Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong surpasses all of its predecessors and leads the genre with fantastic boss battles, beautiful visuals and an engaging lore to base its game around. Veterans will gasp at their precious Elden Ring being toppled, but this, in all respects, is the true (monkey) king.

Black Myth: Wukong is imperfect, but it lives up to the hype. You feel a little more powerful every five minutes than you did before, and the excellent combat is not only addictive, it also communicates why Sun Wukong is one of the most legendary mythological characters of all time. If this quality is any indication of what the coming years will bring for Chinese games, we are in for a very good time.

A spectacle like Black Myth: Wukong happens once per videogame generation. This epic anthropomorphic adventure of the Monkey King is a true labour of love, that presents grand story, wonderfully authentic soundtrack, addictively punchy combat and does the whole videogame process a bit differently. It is full of surprises, excruciatingly hard bosses and it just simply looks amazing. Few downsides and tiny imperfections can’t really ruin this almost perfect experience, that makes you want to stay for just one more try.

A highly respectable debut game, Black Myth: Wukong offers a version of the Journey to the West rich in content and enforced with a balanced level of challenge.

Black Myth: Wukong uses a great literary work to create one of the best settings inspired by Chinese culture. Although there are still technical issues in the PlayStation 5 version, those who can overcome them will be faced with a game full of combat options and great boss fights. For fans of action RPGs, Black Myth: Wukong is a must-play.

Packed full with secrets, Black Myth: Wukong offers a lot more content than meets the eye. While the main story path feels a bit repetitive with one boss after the other, the exploration and hidden side content makes up for it. Having a bigger arsenal of weapons and stances would have made the experience more fun, but it’s a good experience nonetheless.

Black Myth: Wukong doesn't do anything particularly new, its gameplay is heavily inspired by FromSoftware's work, and its technical quality can drop to miserable levels, but if you can get past that, the skill and artistic ingenuity in this Chinese Souls-like game is irresistible.

Powerful, challenging, and highly inspired, Black Myth: Wukong is an unforgettable adventure based on one of the greatest stories of the East. Full of personality, with impressive visuals and perfect gameplay, the title is a must for those seeking high-quality games.

Even though it has a few flaws, we had a blast going through Black Myth: Wukong on PS5. The mix of gorgeous graphics, Chinese culture, adrenaline-pumping battles and cut-scenes really spiced up this souls-lite. There were hardships along the way but we don’t regret taking this journey to the west.

Black Myth: Wukong does more things right than wrong. It starts off a bit oddly, sometimes plays stiffly, and the constant stream of bosses will eventually get on your nerves. However, it's surprisingly clever and feels especially refreshing, even though you've undoubtedly heard or seen the story of Journey to the West before.

It takes time for Black Myth: Wukong's combat to truly click, but when it does, this is one of the most creative action titles on PS5. One after another, its spectacular boss battles steal the show — a procession of memorable encounters that showcase the game's incredible artistry. As a whole, however, the experience is held back by limited level design and frustrating technical issues on PS5 — a damn shame, since Wukong is pure monkey magic at its peak.

Overall, Black Myth: Wukong is a good game. Developer Game Science delivered on its promise of high-quality graphics, though some of its greatness was lost on the PlayStation 5. The action gameplay is entertaining and easy to learn, but despite its clever attempts to innovate, it still feels repetitive after dozens of hours. Crafty players can alternate builds to modulate and refresh their battle experience, but it’s only a temporary solution.

Time-freezing and self-cloning bring some power-fantasy to the soulslike structure, but invisible walls and overfamiliarity stop it reaching the big leagues. [Issue#45, p.84]

Black Myth: Wukong is great fun from start to finish, but lacks depth in its storytelling, combat and level design.

Black Myth: Wukong is a game stuck between wanting to be a Souls-like and a casual action game. It's a mostly enjoyable time hindered by some frustrating elements, but the love and appreciation for the source material is what shines through the most.

Ultimately, Black Myth: Wukong is what I like to call “Peak Fine.” It’s great when it finally opens up and lets you play it, and has a number of memorable bosses to fight. There’s a lot to explore and see and do, and I imagine most players will miss a good chunk of the game’s optional content on their first playthrough. But even at its best, Wukong never reaches the highs of the genre’s greats, and never completely comes together in the way the best action games do. It’s not bad, but it’s not special. It’ll take you to the dance and it has a few killer moves, but how much you enjoy it will depend on how much you’re willing to put up with when you get there, and how much you don’t mind if it steps on your toes now and again. Me? I prefer an Action Jackson that lets me lead now and again, and that can hit the high notes.