Try as I might, I ended Gamescom 2023 without getting the chance to play its biggest game, which is a big shame, even if I’d only just started to show an interest in it. I still have no clue why Black Myth: Wukong was such a big deal, though. Maybe the epic Opening Night Live trailer resonated with others just as much as it did for me. Maybe the long queue times turned into something that people just had to see. Or maybe, just maybe, Gamescom, gamers, and the entire world are conspiring against me and I’m just not supposed to be happy or do anything I want, e
WIth that said, it would be remiss to discuss Black Myth: Wukong without mentioning that its studio, Game Science, has been accused of fostering a sexist work environment . Yang Qi, the studio’s co-founder, once wrote a lengthy sexist post that touched on the biological differences between men and women as it pertains to games . To our knowledge, the studio has not responded to these accusations.
Ever since Black Myth: Wukong was first revealed, it’s managed to build up both a cult following and massive amounts of hype. I hadn’t initially been on the bandwagon, despite loving the source material (anything even distantly related to Dragon Ball can’t be bad, after all) and having a lot of respect for the Soulslike ge
I walked away from Gamescom 2023 having played a ton of great upcoming games, from triple-A juggernauts like Mortal Kombat 1 and Sonic Superstars , to smaller but no less awesome releases like Thank Goodness You’re Here and AK-xolotl. As happy as I was with all I got to see, there was one game that managed to evade my grasp entirely – the Journey to the West-inspired Soulslike, Black Myth: Wuko
What’s most interesting about this development is that it appears to be the first Triple-A release, AKA a full-priced game, to simply be a code in a box. For what it’s worth, Just Dance 2023 is also a code in the box, though it’s fairly niche and Blackmythwukongfans.Com not on the level of Black Myth. The practice is often seen on Nintendo Switch releases, where the game is played off the cloud , or where it doesn’t fit on a single cart. Otherwise, outside bundled digital copies with a console purchase , or “Game of the Year” editions that often have the DLC as a voucher , this would appear to be a first.
I’m not a big Souls player, but I did have a great time trying out Black Myth: Wukong. The two-hour demo I played took me through half a dozen boss encounters while introducing a variety of characters and all of the core progression and combat systems. Fans of the genre will find plenty of familiar ideas: campfires allow you to refill your health pots, purchase items, and craft armor upgrades, while also giving you a respawn point to come back to when you inevitably die. But it’s where Wukong breaks from genre traditions that make it truly stand out.
As to be expected from a game in the Souls tradition, the difficulty wasn’t for everybody, and after two hours of queuing, one member of the public told me that while they could appreciate what the game was trying to do, they weren’t a fan of the difficulty. Another person revealed to me that although they loved the game, they couldn’t beat the first boss as “it was a little bit too tou
I walked away from Opening Night Live with Black Myth: Wukong having rocketed up my most anticipated games of 2024 list and the trailer’s incredible music doing a loop-de-loop around my brain. I was totally monkey-pilled and excited to see more of the game, whenever that fateful day might
Of course, dodging doesn’t stagger or interrupt an enemy’s attacks the way a parry would, and one of the most difficult things about Wukong’s boss fights is how often you’re required to dodge multiple attacks in a row. Every time I nailed a perfect dodge my instinct was to immediately retaliate with a barrage of attacks, but more often than not, you need to string three or more perfect dodges together before the enemy gives you an opening. Most of my deaths came because I dodged too early, or failed to dodge a bunch of times in a row.
Black Myth: Wukong launches August 19, and I expect it won’t take long before the hardcore nerds start cooking up some impossible challenges for it. It’s too bad the banana thing has already been done, but I’m sure someone will find a way to make this brutally difficult game somehow even more masochistic. Maybe not as masochistic as letting the developers watch you struggle for two hours straight, but still pretty hard.
Bonus content from the pre-order and Special Editions for Black Myth: Wukong has been revealed. Gamers were given a first-hand look at what was on offer for Black Myth: Wukong ‘s bonus content during a trailer shown during the 2024 Summer Game F
Both physical editions come with an activation code for the Digital Deluxe Edition of Black Myth: Wukong (for purchases on JD.com, it will be a WeGame activation code; for overseas purchases, it will be a Steam activation code). To ensure the Destined One with a physical edition can play on August 20th’s launch, activation codes will be sent in advance by the customer service of our sales platform after purchase confirmation.
