#black myth wukong fan art

[felidity]

Finished chapter 4 of Black Myth Wukong not too long ago and you have no idea how happy I was to get out of the caverns.

Bonus:

No, I do not regret cheesing this boss.

[spindelsart]

Black Myth: Wukong

the game im unable to play but admire from a safe distance.

[ichodai]

I have no excuse, I've been waiting for this game forever (I love the monkey king, someone write a fanfic about this game)

😔🤲

[kashhdraws]

Sun Wukong in my style

[thysia]

Princess Iron Fan - Yang Mingzhu

[platinum-panda]

Love you the Venom Daoist!

[kkeessttiiss]

[jokerlives2]

Snake Spirit Lady Fan Art.

[djalexwonderart2]

Wukong

[digitalagepulao]

My sincere Black Myth: Wukong review

Full disclosure! This is from a recent but earnest fan of JTTW as the original novel, as well as all the social, cultural and religious layers of it. I've seen my fair share of adaptations and derivative media, from shlocky to silly to grimdark to cutesy. I'm a bachelor in visual arts, with an interest in the field of game development since high school. I am also, white and brazillian, and have talked with other jttw fans, both Chinese and not, on this game. If any of these are for some reason motive to not read further, then fair enough. Hope you have fun and continue to enjoy the game, do not let me or my opinion stop you!

Now to the review proper <3

First things first, let the obvious not remain unsaid. This game, is supremely gorgeous. In every sense of the word, and I mean this fully, it's a work of art. The sound design, the character concepts and execution, the animations, the voice acting, the visual effects, the UI design, the cinematography, the 3D scanning of actual historical artofacts and heritage sites throughout China, and everything beyond and between, are phenomenal, full stop.

This was never a debate, I'm sure, but I don't think I can in good conscience not praise them for their work. It's no news that Asian talent, not just in China either, have been often hired to supplement projects on the West, and we can all agree it's about time they got to shine in their own AAA project. My issues with the international game industry notwithstanding, I hope this brings some much needed acknowledgment and appreciation for Chinese culture and arts, both traditional and modern!

Now, from this point on, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS, so proceed with caution!

(word count: +1.8k)

I also deeply enjoy their choices in arcs to revisit. Some like the Flaming Mountain arc are classic picks to adapt but still a very good match to the whole Six Senses throughline. I don't think you can do a JTTW 2 electric bogaloo without bringing up Niumowang and his family in some way (um, put a pin on that), but the other arcs like Yellowbrow or Black Wind Mountain aren't as explored imo, so it's nice to see them being given a bit of a spotlight.

(speaking of the Yellow Ridge arc, whoever made the executive decision of Lingji Bodhisattva being a Xaanxi singer is, genius!!)

I'm also kind of in love?? with Bajie's design and role in the story overall?? Gameplay wise he sticks around just enough to not feel lonely, but not too long to be a nuisance or overstay his welcome. He's no Atreus (GoW) or Ellie (TLoU) of course, but he doesn't need to be, and most importantly, he isn't trying to be, which I feel is admirable of the devs. Given the visible inspirations from the recent God of War games, it would have been easy to lean a bit too hard on it, but I'm glad they didn't overreach.

Him having a more complex love life is also a nice touch imo. It explores more his womanizer ways in an interesting way, and I appreciate it. I love when people complicate the pig! Also, the way he treats Xiaosheng (Destined One) like a nephew?? The scene on the Huaguoshan throne??? I'M GONNA CRY!!!

I think, I've run out of positive things to say.... time for the spicy takes.

I, kind of detest the premise by default. I'm not a big fan of "Superman is Dead" plots, cus it's usually either done for shock value, or taken so lightly that the weight is totally lost. I have such a love-hate situationship with the introduction cutscene because of this. On one hand, it's phenomenal cinema, and seeing Wukong stand up to the Heavenly armies in glorious 4K high fidelity graphics is delicious. On the other hand, the whole debate they are having has me going "?????", not because I don't get it but just, why?? Why did this have to be the premise?? (put another pin on that)

Also the set up and call to adventure is kind of blergh.

Now is as good a time as any to talk about the gameplay. It's, okay. If you enjoy trying to figure out the most stylish combos, or to mash buttons, then you'll definitely have fun. I was sorely disappointed that I pretty much have been going through the bosses rather easily. Chapter 1 it was mostly the struggle of learning the controls, but I never stuck to a boss for longer than seven tries (Whiteclad Noble, the snakeman that you are). Chapter 2 I only struggled on Tiger Vanguard, because I was sorely underleveled and had missed a pathway to explore before him. After that I second tried him. Chapter 3, I have and I'm not joking, gotten halfway through first or second trying every boss.

Mind you, this is not being some godtier gamer or whatever, I'm pretty average and only a recent player of soulslike games too (maybe playing Lies of P made too OP, but I sincerely doubt it lol). No, this is me saying that if you do explore the game and not rush through it, you won't struggle nearly as much as some people have and still are. Most of the final chapter bosses can be trivialized with the chapter's Obsession Realm gimmick artifact, which isn't in itself a bad thing, just feels like an odd choice personally.

Which leads me to, the level design. So far? Preeeeetty lame! It's very pretty and fancy, but so chockful of invisible walls that it feels stiffling and discourages exploration. I can never tell what is meant to be a path or just fancy scenery, and I never know when a jump will get walled or send me to my death by fall damage. When it's not being confusing, the level design is either a bunch of looping circles, or straight lines. And so far, besides a few interactables and loot, there is not much else to look at. That is, bad level design, plain and simple.

Also, the animations are glorious, but what is the point if I can't see the enemy?? That camera is my true nemesis, and I mean that. the fact that a boss can be beyond my field of vision at ANY POINT when I'm locked on and it strifes sideways, is dreadful. GameScience, FIX IT. It is also, very hard to tell what parts of a boss will damage me if I collide with them or not. The Kang-Jin Long fight was baffling on a design point of view, same for Captain Lotus-Vision. Some clearer hitboxes would be swell.

This is the point where I say my main issue with the game lies: it's very pretty, and adoringly crafted, but it lacks substance design wise. I feel like it needed to cook more, the level design polished more so I wouldn't get lost every five minutes, and clearer.... well, everything. Mechanic explanations, level progression, gimmicks, etc. It all needed to be less murky and convoluted to understand.

It also needed more meat in between bosses. I have yet to run into common enemies that give me actual trouble, so it ends up being just a jolly waltz from boss to boss. Boss rushes are fun and great, but not as the base game experience (for me at least). I had to stop one boss away from completing Chapter 1 cus I was just so exhausted. And I had been playing for like, an hour and a half?? That left a sour taste in my mouth, I'll be honest.

Okay, I'm gonna pick open those pins now.

#1 the Flaming Mountain Arc. I'm gonna be very real here chat, that was so cringe. What do you MEAN, Red Son wasn't Demon Bull King's biological son, and Princess Iron Fan was forced to drink from the Childbearing River??? And Red Son hates him????When I watched that cutscene, I had to pause and walk away for a moment, legitimately. This plotbeat is SO WILD to me, I got nothing to say. Just, why??Soooo bizarre. And that the Flaming Mountain Keeper has such a presence in Iron Fan's life is also, weird?? Not bad weird, just Weird, but that's like a nitpick more than an actual criticism. Ping Ping is fine though, I like that Bull has a daughter with Princess Fair Fox, that's cute and interesting. Wish she was in a better plot and adaptation but lol

And #2, the premise. Now we are getting to the meat of it all.

The underlying premise of the whole plot, including the true ending, is flawed by default. The premise runs on what is sometimes called as a "conspiracy theory plot", as in, "what if the gods were bad actually??". It's reddit movie theory content in very short terms, and while it had a place during the 00s grimdark years pre-Marvel, it's become quite a jaded and boring take nowadays. Now you may say that it comes from a genuine desire to show distrust and critique to insitutions and the powers than be, and I can see that.

There is a hiccup in that though.

In JTTW, Wukong is the Mind Monkey because of the religious text and subtext of the stories. Its interwoven in the whole thing, and makes it cohesive. It still offer critique and mockery to institutions, without entirely invalidating their foundations. Not only for genuine fear of prosecution, but because, shockingly, religion and belief is a major component of human society in general. But going back to my point, JTTW is *already* a critique of institutions and the power that be. Adding further layers into it feel like angst and edginess just for the sake of it, and that feels hollow to me.

To go further, this intent also clashes with their own plot. See, they bring up that Wukong's Mind, his Sixth Sense, died. Thus they need another Mind to guide his other senses and reform him, so that he may be reborn.

For one, that is such a convoluted way to do a reincarnation plot, it feels complicated just for novelty sake. Secondly, Wukong being the Mind Monkey, as I said, implies a tie to the underlying themes of the Journey as a person's path to enlightenment. If enlightenment itself is flawed because the gods are flawed/evil, then both themes are clashing. By making a "what if the gods were evil all along" plot while also going by the laws and order of said gods, then what are we even fighting against? What is the point of this whole rebellion between Erlang and Wukong??

my friend @ryin-silverfish said it best a while back, and I'm paraphrasing here (do pitch in or correct me if needed! <3), but the issue with these conspiracy narratives is the inherent anti-religion of them. They don't believe in anything, and thus they cannot properly retell the story of JTTW through a postmodern lense, because they refuse to engage with the religiosity that runs throughout the story.

It also leaves a sour taste in my mouth, because this game will likely be many people's first genuine experience with the JTTW mythos and story, and I tend to be concerned for how much this will "sour the pot" in the conversation. The novels are sadly innacessible enough as it is; the sheer size of them scare many people away, not even to mention the amount of underlying cultural context you'll miss out without proper footnotes and commentary. Most people will not engage with them directly, and certainly not most gamers.

While the narrative of someone embodying Wukong's spirit is not new in itself, I do find that it coexisting with such a poor premise and spin on it will be a sore first experience for new fans, and I can only hope that them meeting fans of the OG novels won't cause much friction in the fandom (we have enough as it is imo).

It also concerns me that, sadly, people and gamers in particular, get too swept up in the ooh-aah beauty of flashy sfx and highly detailed graphics, and fail to notice some of the underlying issues in game design. As I said, this game is a work of art, but it has flaws, and I don't think people are speaking of them enough. No, the issue is not "lack of diversity" or whatever the hell.

It runs deeper than that, and it's an issue I've come to see in recent movies as well. I'm aware it might just be different cultural expectations of the pacing and span of a story, and it may as well be! But I think if there was more care given to the bones of a media, it would bring much needed longevity and weight to these wonderful artworks.

All this said, I wanna see what acolades this game gets and see what the devs are cooking up with the DLCs (they said at one point the game was supposed to have 12 chapters and my god, that game would be TOO LONG. So glad it didn't get like that!), and further more see how this ripples in the eastern game dev scene. While this is a flawed game with a flawed story, it can be the first on a genuinely wonderful wave of new creations, not just by GameScience, and overall I'm hopeful for what might come next!

[halcyonmirage]

...Man, this kind of extreme is a first for me-

This one character I really like has...Zero fucking content done of him.

No fan art. No posts. Just- nothing?

Am I the only one who adores his lore?? And feels really bad for him and just wants him to have a happy ending? ;_;

Agh, fine- I'll do it myself-

Working on Black Myth Wukong fan art right now-

[4d-hypermoth]

The Game Awards, but just the announcements I care about:

Pony Island 2: Panda Circus - I have very vague memories of watching a playthrough of the first game, and the sequel looks absolutely bonkers in the best of ways. Also SUNGWON!

Usual June - Not much to say except it looks cool and I hope it turns out good.

Windblown - Never played Dead Cells despite everyone saying it's great, but man they really did just brutally murder those little animal dudes. Awesome.

God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla - Free update!? Based. Also that was absolutely a cyclops, I'm curious if they tie back in some Greek mythology stuff.

Big Walk - I have no idea what this game is but it better win Game of the Year 2025.

No Rest for the Wicked - Not quite sure what the game itself it, except that it's gorgeous.

5 New Sega Games - JET SET RADIOOOOO- ahm, I mean, this might just be the highlight of the entire show for me, despite how little was shown. Sega has so many cool old games that haven't seen the light of day in so long (though Streets of Rage had a game somewhat recently I think?). Anyway I'm going to break this up into individual sections despite each one having about 5 seconds of footage, lol

Jet Set Radio - Obviously this game was in production well before the release of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, but I guarantee people are going to be way more hype for this thanks to Team Reptile. Seeing DJ Professor K in this new style sent me to a higher plane. Can't wait for more on this one.

Streets of Rage - I'm not really a beat 'em up enjoyer, but it's interesting that this game is going 3D.

Shinobi - This game looks very pretty. High hopes for this one. Hope it takes notes from all the big indie platformers of the last decade.

Golden Axe - This one looks veeeery interesting. I'm only vaguely familiar with OG Golden Axe, but the art style and the game being 3D have certainly caught my eye.

Crazy Taxi - HEY HEY HEY IT'S TIME TO MAKE SOME CRRRAZY MONEY ARE YOU READY? HERE WE GO! Very curious how they adapt this one into a modern title. YAH YAH YAH YAH YAH

OD - I'm not interested in playing this (I mean we don't even know what the game is besides horror... with really detailed faces), but it's a Kojima game so I'll nonetheless watch it from a distance. Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele is a wild combo.

Black Myth: Wukong - Holy shit it has a release date. This game has looked insane since it's reveal, hope it lives up to the years of hype.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau - Everyone's fixating on the Critical Role logo lol. This one's got style and I hope it does well, but I'm not really a metroidvania guy so I'll probably pass.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Cid real!

Blade - There are very few potential Marvel projects I'd be interested in this point... luckily Blade is still cool XD

Not a game, but after that Old Gods of Asgard performance... do I need to check out Alan Wake 2??? XD

Guilty Gear Strive updates - The original gun-wielding menace has returned. Dig the new outfit. I know at least one person who will be thrilled at Elphelt's return. Curious as to how this 3v3 mode will play.

Was not expecting Elden Ring DLC news - they literally said that it was still a ways off, so idk why so many people were expecting a trailer. Happy for Monster Hunter fans, even if I'll never get the appeal of those games. So many shooters with forgettable titles and/or minimal gameplay shown. And apparently Fortnite is a games platform now? Weird.

Congrats to Baldur's Gate 3 for winning the things. See yall next year when Foamstars sweeps the Game Awards.

[spindelsart]

I wanted to play the game myself and told myself I could do it, thinking that I was ready. I was not. I'll be watching others play it cause I am in love with the beauty of it.

I'll love it from a safe distance.

[ichodai]

I decided to try the style of Chinese painting! I haven't decided on a version, so I decided to publish two 😤

[blackmythgame]

Classic Action with Dynamic Combat in Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong is set in a mythological China, kinda inspired by Journey to the West. Instead of playing as Wukong himself, you’re stepping into the shoes of his successor. If you’re interested in similar adventures, you might want to check out where to buy Xbox games that offer a comparable experience. You control a young, mute monkey years after the OG Wukong’s reign. You’ll be on a wild quest to track down Wukong’s relics and fix up the world that’s gone totally off the rails. Think mad leaders and power struggles everywhere. Helping these areas is just a side effect of following in Wukong’s footsteps. The story’s kinda lit, with some familiar faces from the lore, but the way it’s told can be a bit messy. Sometimes you’ll find our monkey hero ending up in random places without much explanation—whether it’s popping out of a chest, waking up with arrows in you, or teleporting through ancient statues. The narrative doesn’t always flow smoothly and feels like some pieces are missing. Combat is probably the weakest link in Black Myth: Wukong, but it’s not awful since the whole package is pretty well put together. You’re rocking a staff, which you can upgrade to focus on critical hits or defense, but it’s still just one weapon with limited variety. It’s got some Souls-like vibes, but it’s more of a classic action game. You won’t be managing attributes; instead, you’ll earn skill points to level up your abilities. These include mystical arts, martial arts, and transformations. Combat’s where things get interesting—while you’ll mostly be mashing the light attack button to fill up your Focus meter for a big hit, the unique abilities you unlock keep things fresh and engaging.

Exploring the Vast World of Black Myth Wukong: Hidden Clues and Epic Secrets

So, even though we’re comparing Black Myth: Wukong to Souls games, it’s actually way easier than you’d think. We only hit a few bosses that gave us major trouble, needing five or more tries, while most encounters were a breeze with just one or two attempts. If you want to experience this challenge yourself, be sure to buy PS5 games to enjoy the full experience. Enemies do get tougher as you go, and there are classic traps that can toss you off cliffs, but usually, you’re only dealing with one or two enemies at a time. The difficulty’s pretty chill—learning enemy patterns is fun and you don’t get wrecked too hard. You can die from a few hits, but bouncing back is usually easy. Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t do the whole hand-holding thing. There’s no quest journal telling you exactly where to go or what you’ve picked up. You’ll need to figure out the progression yourself. NPCs drop hints or clues about where to head next, but since the game world is huge, you might easily forget if it’s on the other side of the map. You’ll find tons of secrets and the lack of a guided journal just makes the whole adventure more epic.

A Must-Play for Fans of Chinese Mythology: Master Staff Moves and Customizable Combat

Black Myth: Wukong totally blew us away. It had a ton of hype from the start, but Game Science really knocked it out of the park. This game is a visual feast that brings ancient China and its mythology to life like never before. The story might be a bit hazy, but its creative vibes will definitely keep you hooked. The world and quest design are next-level, with each area packed with stuff to explore, keeping the game fresh all the way through. Combat might get a bit repetitive despite all the cool abilities and skills you can unlock, but the boss fights are super satisfying and make you think hard about your strategy. Black Myth: Wukong is an epic, immersive experience that’s a must-play for fans of Chinese mythology. On top of mastering different staff moves, you can mix and match spells, abilities, weapons, and gear to find the perfect combo that fits your playstyle.

[first-impressions-gaming]

GAMING RECAP (16-17 JANUARY)

BLACK MYTH: WUKONG DELAYED TO SPRING 2024

Chinese developer Game Science has dropped a new promotional video for the highly anticipated and long-gestating Black Myth: Wukong.

The video is a short film celebrating the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit, showing an adorable stop-motion bunny excitedly unwrapping a copy of the game before quickly realising they need to purchase a new “NoForce PTX” graphics card to run it. Of course, another twist arrives after the upgrade is done – the game’s not ready for release just yet!

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ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE IS SET TO BE A SMALL-SCALE GAME

Assassin's Creed Mirage, set to release some time this year, promises to be smaller than the last few games, and fans of the series are the ones to thank for it.

Revealed in September last year (after a series of leaks), Assassin's Creed Mirage was a welcome announcement among fans of the series. The last few iterations like Valhalla and Odyssey moved the games more towards the RPG genre rather than the stealth-focused gameplay the first game brought to the table. But Mirage is going to the series roots, and according to a recent interview from GamesRadar with Ubisoft creative director Stéphane Boudon, part of the reasoning behind scaling down is thanks to the fans.

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THE CALLISTO PROTOCOL MISSES SALES TARGET

Striking Distance Studios' debut game, The Callisto Protocol, has reportedly failed to hit its sales targets, forcing Krafton's investors to "lower their target stock prices".

That's according to a translated article from Korean site MK Odyssey, which says the action horror - which cost 200 billion won (£132m / $161.5m) to make over three years - has affected parent company Krafton's value "due to sales shortages".

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KOTAKU INTERVIEWED BEN BRODE, MARVEL SNAP’S CREATOR

Marvel Snap is just shy of three months old, and it’s fair to say it’s been a success. While the exact number of users hasn’t been shared, Google Play reports over five million downloads, even before you include iOS numbers. And with such popularity comes great scrutiny. Why are the store prices so astonishingly high? Why does it demote everyone 30 levels every four weeks? Why won’t they just get rid of Leech because it ruins my deck? So rather than wondering, we put these exact questions to Marvel Snap’s project lead and Hearthstone’s former lead designer, Ben Brode.

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FORZA HORIZON CREATORS AND LEADS RESIGN TO ESTABLISH BRAND NEW STUDIO

Six Playground Games employees, including the creative director of 2021's Forza Horizon 5, have left the studio to form their own.

This new studio is called Maverick Games and the team there is already working on a new "premium open-world game for consoles and PC," according to a Eurogamer report. This studio is not connected to Microsoft's Xbox umbrella of studios.

Forza Horizon 5's creative director, Mike Brown, is leading Maverick and is joined by Playground's former lead producer Tom Butcher, who is the new studio's executive producer, former technical director Matt Craven, who is Maverick's chief technical officer, and former technical art director Gareth Harwood, who is now content director. Harwood is joined in that position by Fraser Stachan, a former Playground audio director, and Ben Penrose, a former art director at Playground.

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A NEW TRAILER FROM WO LONG: FALLEN DYNASTY RELEASED

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LIES OF P SHOWS OFF ITS GRITTY COMBAT IN A NEW TRAILER

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LEAKED SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE SCREENSHOT CONFIRMS THE GAME HAS BATTLE PASS

A leaked screenshot which is currently doing the rounds on various social media sites and has been verified by VGC, shows what appears to be a player gearing up for a mission in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, with various characters shown on screen. However, people online have been quick to point out the multiple currencies and the 'Battle Pass' menu at the top of the screen and are worried about how deep the live service elements will run in the game.

Forced live service elements and microtransactions killed The Avengers early in its lifetime and same fate can befall on Suicide Squad as well.

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UNION CALLS UBISOFT PARIS TO STRIKE FOLLOWING CEO’S QUESTIONABLE SPEECH

French trade union Solidaires Informatique has called on Ubisoft Paris workers to strike after the company delivered a “worrying” strategic update.

Last week Ubisoft said it had delayed Skull and Bones, cancelled three unannounced games, and planned to strengthen its focus on its biggest brands and live services following weaker than expected software sales over the holiday season.

It also announced plans to make some €200 million in cost cuts over the next two years “through targeted restructuring, divesting some non-core assets and usual natural attrition”.

And in an email sent to employees coinciding with the announcements, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot reportedly told staff the onus is on them to deliver on its latest targets and reverse the company’s fortunes.

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NPD: US game spending dipped 5% to $57bn in 2022

According to tracking firm NPD's latest report, US games sales in 2022 totaled $57 billion; the figure represents a 5% decline compared to 2021, which amassed $60 billion.

Software comprised most of the year's revenue (84%), with game content spending reaching $47.5 billion in 2022.

Software sales decreased by 7% compared to 2021, including digital games, DLC, and subscriptions across consoles, cloud, mobile, portable, PC, and VR hardware.

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