When I postulate down a jumbo fly blue dragon on my very first try , a effort accomplished even after I entered the fight with half of my allotted healing potion available , I never felt so realized .
Black Myth : Wukong , a fresh military action - RPG from Game Science , is one of the few “ Soulslike ” games where I was able to overcome so many chief in my first encounter with them . I wo n’t say whether that means it ’s loose than your average genre plot or if I ’m reallythatgood at it . In either case , it scratch up an itch in my fur that similar games do n’t always quite pass on . The satisfaction of a hard - fought victory is always within my range .
Black Myth : Wukongis only a Soulslike in the wayStellar Bladeis , and that ’s to its credit . It gently borrow elements from the subgenre but carves out a recession for itself by focusing on its fundamental differences . Despite some performance issue and frustrating difficulty spikes , Black Myth : Wukong ’s frantic combat and accent on fluid social movement make it find unlike any of its other coevals .
Journey to the west
pitch-dark Myth : Wukong ’s story play along the Destined One as he works to gather relics and uncover the trueness behind a past legend . I ’m more enamored with whatBlack Mythis base on — the ancient Chinese storyJourney to the West — than its actual execution . While it ’s not nearly as cryptic asElden Ring ’s story , it still merely serves as a backdrop for the game ’s merchandising points : cutthroat and furred action .
Black Myth‘s combat surrender where it calculate .
The armed combat feels much more likeSekiro : Shadows Die Twicethan any other FromSoftware game . InDark Souls , players can experiment with unlike weapons , whereasSekirohas instrumentalist mastering a specific curing of gameplay mechanics . Instead of parrying , Wukongfocuses on dodging . This immediately makes it a much more offense - oriented biz than its contemporaries . That lends to its feeling of empowerment throughout its many boss conflict . Oftentimes I was set the pace rather than follow their wind .
What makesWukongfeel different from its peers is that contrivance are much more acrobatic and cover more flat coat . The timing window for perfect contrivance feel forgive . I was impressed at how fluid it was debate that it was my only defensive measure . Players can also see skills to augment their perfect scheme , such as leaving an afterimage that explodes and deals extra damage . This helps incentivize players into perfecting their evasion skill .
With a game so heavily reliant on dodging , sometimes the camera can be frustrating to handle with . This is especially straight during Bos struggle where I have to dodge multiple consecutive attacks , only to get hit because the camera freaks out and I ca n’t see where I ’m going .
away from that quirk , Black Myth‘s armed combat delivers where it counts . There are stock light and heavy attacks , but the twist arrive in the form of the Focus Gauge and Varied combos . The Focus Gauge is progress up by bring down light attacks , and under normal circumstance , heavy attacks ask charge metre . However , by executing wide-ranging combos in the middle of dealing light-headed attacks , players can draw out a heavy fire immediately by spending their stress gauge . Like the name implies , Varied jazz band are a unlined way to switch up the gameplay so player are n’t always stuck spamming the same two attack .
Monkey see, monkey do
While the faculty is the only available weapon system , there ’s still a huge variety in skills , spells , and tools at role player ’ disposal . My personal favourite magical spell is one of the first ones I obtained : Immobilization , which freezes enemies in place for a located sentence so I can wail on them . By investing my accomplishment full point , call Sparks , I was able to make the spell stronger such as increase its duration and even recovering mana when it ended .
The skill point scheme is incredibly flexile and sartor battle to each player ’s own style . Skills make it potential to deflect projectile by spinning the staff , but I institute that mechanic too situational . I only pick out to just not invest in it further , give me a option of how I determine my tool kit .
Unliketraditional Soulslike games , histrion do n’t miss experience or up-to-dateness upon death . Additionally , it costs nothing to experiment with unlike skill setups . In game likeElden Ring , that can be a stressor — the only way to respec stats is through using a precious consumable . Wukonglets me do so for free at any shrine . Anytime I was skin against a certain Bos , I could conform my strategy and hear something unlike without consequence . speck like that make for a more freeing action - RPG that advance experimentation rather than penalize it .
Sometimes the hard challenge is n’t in towering bosses , but getting to them .
Speaking of bosses , they ’re just as imaginative as you ’d expect from a genre with a high taproom . The game ’s Chinese mythology really sputter through in political boss designs , from a Thelonious Sphere Monk with a gargantuan head to a giant bipedal rodent with a spear . Those are enhanced by impressive visuals , showing the o.k. details within their robes and traditional Chinese garment , alongside scenic environments such as forests , deserts , and blow - cap plenty .
Each area focuses on one particular environment , and while I can certainly sit back and wonder at the view , sometimes the unlike sections can look standardized . Sometimes the hardest challenge is n’t in towering gaffer , but getting to them . In the third area , I was supposed to make my path to the top of the summit , but the blind clean snow extended for what seemed like miles . I could have used a function !
Monkeying around
While the essence gameplay is unassailable , the experience is sometimes hampered by technical performance . wreak on both my PC andSteam Deck , texture pop - ins and frame pace drops occur more often than I ’d like . This is especially troublesome during boss battles where every moment can mean the conflict between liveliness and last . ( PlayStation 5 codes were not made available before brushup embargo , raising interrogative about how it perform on console . )
Some bosses have command grabs , mean that if they grapple to snag me , I ’m put through an protracted cutscene onrush and suffer massive damage . That compounding of technical issues leads to some fight that feel unjust and plaguy difficulty stiletto heel that hurt the overall pace .
Other times , Wukongcan feel a bit well-fixed ( despite a few boss kicking my butt for hours ) . Even so , I ca n’t remember the last Soulslike game where I bumble across a hirer or miniskirt - boss this many times that only select me a smattering of attempts , or even just one , to defeat . Is it potential I ’m just that secure ? I ’d have it off to imagine so , but it ’s more likely a will to how wellWukong ’s combat mechanics make out together .
Black Myth : Wukongcertainly lives up to the ballyhoo .
There ’s such a wealth of different enchantment and options to explore , such as transformation , which turn my monkey hero into a beast and basically give him a second liveliness saloon in a pinch . No meter for dodging ? There ’s even a turn that permit me turn into a rock and deflect most flak with proper timing . I ’m not complaining ; I ’d rather have these tool than not .
TheJourney to the Westlegend is such a pop one over in the East , but it ’s rare to see an interpretation penetrate international audience with such fervor since Dragon Ball . mordant Myth : Wukongcertainly live up to the hype . It separates itself in a crowded Soulslike genre based on mythology and set alone . After full experiencing its furious armed combat and fun progression systems , the adventure proves to be a beast of its own .
Black Myth : Wukongwas reviewed on PC and test on Steam Deck .
