Black Myth Wukong vs. Ghost of Tsushima: Similarities and differences reviewed

Black Myth Wukong has been tremendously successful in terms of sales numbers and popularity amongst fans, selling over 10 million copies within just three days of launch. It even caused a PS5 shortage in China, where the game's developer Game Science is based.

However, players have always been quick to compare newly-released games with older releases. As a result, we have seen a few comparisons being drawn between Black Myth Wukong and Ghost of Tsushima. Sony's Sucker Punch studio released Ghost of Tsushima back in 2020, to critical acclaim and support.

With that in mind, we will now review some similarities and differences between the two games.

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Similarities between Black Myth Wukong and Ghost of Tsushima

Combat Speed

Both games have combat speeds that are comparable to each other. In Ghost of Tsushima, the protagonist Jin Sakai is an expert swordsman and wields his sword with great skill and at a very rapid rate. This helps him defeat enemies that come against him in a very quick manner.

Both games feature the main character who has a rapid rate of combat. (Image via Game Science)

Similarly, in Black Myth Wukong, Sun Wukong is very rapid in his offensive against the enemies he is pitted against. Utilizing his weapon and special abilities, he is often seen speedily defeating enemies.

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Skill Trees

Both games feature detailed skill trees, which can help players improve their gameplay experience. The skill trees across both games can help players enhance their respective protagonists' skills, helping them defeat enemies with ease.

Both games feature detailed skill trees. (Image via Sucker Punch)

This can be done by purchasing skills that increase the damage per attack and the rate of attack. Additionally, players can also increase the traversal speed and purchase some special finishing moves that they can employ to defeat enemies.

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New Game+

Both Black Myth Wukong and Ghost of Tsushima include a New Game+ mode, allowing players to replay the game with all of their skills and enhancements from their first playthrough intact. This provides a more seamless gaming experience, as the player is likely to have upgraded their characters thoroughly throughout their first playthrough.

Both games offer a New Game+ mode (Image via Game Science)

Ghost of Tsushima offers players multiple difficulty levels to choose from, which can be beneficial for those looking to undertake a second playthrough on a more challenging difficulty. A quirk in Ghost of Tsushima involving New Game+ is that cutscenes cannot be skipped unless the player is in New Game+.

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Boss fights

Both games feature cinematic and heavily emphasized boss fights. Black Myth Wukong pits Sun Wukong up against some powerful opponents, such as the Violet Spider, the King of Flowing Sands, and Daoist Mi, amongst others. The game builds upon the story told in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and emphasizes the boss fights' cutscenes in a detailed manner.

Both games feature cinematic boss fights (Image via Game Science)

Similarly, in Ghost of Tsushima, Jin Sakai has to fend off many foes. However, his biggest foes are in the form of enemies such as General Baatu, the Tengu Demon, and above all else, Khotun Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. All the boss fights in the game are very cinematic.

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Differences between Black Myth Wukong and Ghost of Tsushima

Mythological era

Ghost of Tsushima is set in the year 1274, during the Mongol invasion of Japan. Though the events of the story are entirely fictional, they aim to replicate the country's situation at the time. Additionally, players must fight against the invading Mongols, who seek to terrorize the lands and take over Japan. The enhanced version also features a new area on the map, called Iki Island.

Though both games are based in Asia, they are set in very different times and eras. (Image via Sucker Punch)

The events of Black Myth Wukong, on the other hand, take place during the 16th century, across the vast and expansive Chinese heartland. The main character, Sun Wukong, must fend off and fight mythical gods, who he believes have ruined his life and destroyed the livelihoods of his tribe.

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Main Character

Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima is the last surviving member of his clan, the Sakai clan. His uncle is Lord Shimura, the jitō or the land territory head of the area called Tsushima. Across the story, Jin befriends many new characters on his way to achieve his goal, which is to defeat the Mongolian general Khotun Khan, grandson of the notorious Genghis Khan.

The protagonists of the two games are quite different from one another. (Image via Game Science)

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong is a mythical monkey figure from the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West. His motivations are driven by a simple goal- to exact revenge for the wrongs he and his clan had to suffer from, despite their dedicated service to the kingdom.

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Availability

Black Myth Wukong is available presently on PC and PS5, and an Xbox port is in development as per the developer, Game Science. This means that the game will be playable on all three major home gaming platforms once the Xbox port is released.

Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima is only available on PlayStation platforms and PC. (Image via Sucker Punch)

Ghost of Tsushima was originally released back in July 2020 for the PlayStation 4. In 2021, a port for the PS5 was released, which included all previous DLC content, and lastly, it was released onto the PC platform in May 2024. With Sony's reluctance to bring their first-party games to rival platforms, we don't expect to see Xbox getting a port anytime soon.

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Read more gaming news:

• Ghost of Tsushima PC review
• All weapons in Black Myth Wukong