Black Myth: Wukong is an epic saga that’s both confounding and spectacular to behold

Confusion, conflict, and celestial beings

Aug 16, 2024, Polygon

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There was a moment, roughly 20 hours into my near-40-hour playthrough of Black Myth: Wukong, when things finally clicked. A few chapters prior to that point had left me scratching my head, baffled at the introduction of various minor characters, adversaries, and concepts. But at that moment halfway through, when things finally became clearer, I couldn’t help but smile. I was hooked, and there was no going back.

Black Myth: Wukong, made by China-based studio Game Science, is an action role-playing game inspired by Journey to the West. It, along with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber, is one of the great pillars of Chinese literature. To adapt the story of Journey to the West, a timeless classic with characters and themes that have remained influential throughout East Asia, is already a daunting task. Thankfully, Game Science has managed to pull off the impossible, weaving together a narrative that’s intricate, original, and, at times, thought-provoking.

The hardest part about writing this review of Black Myth: Wukong is that the review embargo stipulates that we’re not allowed to divulge too many details about the game’s plot outside of a couple of chapters. Suffice it to say, you play as the Destined One, a monkey warrior tasked with retrieving relics that have been lost. You set out on your own odyssey — perhaps not “to the West,” but through six chapters of action and world-building.

As a Filipino, I consider myself more of a Romance of the Three Kingdoms buff, though I briefly read Journey to the West ages ago during my high school years. Nevertheless, I did appreciate the campaign’s inclusion of numerous characters and plot points, as well as Buddhist teachings and Daoist philosophy, from the novel. These are either shown in detail, relayed in poems, or mentioned in passing, some of which made me go, “I understood that reference.”

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