park, Morgan (June 16, 2024). "My first 2 hours with Black Myth: Wukong were a flurry of demanding boss fights, unbelievably pretty characters, and a surprisingly sparse world". PC Gamer.
  21. ^ a b c Parijat, Shubhankar (June 24, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong – 10 New Details We've Learned About It". GamingBolt.
  22. ^ Saltzman, Mitchell (June 16, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong – Hands-On With an Impressive First 2 Hours". IGN.
  23. ^ a b Middler, Jordan (July 1, 2024). "Hands-On: Black Myth: Wukong is frantic, hard as nails and visually stunning". VGC.
  24. ^ a b Kratiuk, Anton (July 16, 2024). "Everyone will enjoy Black Myth: Wukong: Game Science developers have implemented an adaptive difficulty system in the action game". Gagadget.
  25. ^ a b c Hollis, Daniel (August 20, 2020). "'Black Myth: Wukong' announced with stunning gameplay footage". NME.
  26. ^ Wen, Alan (August 20, 2021). "Fight apes and dragons in new trailer for 'Black Myth: Wukong'". NME.
  27. ^ Ye, Josh (August 21, 2020). "Black Myth: Wukong in race to become China's first AAA game". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020.
  28. ^ Cryer, Hirun (August 20, 2021). "Black Myth: Wukong trailer reveals switch to Unreal Engine 5". GamesRadar+.
  29. ^ Skrebels, Joe (August 20, 2021). "Black Myth: Wukong Switches to Unreal Engine 5 - Supports 4K, 60FPS, Ray Tracing, and More". IGN. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023.
  30. ^ "《黑神话：悟空》获得86版《西游记》序曲"云宫迅音"正版授权 _ 游民星空". GamerSky (in Chinese). August 20, 2020. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021.
  31. ^ Wutz, Marco (August 6, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong – release times and preload details". Sports Illustrated.
  32. ^ Sharma, Abhinav (August 9, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong - Minimum & Recommended PC Requirements". Game Rant.
  33. ^ Wheeler, CJ (January 16, 2023). "Black Myth: Wukong devs announce its release window with a fun stop-motion trailer". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
  34. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (January 16, 2023). "Black Myth: WuKong Launches Summer 2024". IGN. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023.
  35. ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (December 7, 2023). "Black Myth: Wukong Gets August Release Date In New Gameplay Trailer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023.
  36. ^ Nightingale, Ed (June 7, 2024). "Black Myth Wukong won't be on Xbox at launch". Eurogamer.
  37. ^ Schomer, Matthew (June 8, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Dev Has Bad News for Xbox Gamers". Game Rant.
  38. ^ a b c d Karoglou, Matt (June 12, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong - All Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses Explained". Game Rant.
  39. ^ a b c d e Coulson, Josh (June 10, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Pre-Orders Include A $400 Collector's Edition". TheGamer.
  40. ^ a b c Flores, Johnny Jr (June 8, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Won't Have A Disc When It Launches Physically In August". TheGamer.
  41. ^ Nuzhnov, Vladyslav (June 4, 2024). "Chinese soulslike about a monkey Black Myth: Wukong can be added to the wishlist on PC and PlayStation". Gagadget.
  42. ^ Carcasole, David (August 10, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong's Final Trailer Stuns Ahead Of Release While It Shoots Up Towards The Top Of The Sales List On Steam And PS5". PlayStation Universe.
  43. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (July 26, 2024). ""Everyone is looking at Black Myth Wukong": Phantom Blade Zero director expects the most-wishlisted game on Steam to be a breakthrough moment for China". GamesRadar+.
  44. ^ Jaisrani, Avinash (May 27, 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong Is Now Steam's #1 Most Wishlisted Game". Tech4Gamers.
  45. ^ Lyles, Taylor (August 25, 2023). "gamescom Award Winners Announced, Little Nightmares 3 Takes Top Award". IGN.
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