Chinese game development is often associated with mobile platforms and free-to-play titles, but things have changed in recent years. China-based studios have increasingly entered with confidence the ‘premium’ console and PC spaces typically associated with the export of western and Japan-based outfits. Black myth: Wu Kong, a new action game from Game Science, a studio based in Hangzhou, aims to be another leap in that direction.
Watch a 13 minute long trailer featuring ‘pre-alpha’ gameplay:
Black myth: Wu Kong is inspired by Journey to the West, the legendary Chinese novel. Wu Kong (also known as Sun Wukong, The Monkey King or Son Goku) is traditionally depicted as a companion of Monk Sanzang, and protects him on a quest to India to retrieve Buddhist Sutra. Journey to the West characters have appeared everywhere in pop culture, including great game titles like Fate / Grand Order en Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Black myth: Wu Konghowever, seems to tell a different story, leading with an introduction by a grizzled old ape who doubts the truth of the original account.
The trailer then moves on to a long gameplay sequence, where Wu Kong (presumably) maneuvers around various enemies in the form of an insect. He tackles several bosses, fights them with an iron-clad staff. He kills one, claims the flaming spear, and saves it by using magic to save it like a hair on his head. Wu Kong also transforms into a giant demonic monkey to take down a large group of enemies, ending the demo with a fight against a massive wolf-like beast. During that fight, Wu Kong works magic, twists his hair into clones of himself, and carries the flaming spear to transform into the enemy he previously defeated. The mechanics of Black myth: Wu Kong appear to be partly inspired by From Software games like Demon’s souls en Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Fighting is conducted from a third-party angle, with dodge rollers to get away from danger. Managing fitness and health also seems to be a major concern. A montage at the end of the trailer places more environments, big enemies and a sort of “dark fantasy” aesthetic drawing heavy of Chinese legend. The official site (in Chinese) promises much more characters, 72 character skills, and a high-quality “RPG” experience.
Game Science, which was founded in 2014 and includes former Tencent staff in its roster, uses Unreal Engine 4 in Black myth: Wu Kongits development. The game has no release date yet, and seems to be a long way from the final release, considering the studio is still for the staff. They are planning a release on PC and “major platforms”. Release on streaming-based gaming services will also be considered if performance is acceptable.
