Every now and then, a game swings in out of nowhere, smashes expectations with a thunderstaff and reminds you why you fell in love with gaming in the first place. Black Myth: Wukong is one of those games.
Based on the legendary Chinese novel Journey to the West, this title isn’t just a retelling. It’s a cinematic, soul-testing, jaw-droppingly gorgeous reincarnation of myth. After pushing through every punishing boss, exploring every inch of its hauntingly beautiful world, and conquering the godforsaken chaos of New Game Plus… I’m here to say that this game is worth your time.
Chapter by Chapter: A Warrior’s Odyssey
From the mist-covered bamboo forests to the blazing demon-infested temples, Black Myth takes you on a chaptered journey through realms that feel ancient, mystical, and alive. Each chapter plays out like an epic — not just in scale but in mood. You’re not just playing through levels; you’re living through folklore.
Chapter 1 sets the tone: you awaken, weapon in hand, and quickly realise this isn’t your average action adventure. It throws you headfirst into a world where beasts speak in riddles, spirits cry from unseen corners, and every encounter feels like fate testing your worth.
As the chapters progress, you move from spiritual dreamscapes to war-torn ruins, icy caverns, and fiery mountains. Every environment breathes narrative. The world doesn’t just tell stories — it whispers them through echoes, murals, and the eyes of the enemies you slay.
Boss Fights: Pain, Poetry, and Pure Adrenaline
Let’s talk bosses — because, oh boy, they’re not just roadblocks; they’re divine duels that test your reflexes, patience, and belief in your abilities.
The White Bone Spirit glides across the battlefield like a cursed ballerina with a vendetta. Then, the colossal spider demon, whose grotesque elegance made me genuinely uneasy — and that was before she started summoning venomous spirits.
Each boss fight is a spectacle. The camera work, the music, the sheer tension — it feels like a stage performance of a mythological opera. And in New Game Plus, these fights don’t just get harder — they become a lesson in humility. You may think you’re Wukong reborn… until that dragon-handling lunatic wipes the floor with you for the sixth time.
Graphics and Visual Brilliance: Unreal in Every Sense
Built with Unreal Engine 5, Black Myth: Wukong isn’t just pretty — it’s a visual hallucination wrapped in golden clouds and nightmare fuel. You can pause the game anywhere; it will look like a work of art.
From the sun filtering through sakura trees to the grotesque beauty of corrupted beasts to the intricate armour on even the lowliest of goblins — everything is drenched in artistry. The lighting is masterful, the animations smooth as silk, and the facial expressions? Hauntingly human.
This is a world you feel — in how shadows move as you sneak, how wind brushes through fur and feathers, and how blood steams on snow. It’s visual storytelling at its finest.
Environment: A Living, Breathing Realm
The environments are more than backdrops — they’re characters in their own right.
Take the Forest of Lost Echoes: lush, eerie, teeming with whispering ghosts and half-forgotten shrines. Or the Temple of Ashen Tears, where every corridor is soaked in tragic grandeur. The world is interconnected, yet each region has a soul.
You don’t just explore — you unravel. Hidden caves lead to forgotten monks, secret relics hint at ancient sins, and even wildlife tells stories if you pay attention. It’s an immersive design done right.
Story & Mythology: Journey to the Best
Rooted in one of China’s most beloved epics, Black Myth doesn’t just adapt Journey to the West — it elevates it. You’re not just playing as the Monkey King. You have become a legend.
Wukong is complicated. He’s not just mischievous — he’s scarred, proud, spiritual, and rebellious. The game leans into this duality beautifully. The storytelling is cryptic but poetic, sometimes subtle, sometimes grandiose — like ancient myth passed through a dream.
And the mythology? Pure gold. You meet demons who cry over lost lovers, immortals who pity mortals, and cursed gods begging for release. It’s not all fire and fury — depth, sorrow, and spiritual beauty are baked into every line of dialogue and shrine you kneel at.
New Game Plus: The Real Test Begins
Finishing the game is one thing. Finishing New Game Plus? That’s ascension. The difficulty curve is steeper, the enemies are more intelligent, and the margin for error shrinks to a pixel’s width.
But the reward? Mastery. You start to dance through fights. You parry not because you must but because it feels good. You’re no longer just surviving the world — you’re commanding it. That’s the Wukong fantasy fulfilled.
It also reveals more layers — items you missed, stories you didn’t catch the first time, and subtle environmental details that now scream meaningfully. New Game Plus isn’t just harder — it’s more profound.
Final Thoughts: The Monkey King Rises
Black Myth: Wukong is not just a great game. It’s a mythical experience forged from folklore, polished by technology, and crowned by a combat system that challenges the soul. It doesn’t hold your hand, and it sure as hell doesn’t care if you rage-quit. But if you persist, if you listen to the stories, and if you fight like a goddamn legend, you’ll emerge transformed.
If you’re looking for something more than a game — something spiritual, brutal, and beautiful — this is it.
If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to die 37 more times in New Game Plus because that secret final boss has a personal vendetta against me.
JM11