Black Myth: Wukong Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Black: Myth: Wukong is a game that’s been in the minds of many since its announcement. From its staggeringly beautiful first reveal to the swirl of controversy and controversy-driven popularity surrounding its development, the latest adaptation of Journey to the West can’t stay out of the limelight.

As a huge fan of the Monkey King and a lot of the ways his story has been told in media, from Dragon Ball, Tower of God, and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, I’ve been looking forward to Black Myth: Wukong since I first saw it. That anticipation for this game was dampened significantly by the reports on deeply seated sexist attitude within the studio, but they’re not going to be taken into account for this review. However, they definitely bear mentioning.

Black: Myth Wukong makes a strong, albeit slow, first impression. Scenery flies by as you fly through the sky to get into a fight I’m not allowed to talk about according to the embargo rules and then, you pick up with the actual story, and off you go. You charge through the trees learning more about how to play the game why you take out different monstrous enemies as you go, and quickly come across your first boss to slay. However, things go poorly no matter how well you do, and this is where you meet a dude who has roots growing out of his face, and is your Navi equivalent for the game. He’ll appear and guide you throughout, and help you find your next checkpoint, which are little shrines, along with explaining some mechanics, warning you about bosses, and teaching you the odd trick or two.

Combat is a blend of unleashing physical and magical attacks, with some dodging thrown in for good measure. It’s pretty fluid, and some of the spells are incredibly cool, along with basically all of the animations being like sugar for your eyes. The enemy designs are also exceptional, with fights in just the opening few hours including fox demons, a big old frog, and a werewolf-looking boss that definitely climbed out of Bloodborne.

Howev