Black Myth: Wukong is a 2024 action RPG from Game Science, drawing inspiration from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Players step into the role of an anthropomorphic monkey based on the legendary figure Sun Wukong. Launched on August 20, 2024, for PlayStation 5 and Windows, with an Xbox Series X/S version and future expansion in the works, the game quickly became a massive hit. It sold an astounding 18 million copies in just two weeks, marking it as one of the fastest-selling games of all time and receiving widespread praise from critics.
Gameplay of Black Myth: Wukong:
Black Myth: Wukong is a single-player action RPG with Soulslike mechanics, played from a third-person perspective. The game takes inspiration from “Journey to the West”, and the main character, known as the Destined One or The Ordained One, wields a magical staff based on the Ruyi Jingu Bang from the novel. This staff can change its size in combat, providing the player with three different stances—smash, pillar, and thrust—that offer flexibility in fights.
Combat is all about managing resources: players build up focus by landing light attacks or dodging at the right time, and once the focus meter fills, they can unleash powerful combos or charged attacks. Stamina, on the other hand, drains from sprinting, dodging, and attacking, requiring careful balance.
The game’s spells are divided into four categories—mysticism, alteration, strand, and transformations—and consume mana, while transformations allow the Destined One to shapeshift into different creatures.
One example is the Red Tides transformation, where the protagonist turns into Guangzhi, a wolfman wielding a flaming glaive. These transformations come with their own movesets and health bars, and while they’re on cooldown, they don’t cost mana, lasting until either their might or health runs out.
The game also introduces spirits, which, when equipped, provide both passive effects and unique skills. These skills, similar to transformations, allow the player to perform special attacks. Defeating powerful enemies, like Yaoguai chiefs, might yield their spirits, which can be absorbed into a gourd and used to gain new abilities. An example is the Wandering Wight spirit, which delivers a devastating headbutt and upon the capture of the spirit, the player can then use this ability in combat.
Progression in Black Myth:
Wukong is mostly linear, but players will explore vast, detailed areas filled with enemies and landmarks inspired by real-world locations, including several drawn from China’s Shanxi and Fujian provinces. The game spans six chapters and features multiple endings, with no option to adjust the difficulty level, which shifts naturally as the story progresses.
Story of Black Myth: Wukong:
The story follows Sun Wukong after he has completed his famous journey with Tang Sanzang to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. Despite ascending to Buddhahood, Wukong rejects his place in the Celestial Court, choosing instead to live peacefully on Mount Huaguo. His decision stirs mistrust among the gods, and the Court sends an army, led by Erlang, to force him into submission.
In a fierce duel, Wukong is overwhelmed by the enchanted circlet binding him to the Court, and he’s ultimately sealed in stone. Before this happens, his six senses are severed, with each becoming a relic scattered across China.
Centuries afterward, youthful monkeys from Mount Huaguo endeavor to recuperate the relics to resuscitate Sun Wukong. The game takes after one such monkey, the Ordained One, on his journey to collect the six relics and restore Wukong’s legendary power.
The Six Relics:
1. Craving Eyes:
The first relic is found at the burnt remains of Guanyin Temple, where the Destined One defeats Heifeng Guai, a reluctant opponent forced by the Court to stand in his way.
2. Fuming Ears:
At Yellow Wind Ridge, the Destined One battles the Yellow Wind Sage and retrieves the severed head of Bodhisattva Lingji, which holds the second relic. Lingji, grateful for being freed, willingly hands over Wukong’s “Fuming Ears”.
3. Hubris Nose:
The next stop is Little Western Paradise, where the Destined One frees Zhu Bajie from captivity. Together, they defeat Yellowbrow, who had stolen sacred artifacts, including the third relic. Maitreya, in gratitude, grants the Destined One the “Hubris Nose.”
4. Envious Tongue:
At the lair of the Spider Demons, Bajie is captured by the matriarch Violet Spider, who seeks revenge for a past encounter with him. The Destined One rescues him, slaying both the Violet Spider and the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master to claim the fourth relic, Wukong’s “Envious Tongue.”
5. Grieved Body:
In the Flaming Mountains, the Destined One faces Red Boy, the son of Bull Demon King. Red Boy, desiring to escape the cycle of manipulation by gods and monsters, takes his own life, allowing the Destined One to acquire the fifth relic, Wukong’s “Grieved Body.”As the story progresses, it’s revealed that Sun Wukong didn’t merely scatter into relics but was dismembered after his death by the five monster kings who aided the Celestial Court in the assault.
6. Freed Mind:
With five relics in hand, the Destined One returns to Mount Huaguo to seek the sixth. On the way, he and Bajie recover Wukong’s old armor and weapons. At the mountain’s peak, the Old Monkey unveils the truth: Wukong’s “Mind” was lost when he died, and the sixth relic was never intended to be found. Instead, the quest was a trial meant to forge the Destined One into the new Sun Wukong, becoming, in essence, the “Freed Mind” himself.
Endings:
At the end of Black Myth: Wukong, the Destined One faces a climactic battle against the stone body of Sun Wukong, which, lacking mind and soul, becomes a formidable opponent. Upon the stone body’s defeat, the game branches into two possible endings:
1. The Unfulfilled Ending:
If the player doesn’t complete any of the optional side requirements, the Destined One fails to inherit Sun Wukong’s legacy. In this outcome, the Old Monkey places the circlet, which once bound Wukong to the Celestial Court, on the Destined One. He is left trapped in stone, just as Sun Wukong had been, and his journey ends in failure.
2. The Liberation Ending:
If the player manages to defeat Erlang Shen in an optional boss fight before the final battle, the Destined One fully inherits Sun Wukong’s memories. Rejecting the circlet and the control of the Celestial Court, he steps into the role of the new Sun Wukong, free from the chains that once bound the original Monkey King.
Development Black Myth: Wukong:
Black Myth: Wukong was both developed and published by Game Science, with the decision to focus on a single-player game made on February 25, 2018. In December of the same year, the development team relocated from Shenzhen to Hangzhou.
Right from the start, the team anticipated high costs for research and development, so they didn’t expect the game to be a major financial success. Still, their primary goal was to create a single-player experience true to their own style, deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture.
The team considered various themes, like Xianxia and Wuxia, but ultimately felt most passionate about Journey to the West. For the game’s engine, they chose Unreal Engine 4, and their early work involved familiarizing themselves with it by building the level for Mount Huaguo. This level appeared briefly in the announcement trailer, but the team set it aside to focus on the Black Wind Mountain level next.
Initial Reveal and Early Hype for Black Myth: Wukong:
Black Myth: Wukong was first revealed through a pre-alpha gameplay trailer on August 20, 2020.The trailer, built on Unreal Engine 4, showcased the protagonist exploring Black Wind Mountain and battling a variety of enemies. The reception was immediate and overwhelming—the trailer garnered nearly two million views on YouTube and 10 million on Bilibili within just 24 hours.
At the time, Game Science was still a small studio with only 30 people on board. The trailer was primarily released to attract new talent, as the original team of seven people recognized they needed more hands to bring their vision to life.
The trailer’s unexpected success led to over 10,000 job applicants, though the studio intended to keep its recruitment efforts modest, aiming to add only 10 to 15 people to ensure they didn’t lose their original vision by expanding too fast. Switch to Unreal Engine 5.
Development initially began on Unreal Engine 4, but in August 2021, Game Science announced through another trailer that they had transitioned to Unreal Engine 5 to achieve a higher level of realism. To recreate the game’s authentic environments, the development team conducted on-site studies of real-world locations.
They scanned buildings and statues, which they then used as references for the in-game designs. Motion capture also played a big part in the game’s development. Martial artist Yin Kai provided motion capture for the Destined One and other characters, especially during combat sequences.
The sound design, encompassing both music and voice acting, was co-produced by 8082 Audio. The game features a special adaptation of the theme song Yungong Xunyin, originally composed by Xu Jingqing for the 1986 Journey to the West TV series.
Future Plans for Black Myth: Wukong:
Feng Ji, the creative force behind the project, revealed that Black Myth: Wukong is intended to be the first in a series of games exploring Chinese mythology.
Internally referred to as “B1” (short for Black Myth One), the team already has ideas for two additional titles, though no official details have been shared yet. Budget and ExpansionAccording to a report by Bloomberg, the game had a budget of $70 million, accumulated over six years of development, with part of the funding coming from investors like Hero Games.
Daniel Wu from Hero Games confirmed that an expansion for Black Myth: Wukong is already in the works, signaling that the adventure of the Destined One may not be over yet. With its rich storytelling, cultural depth, and incredible early success, Black Myth: Wukong has positioned itself as one of the most significant action RPGs of recent times.
Release Date of Black Myth: Wukong:
Black Myth: Wukong launched for PlayStation 5 and PC (Windows) on August 20, 2024, at 10 AM (UTC+8). While an Xbox Series X/S version is in the works, its release date is yet to be announced. In January 2023, Game Science released a short film celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, revealing that the game would drop in summer 2024.
Later, during The Game Awards in December 2023, a new trailer confirmed the official release date: August 20, 2024. However, by June 2024, Game Science disclosed that the Xbox Series X/S version would be delayed to ensure optimization and meet their quality standards. Speculation arose that the Xbox Series S’s technical limitations, particularly a potential memory leak, might have been the reason for the delay. According to some sources, it was due to an exclusivity deal with Sony.
However, Microsoft denied these claims, asserting the delay wasn’t caused by Xbox issues. Notably, Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb also weighed in, saying that no exclusivity deal with Sony was in place to keep the game off Xbox.
Upon its release, Black Myth: Wukong came out in four editions: Digital Standard, Digital Deluxe, Deluxe Edition, and Collector’s Edition. The Digital Standard Edition featured just the base game, while the Digital Deluxe Edition included additional in-game bonuses along with a curated digital soundtrack. Bonus content included the Bronzecloud Staff, Folk Opera-themed armor pieces, and a special Wind Chime curio.
The physical Deluxe Edition and Collector’s Edition included activation codes for the Digital Deluxe Edition (via WeGame for JD.com buyers or Steam for international purchases). Collectors who bought the Deluxe Edition received physical items such as a steel case, a replica of The Constricting Headband, a silk scroll print of Chaos at the Peach Banquet, and a Thunderstone ring.
The Collector’s Edition featured even more, including a figurine of the protagonist, another silk scroll (Teaching of the Heart Sutra), and more collectible items like the Gold Sun Crow pin. However, none of the editions included a physical game disc, though Game Science is exploring the possibility of offering physical copies in the future, citing challenges with offline distribution resources.
Ahead of its release, Black Myth: Wukong became the most-wishlisted game on Steam as early as May 2024. Pre-orders opened on June 8, 2024, offering players a bonus in-game item called Trailblazer’s Scarlet Gourd, which could also be earned through regular gameplay.
The game shot to the top of Steam’s global best-sellers chart at the start of August. When preloads became available shortly before launch, Steam experienced its highest-ever bandwidth usage, reaching 70 terabytes per second, surpassing the previous record set by Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020.
If you’re wondering about reception, Black Myth: Wukong garnered “generally favorable” reviews on both PC and PlayStation 5, according to Metacritic. The game’s release also had a broader cultural impact. Nikkei Asia reported that it marked a turning point for the Chinese video game industry, signaling a shift towards high-budget, premium games aimed at international audiences.
Soulframe Liang, director of Phantom Blade Zero, remarked that Black Myth: Wukong’s success would inspire confidence in the Chinese game industry, both domestically and internationally.The game’s popularity even drove PlayStation 5 sales in China, with the console topping hardware charts and doubling sales from the previous year on platforms like Alibaba’s Tmall in the week leading up to the launch.
In addition, the game’s detailed portrayal of real-world locations sparked a tourism boom to those sites. Characters like Fourth Sister also became fan favorites, inspiring a wave of cosplays across platforms like Bilibili and Douyin. Black Myth: Wukong won the “Best Visuals” award at Gamescom 2023 and received a nomination for “Most Epic,” further cementing its place as one of the year’s most anticipated and visually stunning games.
Sales:
On release day, Black Myth: Wukong saw over 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam, making it the second-highest game of all time by this metric, surpassing popular titles like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. Just hours after launch, it set a new record for the highest number of concurrent players for a single-player game, cementing its place in Steam history.
According to Bloomberg, this rapid rise could “seal its place in industry lore.” By August 22, the game reached an all-time peak of over 2.4 million concurrent players on Steam, second only to PUBG: Battlegrounds.
Game Science announced that by August 23, 2024, at 9 PM (UTC+8), Black Myth: Wukong had sold 10 million units and had reached 3 million concurrent players across all platforms, positioning it as one of the fastest-selling games ever. The physical editions were in exceptionally high demand, with 700,000 people vying for just 30,000 available units on JD.com.
Daniel Wu of Hero Games later shared with Bloomberg that within two weeks of release, the game had sold 18 million units, a launch described as “one of the fastest starts the global gaming industry has seen.”
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