Opinion: Black Myth Wukong is more like God of War than Dark Souls

When the first trailer for Black Myth Wukong dropped, the gaming community collectively lost its mind. Game Sciernce's title had piqued the interest of many with its impressive graphics, smooth combat, and a different spin on Sun Wukong's tale. While many immediately jumped to label it as a "Dark Souls-inspired game," I find that the more accurate comparison lies with the critically acclaimed God of War games, especially the new ones.

Hear me out on why I think so, and maybe after getting my thoughts a read, you may agree.

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Black Myth Wukong's gameplay feels more akin to the God of War series than Dark Souls

We start by saying that the Dark Souls myth is not totally accurate. Although both titles are undeniably difficult, gamers do prefer combat as it is the most crucial part of the games. The Dark Souls series is famous on the one hand for its slow strategy, the necessity of the player's skills, and the atmosphere and lore of the setting.

Conversely, Black Myth Wukong is like a whirlwind full of acrobatics, where combos will be more rewarding than traditional dodging and slow strategic gameplay. The game brings a style of combat that is different from the rest; here, aggression is a lot more beneficial than patience.

No doubt, Black Myth is in many ways similar to God of War. Both games show larger-than-life characters (demigods) and at the same time are driven by their fast-paced narrative and continuity through action. Moreover, they blend live-action and in-game cutscenes to tell the story while the characters develop within the background of the myth.

The god-slaying Spartan and the Monkey King are iconic figures with complex personalities, and their journeys are filled with epic battles against formidable foes, some of whom are straight out of the legends surrounding each of our protagonists.

In addition, the combat systems in both games are based on the same principle of combining style with a fun gameplay loop. While Souls mechanics can feel a bit sluggish, Sun Wukong moves quite smoothly in Black Myth Wukong, allowing you to quickly take down opponents.

Flashy playstyle is also a signature of Kratos. If you want to draw a parallel between Black Myth Wukong and any FromSoftware game, it should be Sekiro rather than the Dark Souls series. Sekiro is challenging but not as tough as the Souls franchise because of the various mechanics like parrying and the grappling hook. Black Myth Wukong follows a similar pattern, with a few abilities like various weapons and a set of tentacles, which was showcased in the recent trailer.

The Tentacle ability (Image via GameScience)

I'm not saying the combat will be easy by any means. But the amount of movement and mechanics the developers give at your disposal is easily more comparable to God of War than the Dark Souls series. You can say the game is "Souls-inspired" and not a pure souls-like title. You get tough bosses, yet the gameplay loop isn't limited to learning and dodging enemy attacks and slowly chipping them down.

Of course, in addition to epic battles, Black Myth Wukong has a special characteristic that can be traced back to its roots in Chinese mythology, like the Greek and Norse mythos in God of War. The beautiful backdrop and the aesthetic are what draw some people. When we talk about basic mechanics and the theme, the game definitely takes a similar look to God of War rather than Dark Souls.