Is it worth playing Black Myth Wukong in 2025?

Black Myth Wukong is a take on Chinese mythology as players walk the path of the Destined One and his Journey to the West. Game Science worked on this project for years and was inspired by the intense combat systems of older Soulslike titles, which offer an interesting challenge to even the most seasoned player.

The ultrarealistic visuals, intense combat, and unique character design were enough to convince the gaming community. This project deserved the critical acclaim it received and was close to winning Game of the Year 2024.

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Black Myth Wukong is not for the faint of heart

The gaming community is being challenged on a different level (Image via Game Science)

The project was in development for almost 7 years, and Game Science was convinced this would be recognized as a Game of the Year contender. Black Myth Wukong won a handful of awards across different award shows. Game Science struck gold with this epic tale regardless of which game won the GOTY 2024.

While the visuals and realistic character design are all praiseworthy, the combat is the meat of this multilayered mythological tale. The introduction felt like it was something out of a God of War game where Sun Wukong takes on Erlang Shen, a fellow god, in a straight brawl, which serves as a tutorial for the basic gameplay principles like delivering a flurry of light and heavy attacks.

Contrary to popular belief, the developers did not use an open-world structure but followed a similar path used by Santa Monica Studio for God of War. Some areas can be explored in great detail, and the Destined One can discover hidden items to aid him in his journey. The player base was sold after the first few minutes of the game, where they were thrown into the deep end to fight smaller enemies.

Black Myth Wukong is a great example of taking things slow rather than charging at enemies without a plan or a strategy. It can be overwhelming at first, but the game is not designed to be hard to punish the players but it is meant to offer a challenge. Some would suggest the difficulty is above the usual for intense games such as this.

The game came out on PlayStation 5 and PC, with an Xbox Series X/S port coming soon. Black Myth Wukong ran smoothly on the PlayStation with a few reports of isolated performance issues. The developers released a series of patches to address these problems. On the other hand, the PC version exceeded expectations and was well-optimized.

Throughout Destined One's journey, players encounter vile beasts and other enemies that will push players to their limits. This can be challenging but not entirely impossible, especially since the developers wanted the player base to use everything they have and apply it to real-time combat scenarios.

Unlike most Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware, Black Myth Wukong is much easier and more forgiving. Players can master different combos and use unique abilities in the form of spells, like freezing an enemy for a split second to deal a few quick strikes or transforming into a rock figure to parry incoming attacks.

The Destined One has a long way to go before becoming Sun Wukong's successor (Image via Game Science)

The game is divided into six chapters, which may sound like a short adventure. However, each chapter is like a small sandbox filled with enemies and optional bosses. The Destined One can collect resources to craft better weapons and armor to improve their stats.

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Conclusion

Black Myth Wukong is perfect for players who want to have a soul-crushing but rewarding experience (Image via Game Science)

Only a handful of people got into it the first few days since there were no printed copies of the PlayStation 5 console, and not everyone was inclined to purchase something they couldn't physically own. Game Science later announced physical copies were coming, and most fans who held out won at the end of the day.

If you are a fan of the Soulslike genre and Chinese mythology, Black Myth Wukong is the complete package. Players can run around figuring out the best way to defeat certain bosses and offer them a great and timeless gaming experience. This game should be played at least once by hardcore Soulslike fans