China wants a place at the table
These are times of change for this industry that we love so much. In the West there is a strong sustainability crisis, while Japan is trying new models to stay current. In the midst of all this, some Asian powers are beginning to raise their hands in search of a place at the table with the big boys. South Korea has already shown some of its cards with the fantastic Lies of P and Stellar Blade, while the entire Chinese power is ready to leave mobile and service games behind to show that they are on par with the big traditional AAA. Since a few years ago, Black Myth: Wukong was shown, it amazed by its spectacular visuals and striking concepts, this of course, accompanied by a good dose of skepticism due to the little experience of the studio behind everything and of course, we are still not so used to titles coming out of that part of the world of this cut. How is the new Game Science thing?
A few days ago we had the opportunity to be at the anticipated event of Black Myth: Wukong which was held in the heart of Los Angeles, California, together with our friends from Game Science, where we were allowed to test its super ambitious and anticipated game for almost three hours. At the outset, we can tell you that yes, it is real despite what some might think and according to what we tested and talked to the developers, the game is practically finished and ready to hit the market in a few more months. . Things like its graphics, art direction, well-made controls and functional mechanics make me think that the promise of having one of the most important proposals of the year is going to be fulfilled and it could even have enough legs to fight for a place in the coveted group of Game of the Year nominees. In this special preview we tell you how it went.
Journey to the west
Undoubtedly, one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world is that of China. Basically, all the wonderful culture, art, gastronomy, language, religions and customs that we see throughout Asia came from that part of the world. Its mythology, stories and legends are part of all of the above, being Journey to the West one of his most important works. If you can’t locate it, I’ll tell you that it is a novel from the 16th century. authored by Wu Cheng’en, and which in addition to having been translated into countless languages, has been adapted in many ways including anime and manga with dragon ball. Here we are told the story of a Buddhist monk who travels to Central Asia and India in search of sacred texts.
Black Myth: Wukong is another adaptation of said novel, only now in the form of a video game and introducing a lot of elements from different Chinese mythologies. In the game we take on the role of Wukong, a warrior and monk who is the Monkey King, protagonist of the novel I already told you about. During the demo we weren’t able to see too much of the path the narrative will take, however, we were told that they are actually being quite faithful to the work on which everything is based, but with certain freedoms of characters and elements that make more sense. inside a video game. Definitely my favorite part of all this was the representation of Tudigong, our mentor who, in addition to carrying a certain load of humor, is all the time speaking in a teaching manner and on whom I understand, the always beloved Master Roshi is based.
I would like to be able to talk to you much more about the tone that the story of Black Myth: Wukong, but the demonstration was rather focused on the core gameplay of the game, since it was shown to us right after the prologue to start our session; That is to say, we didn’t see any cinematics or anything like that, straight to the action. What I can tell you is that the game has voices in English and Mandarin. The first of them is very well done, but it is important to mention that lip synchronization is made for Mandarin, at least that was the case with this first approach we had with the game, which of course could change in the final version. I think the recommendation will be to play in the original language of those behind everything.
Another Soulslike?
Yes I know. The overpopulation of games based on the subgenre invented by Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware is beginning to become a real plague for this industry. At the beginning we thought that this new way of making action RPGs would have an important impact on the medium, but few saw the gigantic phenomenon it would become coming. Just as communicated since it was announced, Black Myth: Wukong It strongly follows the formula of the so-called Soulslike, but with a well-focused intention and its own ideas that undoubtedly give it personality.
Regarding the structure of the game you can expect something very traditional; That is to say, we are faced with a title that follows almost to the letter the way in which a Dark Souls. At least in these first hours, we traveled through delimited, but interconnected levels composed of corridors, but also with certain areas semi-open to exploration. In one of them, for example, we came across a couple of totally optional bosses, one of them seemed to be guarding another area itself, so although we have something contained, our curiosity and exploration will be rewarded. The classic rest points to replenish your energy and potions are present, along with the fact that if you use it, most enemies will respawn.
Moving on to the topic of core gameplay and combat, we have two main attacks. One strong but slow, and another weaker, but fast. Managing your stamina will be crucial, because if you stay at zero, you will be vulnerable. Our defense is limited to our ability to avoid attacks. The protagonist is an agile character who can move at high speed. Something that caught my attention greatly is the possibility of doing a flying kick if you jump and attack at the same time. Black Myth: Wukong It’s a Soulslike, but one that also flirts with being a hack and slash where speed is important. Likewise, if you dodge at the right moment, you will be able to counterattack more effectively.
But hey, even though all of the above works great, the reality is that they are concepts that we have already seen a lot of times. The really interesting thing about Black Myth: Wukong, are the skills we have. In this demo we were able to try a couple of them. The first allowed us to completely freeze the enemy in question for a few seconds to attack them at will, while the second allowed me to transform into one of the bosses I defeated. Yes, it is possible to turn into certain enemies for a limited time, which completely changes the way you play, since your movements are totally different in addition to the fact that you have a separate life bar which, of course, is of great help when the things get complicated. I can’t wait to see what kind of crazy things we come up with as you progress.
Speaking of enemies, I tell you that I felt the difficulty was quite fair and balanced, a very characteristic element of these games that tend to be extremely challenging. During the almost three hour session, I defeated around five bosses, between main and optional. I feel like the window they give you to dodge an attack is quite wide, so I would say that if you don’t have such good reflexes and Soulslike battles, you could find something much more bearable here. Of course, we will have to see if there is not a significant jump in difficulty later on.
The progression also follows a fairly traditional path. As you progress, you will obtain a specific unit that will help you unlock new movements and abilities. In addition, your equipment can also be improved through the use of different materials that you collect. Something particular about Black Myth: Wukong is that there is really only one weapon. The protagonist has his characteristic staff that will change as we advance so that the combat does not remain static. This is a part that worries me a little; the fact that you can vary enough with a single type of weapon.
The power of Unreal 5
We are in the middle of a time in which the technical has become the central axis of any experience. Especially when we talk about AAA productions, a magnifying glass is put on how the game in question performs. Black Myth: Wukong It becomes one of the first large titles to use Unreal Engine 5, promising a truly next-generation experience.
For the demonstration we were presented with a build that was running on a PC with specifications that were not shared, but that we can assume were quite important, since the game ran very cleanly at 60 frames per second. There were freezes from time to time, but it’s clearly an issue with the non-final version of the game. Plus, we watched it at a pretty impressive 4K resolution. Yeah, Black Myth: Wukong It is a game that impresses, because in addition to having an art direction that is truly screaming that beautifully recreates China from 500 years ago, it makes the Unreal Engine 5 look in all its splendor with highly detailed scenarios and lighting that at times makes you think you are watching a real scene.
And what about the PS5 issue? Well, even though, as I said, the session was only on PC, one of the Game Science representatives told us that Black Myth: Wukong It will run at a resolution of 2K and 60 frames per second on the Sony console, it was even revealed to us that work was being done to bring everything to 4K without sacrificing performance, which of course seems complicated if not impossible. Other elements that I loved were the audio editing and music. The sounds of the game are truly striking and at all times made me feel in the middle of a large forest in the middle of Asia.
Black Myth: Wukong It is a game that, at least from what we tested, will live up to what was taught from the beginning, which, to be frank, seemed too good to be true. The use of new Epic Games technology continues to take its first steps, but the more time progresses, the more it impresses us with brutally realistic graphics that make you think to what extent video games will reach in a couple of decades.
Doubts cleared?
It is perfectly understandable that there are doubts about what it is Black Myth: Wukong. In fact, I would tell you that it is always the most prudent thing to have some degree of skepticism when we talk about a new or not so well-known developer. After this extensive session with the Chinese-produced game, I would tell you that there is something special brewing that could take more than one person by surprise, since we are looking at a title with clear objectives, good design, solid controls, and its own proposal at the level of mechanics. , and a truly screaming technical section. It is clear to me that Game Science has done its homework and has deciphered how a modern AAA should work, in addition to understanding that this specific work could open a lot of doors to other productions made in the imposing Asian nation that is left over. In other words, he has stopped being a supporting character in the world, and has become a true protagonist.
Black Myth: Wukong is scheduled to launch next August 20 on PC and PS5. As for the Xbox Series X|S version, we still don’t know when it might be ready. To complement, we asked if there was any news about the unfortunate fact that the physical versions of the title will not contain a disc, to which we were only told that Game Science is working on it. I would tell you that it will happen, we will just have to wait beyond the official release day.
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