Black Myth Wukong vs Bloodborne: Similarities and differences examined

Black Myth Wukong has turned more than a few heads and is being regarded as one of the standout releases of 2024. Many fans have termed it as a contender for the prestigious Game Of The Year award, showing immense support for the title. The support was so extensive that the game even caused a temporary PlayStation 5 console shortage in China!

Though not a souls-like game, Wukong is often compared to other titles in the genre, such as Bloodborne, developed by FromSoftware in 2015.

On that note, let's look at some similarities and differences between the two.

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Similarities between Black Myth Wukong and Bloodborne

Combat

Unlike most other Soulsborne games, Bloodborne’s combat is quite fast-paced and allows you to chain together multiple attacks. The game also offers you a choice between three starting weapons, after which you can opt to use more weapons while progressing through the game's story.

Both games feature intense boss fights (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Similarly, Black Myth Wukong’s combat is also fast-paced in nature and sees the character able to chain together continued attacks in succession. Sun Wukong’s preferred weapon of choice is a staff, which he can use from the start of the game and upgrade as the game progresses.

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Difficulty settings

Black Myth Wukong does not allow you the option to reduce the difficulty of the game’s combat or enemies at any point during gameplay. This means that they must learn to adapt to the challenge of the enemies and world. Sun Wukong can be upgraded and improved upon across the game though, which can make gameplay slightly easier with progression.

Both games have fast-paced combat (Image via Game Science)

However, FromSoft’s 2015 title is one of the most unforgiving games ever made. You cannot even pause the game, nor can you make a manual save: you must rely on auto-saves. That said, Bloodborne does not offer any difficulty choices to the player.

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Skill/Stats Upgrades

Both games feature a skill/stats upgrade system that can help you enhance your character. Bloodborne’s iteration is termed stats and it lets you improve the protagonist’s Endurance, Strength, Vitality, Bloodtinge, and Arkane stat values. Investing in stats can help when you need to fend off powerful foes.

Both games feature detailed skill trees to enhance the protagonist's abilities (Image via Game Science)

Meanwhile, Black Myth Wukong has a skill tree that can help enhance Sun Wukong’s abilities. This includes increasing the damage per hit, the rate of damage, an increase of Focus when performing a Resolute Strike, and gradual health recovery.

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Differences between Black Myth Wukong and Bloodborne

Availability

Game Science released Black Myth Wukong on PC and PlayStation on August 20. A port for the Xbox Series X/S is en route but it has been affected by developmental delays. Nonetheless, when the game is released for the Xbox, Wukong will be playable on all three major home gaming systems.

Bloodborne has remained a PS4 exclusive throughout its life (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Bloodborne is an outlier of sorts in this regard. Unlike other games that are available on at least two platforms, it has remained a PS4-exclusive title throughout its lifespan. This means that only PlayStation players can enjoy this action RPG.

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Setting

Bloodborne has one of the darkest settings across video games. The city of Yharnam is the backdrop of Bloodborne’s entire story, and it can only be described as having a very melancholy and grim setting. This grimness, however, ties in perfectly with the rest of the story, making the city a perfect venue for the events of the game.

Bloodborne is set in a Victorian-era Yharnam (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

On the other hand, the entirety of Black Myth Wukong takes place in ancient China during the 1600s. Sun Wukong’s quest to right the wrongs done against him and his clan often results in colossal battles. The vast, open world, covered with everything from lush forests to snow-capped mountains, makes for an ideal setting.

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Premise

In Black Myth Wukong, Sun Wukong is out to set the course straight by taking revenge on those who have wronged him and his clan and destroyed his village. This involves him having to battle massive enemies and to exact justice for the destruction of the mountain he called home.

The premise of both games is quite different (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Bloodborne, meanwhile, is set in the Victorian era. The city has its residents infected by a plague. As the protagonist, you are tasked with finding and eradicating the source of the cursed plague and defeating those who have become monsters.

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Read more gaming news below:

• With the arrival of GoW Ragnarok for PCs, now would be a great time to remaster Bloodborne
• All weapons in Black Myth Wukong