Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong, developed and published by Game Science, is an action RPG that combines challenging combat with the adventurous exploration of classic RPGs, reminiscent of titles like God of War or Nioh. The game stands out for its stunning visuals inspired by Chinese mythology, fluid combat, and a generous design that allows for strategic customization. While the narrative can be somewhat opaque, the game’s polished presentation, engaging gameplay, and the absence of microtransactions have garnered it overwhelmingly positive reviews, making it a standout in the genre and a must-play for action RPG fans.

Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG that elegantly straddles the line between the demanding combat of Soulslike games and the adventurous exploration of classic RPGs. The comparison to Soulslike games stops mostly at its shrines for revives, however. We would put this game closer to a God of War or Nioh style of game, as it’s a linear action-adventure game with a Boss Rush style. Whether you’re seeking intense battles against creatures drawn from Chinese mythology or a more forgiving experience with equally engaging encounters, this game delivers a journey that resonates with a broad spectrum of players. What truly sets Black Myth apart is its stunning presentation and a generous design philosophy. 

You’re not just playing a game; you’re embarking on a visually spectacular odyssey, where you wield a staff as a highly agile monkey, armed with a suite of powerful spells. Employing a polished and well performing engine, it’s also technically impressive and a great benchmark for current gamers. It’s been a long time since a game has left such an impression on me.

An action-adventure with cinematic brilliance

Based on the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, the game places you in control of the “Destined One,” a reincarnation of Wukong, a legendary monkey that once rebelled against heaven. Your mission? To remind the various Yaoguai (mythical creatures) that Wukong is back in the game, so to speak, ready to reclaim the glory it deserves.

The gameplay is smooth, and combat can often make it feel like an anime, which is perhaps why it is resonating so much with many gamers. It has all the right elements of visceral combat, amazing art, wonder, and imagination that begs you to explore this world. The polish is clear, and minor details, like the flourishes the character does after combat or while in battle, show how much the developercared for the title’s presentation.

Black Myth: Wukong offers a captivating blend of cinematic moments and challenging gameplay. The chapters are interspersed with interactive artwork that summarize the story’s progress, connecting back to the original source material. There are even some wonky but cool music videos/animations that help tell the story—one in particular, with a white fox, is incredible to watch. 

While these story elements might be difficult to follow for those unfamiliar with the original tale, they add a layer of depth and authenticity that enrich the experience. The narrative can be somewhat opaque, however, as we have to suffer with a silent protagonist yet again.

We really dislike this game design choice—especially after one of the best prologues in recent memory with a fantastic voice actor for the original Wukong. Why not have that throughout the game? Sure, the Destined One, the player you control, might not be able to have the exact same voice, but anything would have been better than nothing. It feels like a huge missed opportunity, and I hope we stop seeing this, especially since the rest of the game is so well voiced. The sheer spectacle and dramatic encounters make the journey worthwhile for sure, but it would have been nice to get some feedback from your character.

Gameplay

The level design itself is mostly linear, and some parts of Chapter 2 are not the best, but overall, it is a worthwhile journey throughout. As you progress, you also gain keys to areas you have already passed, so can travel back as far as nearly the start of the game for some powerful unlocks. This is optional, but it was great to go back and find those mysteries and unlock every secret piece of armor. There is a charge staff, for example, that builds directly into the Smash Stance and buffs your damage.

The enemy types you encounter here are also great. A big criticism of some recent games, like Dragon’s Dogma 2 or The First Descendant, is a sheer lack of different enemy types as you progress. Elden Ring, a masterpiece itself, repeats bosses, and this is fine with us as long as they have varied mechanics or fight patterns. Black Myth: Wukong bosses are varied and incredible to play with, and even the one huge-head boss that I found a repeat of was different enough and required a different strategy. 

There were some frustrating moments with some bosses, like a certain crouching one near a temple, but I was able to backtrack and get some upgrades to my staff before returning and learning from my previous mistakes. You could also take a different branching path to level up and complete that area or try to brute-force your way. That is what makes gaming incredibly fun and rewarding, and there is plenty of that here. The game features 90 unique bosses, each with distinct mechanics and designs.

This is not to say the game is perfect—the bosses certainly have some very bad “cheese” and can lead to some “WTF was that?” moments, but they aren’t the worst we’ve ever seen. There are the typical enemies hiding behind corners or mobs jumping you randomly, but it’s still a great deal of fun to combat this with the tools you are given. That being said, the majority of bosses we were able to defeat in one or two tries, with some of the more difficult bosses requiring multiple attempts (keep in mind we are mediocre at these types of games).

The combat in Black Myth: Wukong is fluid and dynamic, with an emphasis on stylish staff maneuvers and well-timed dodges. Combat involves combinations of light and heavy attacks, different stances, and special abilities. The game offers some deep strategic challenges based on the encounters during the chapters. Players can upgrade their abilities through a Skill Tree using Sparks and customize their builds with equipment and relics, with the flexibility of free re-specs. There is no parry without using up mana with a spell that turns you into a rock; if you time this perfectly, it can help stagger large bosses and turn the tide. 

Alternatively, you can build into invisibility and leave behind a clone so you can charge a 3-focus-point heavy attack that causes massive damage. There is enough variety here to keep it fun, but you still will only be playing with a staff throughout the game. 

Speaking of focus points, this is an important part of combat: You have to string together light attacks to gain a meter that provides focus points that you can then spend during combos or a charged heavy attack to unleash a powerful hit.

Note: Spoiler warning, boss fight in the video below (also mediocre gameplay warning)

You will also fight mid-tier enemies that you can then capture and embody during battle (spirits); you can also eventually find full-body transformations that you use for a set time during battle (this really helped me during some tougher fights). Defense-wise, Black Myth is rooted in the Soulslike tradition—dodging enemy attacks, managing stamina, and strategically using health-restoring gourds (akin to flasks). There is no block, however, and as mentioned above, a mana using a parry spell is available if needed. 

But unlike many Soulslike games, Black Myth: Wukong strikes a balance that makes it accessible to a wider audience. You do not lose all your progress or “souls” when you die, but instead get resurrected at your last shrine to try the level again and again where you can craft spells, tweak armor, increase spirit level, brew power-ups, and so on. It is a great system that doesn’t rely on heavily punishing the player. 

The game’s linear but richly detailed environments offer a more focused experience compared to the sprawling open worlds of games like Elden Ring. Thankfully, though, the world feels authentic and meticulously crafted, encouraging exploration without overwhelming the player. 

There are a lot of nooks and crannies to visit for secrets or unlocks, and it’s rewarding throughout and respects your time. Not once did I feel like I fought through a tough horde of enemies just to get some measly gold‑even if it occurs in some chests, it still felt great. 

What did not feel great, however, is the camera. Elden Ring suffered from the same issues—a large enemy locks you in a corner and you cannot tell what you are doing  at times and are spamming dodge to try to get to a better visual area. It was frustrating at times. For example, in a later chapter, you can drop down into a path with a chest at the end, and suddenly you are surrounded by a dozen or so enemies all hitting you at once, while surrounded by walls that camera is running into. We got through it but not without some gamer rage. 

Performance and benchmarks

Visually, Black Myth: Wukong is breathtaking. The attention to detail in the environments, from the intricate architecture to the atmospheric lighting, is simply awe-inspiring. The game’s world is a visual feast, with every corner offering something new to marvel at. And while the design includes some typical video game constraints such as invisible walls, these are easily forgiven due to the overall beauty and immersion. The game boasts high-quality visuals and designs inspired by Chinese mythology, although it occasionally experiences frame rate issues. About 1% of the time I had some frame drops or hitching, but other than that, it was an incredible experience. 

Black Myth: Wukong does feature path tracing: 

The game includes Nvidia’s DLSS Frame Generation, which is an AI-driven technology that enhances gaming performance by generating new frames, integrating low latency for responsiveness, and utilizing the advanced features of Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace architecture. This technology, combined with Nvidia Reflex, significantly boosts performance while maintaining high image quality. It also includes AMD’s FSR 3.0 for upscaling and frame gen.

In Black Myth: Wukong, advanced ray-tracing techniques, including full-resolution multi-bounce indirect lighting, reflections, and caustics, are employed to create a visually stunning and immersive experience. These techniques enhance realism, particularly in lighting, reflections, and shadows, elevating the overall graphical fidelity of the game.

Team Green (Nvidia) is taking the cake here, although we do wish we had an RX 7900 XTX to compare with the performance numbers to show the how the optimization, DLSS, and frame gen are working wonders to make this game perform well. AMD is playable, however, with lower-end cards performing close to Nvidia’s lower-end offerings. 

Unreal Engine 5 is doing well here to not require an enormous amount of RAM like Resident Evil 4  and many recent games did. 

Here are the minimum requirements:

Performance 

Black Myth: Wukong 1920×1080 (medium), RT off:

Black Myth: Wukong 1920×1080 (cinematic), RT very high:

Black Myth: Wukong 2560×1440 (cinematic), RT very high:

Black Myth: Wukong 2560×1440 (cinematic), DLSS quality:

Conclusion

In summary, Black Myth: Wukong is a remarkable achievement—a game that not only meets but exceeds the lofty expectations set by its early trailers. Black Myth: Wukong has garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews and achieved the second-highest concurrent player count on Steam, praised for its engaging gameplay, polished experience, and absence of microtransactions.

Most gamers who play in 1920´1080p will be able to fully enjoy this game, but max settings will require a much more powerful card. Our 4080 Super ran this game perfectly with Full settings on, and it was a blast to play.

It’s a generous, beautifully crafted adventure that offers both challenge and spectacle, making it a must-play for fans of action RPGs. Game Science has truly announced itself as a major player in the genre, and Black Myth: Wukong is a clear statement that they are here to compete with the best.

Happy gaming! 

This review was written by JPR’s sister publication, BabelTechReviews. The review key was provided by Nvidia; this was not in exchange for a positive review and does not change our review process or influence our scores.