Since we first saw Black Myth: Wukong in a trailer, all players said it was a game in the style of Dark Souls and that it was going to have very little to offer to the community. Now, a week after its release, it seems that we can confirm that we were wrong.
Although it has some obvious inspirations, it is not strictly a soulslike, as it removes a series of typical genre characteristics and relies on its own strengths as an action game.
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When it’s at its best, the result has its own beautiful blend of impulsive gameplay and demanding challenges, especially when it comes to dodging the devastating attacks that bosses often unleash.
However, there is much more to FromSoft games than gameplay structure and difficulty, and one of the biggest similarities between Black Myth: Wukong and a FromSoft title has little to do with mechanics.
Although the narrative of FromSoft games is never presented in the foreground of the experience, interesting characters and a rich story always play an important role. Elden Ring is a great example of this concept, with a fascinating and unsettling world created in part by George R.R. Martin (the writer of the Game of Thrones books).
Highlight a fundamental element of FromSoft’s design
A key aspect of the Elden Ring story is that it does not take place during the height of powerful characters and civilizations that appear both in the game and in its lore, but in a world in ruins thousands of years after its peak.
It is a concept that often defines FromSoft games directed by studio president Hidetaka Miyazaki, and is also notably appreciated in the idea of Dark Souls that the fire fades. In the case of Elden Ring, wandering through a hostile world full of ruins, decay, and latent hatred enhances the feeling of a solitary journey, making each connection found within the game meaningful.
Black Myth: Wukong is not based on the feeling of loneliness and the barely wavering hope of Elden Ring, but it is based on the idea of a story set after the main events.
The game has been widely promoted as an adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the story of a Buddhist monk and three companions who embark on a long pilgrimage. However, Black Myth: Wukong does not follow the original story of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Instead, it puts players in the shoes of the Chosen One, a successor who undertakes a journey very similar to that of Sun Wukong.
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Nothing like creating an interesting and magical mystical story
At first glance, it may seem strange to tell a vague reflection of Journey to the West instead of simply adapting the work itself, but doing so allows the game to focus on its strengths.
The scenes offer some moments of the story, but Black Myth: Wukong is a game about bosses more than anything else, and freeing itself from the stricter limits of Journey to the West’s story allows the experience of fighting them to take center stage.
However, in the weaker narrative moments of Black Myth: Wukong, it can jump from one scene to another without creating meaningful connections, but it is not so pervasive as to ruin the fluidity.
The elements of the story in Black Myth: Wukong are more present in the game’s diary entries, which tell many interesting stories for dedicated readers. It is a similar concept to FromSoft’s cryptic approach to unraveling threads through object descriptions, but the text tends to be more solid and direct.
Just like Elden Ring, mysticism can also enhance things even when they remain unresolved, giving bosses the gravity to allow them to speak for themselves.
