Black Myth: Wukong Review - Monkey Business

Black Myth: Wukong surprised me. Going in, I knew not to expect a souls-like, despite it seemingly sharing many of the genre's hallmarks. The game's Chinese developer, Game Science, has been adamant that it's not a souls-like, preferring to define it more generically as an action-RPG. This is at least partially accurate, as Black Myth: Wukong is definitely not a souls-like. What I wasn't expecting was for it to be essentially a lengthy boss rush. It's not uncommon to go from one boss fight into another and then another, and it's in these elaborate battles where Black Myth: Wukong shines. The moments in between, however, aren't quite as strong, sometimes devolving into aimless tedium. But its satisfying combat and unique variety of boss fights mostly manages to overcome these flaws.

Black Myth: Wukong's story is based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Originally published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty, the epic saga has proven to be incredibly long-lasting and influential since its release, inspiring everything from Ninja Theory's Enslaved: Odyssey to the West to Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga. Black Myth: Wukong's take on the enduring tale is set sometime after the original story while still retaining many of its characters. Names like Zhu Bajie, Kang Jinlong, and the Bull Demon King will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with Journey to the West, even if certain characters' allegiances sometimes differ from the source material.

You play as a mute monkey, known as the Destined One, who shares more than a few similarities with the titular Sun Wukong--a legendary simian commonly known as the Monkey King. Sun Wukong is a prominent character in Journey to the West, so your unexpected presence is one of the game's central mysteries. Are you the Monkey King reincarnated, or perhaps one of his clones breaking off on your own quest? The answer isn't the most surprising, but it makes for a thrilling conclusion to the adventure.