Where Chinese mythology meets RPG: An exploration of Black Myth: Wukong's story

GamesAction RpgBlack Myth: WukongSupportedWhere Chinese mythology meets RPG: An exploration of Black Myth: Wukong’s storyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesAction RpgBlack Myth: WukongSupportedWhere Chinese mythology meets RPG: An exploration of Black Myth: Wukong’s storyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. Video games have long looked to ancient tales for inspiration, though it’s fair to say that they’ve historically been a bit loosey-goosey with the source material. From Age of Mythology’s toybox scenario of ‘who would win in a fight between the Ancient Greek, Norse, and Egyptian’ pantheons?' to that time a fallen Greek God suddenly found himself embroiled in Midgardian family politics after single-handedly dismembering most of his own deities, games haven’t exactly been known for their nuanced handling of mythological matters. 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West has also had its fair share of game adaptations, including the rather underrated action-adventure from Ninja Theory, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. But again, Ninja Theory’s sci-fi romp through post-apocalyptic America was a pretty far-out take on the original story. Well now we have Game Science’s Action-RPG adventure Black Myth: Wukong, which is sticking a little closer to the source material, but is still packed with mysteries that we’re going to try and unpick here. Journey to the West (Image credit: Game Science) After 500 years of gloomy subterranean soul-searching and presumably realising that he got a bit carried away with the whole ‘war on heaven’ thing, Wukong is released on condition that he works in servitude to the monk Tang Sanzang. This is where the core plot of Journey to the West begins, as Wukong quests with Sanzang to retrieve Buddhist scriptures from India (‘The West’ in the title), taking on demons and monsters in a journey of redemption. It’s around this point that the novel and game diverge. In Black Myth, you too are a monkey with supernatural powers. This character is notablynotcalled Sun Wukong, but ‘The Destined One,’ though he does have at least some connection to the hero of the novel. For instance, Wukong has the power of 72 ‘transformations,’ which translates in-game as The Destined One being able to absorb the souls of defeated enemies and temporarily transform into them. In my playtime so far, ’ve headbutted enemies as a Wight, launched fire arrow barrages in the form of a rat archer, and turned into a mage mini-boss I defeated with whom I was able to summon snakes to spit poison at my enemies. Like Wukong, you also gain the ability to clone yourself, summoning a death squad of replicants that can fight alongside you for a short time. Your staff can change size too, just like Wukong’s. The Destined One shrinks it down to pin size and keeps it in his ear, and its resizing also integrates with the game’s mechanics in cool ways; in the Pillar Stance, for example, you hold down ‘Heavy Attack’ to balance on top of your staff, with its length extending the longer you hold down the button. This lets you avoid ground-covering attacks before countering with an extremely rangey staff swing—great for poking some of those behemoth bosses you’ll be fighting. Various heavy attacks across the three stances extend the staff to greater or lesser extents, which makes up for the Destined One’s lack of ranged weaponry while neatly tying into the lore. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more A new tale (Image credit: Game Science) The idea of multiple monkeys wouldn’t be out of keeping with the novel, in which there are four ‘Celestial Primates’, after all. So it looks like Game Science will be telling their own tale within this classic universe, with the title ‘Black Myth’ suggesting it might be a kind of myth within a myth. We’ll be finding out soon, as in a few short days Black Myth: Wukong completes its own ahem journey to the west from its studio in China into our hands. GamesRadar+ created this content as part of a paid partnership with Game Science. The contents of this article are entirely independent and reflect the editorial opinion of GR+. 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for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”