In the first week of August I was scrolling through my TikTok feed, as I do daily. I suddenly came upon a video of a gamer, @Madlilg, who was reacting to a trailer for a new game that was going to be released that month. I was curious to watch the video because this game is based upon a Chinese novel called “Journey to the West.”
When you watch the trailer for the first time it is almost as if you are watching a movie. In the video that the gamer was reacting to, “The Monkey King”, also known as Sun Wukong, is the main character of the game. He flew in on a cloud to fight against a god who had a huge army behind him. The graphics and visuals are incredible because of the color elements complimenting each other and the details in the graphics. Each place you journey to in the game is unique. All the characters in the trailer have different colors, accessories, and designs that all relate to Chinese culture.
Reaction videos of gamers watching the trailer for “Black Myth: Wukong” have become very popular on TikTok. I always make sure to check the comments, as I like to read others’ opinions and thoughts. Many people had said nothing but good things about the game.
“The character designs are peak,” said @DBeCooler, on TikTok in a post from Aug. 20.
“The game is fun so far and I love it so far, a very very unique taste,” said @PappaBus, in an Aug. 19 TikTok post.
Madlilg’s reaction to the video made me even more interested.
“This game is truly amazing,” Madlilg said.
Many people have given their thoughts on “Black Myth: Wukong” and all reviews have been great so far. According to IGN.com, a top site for video game reviews and news, there are a few technical issues that can be fixed, but despite that “Black Myth: Wukong” is a great action fantasy game. Steam, a site known for playing, discussing and creating games, rated the game a 10/10 and IGN rated the game an 8/10. These two sites have become popular places for gamers to discuss about their opinions on the game. Since the game was released, it has reached a 2.4 million player count on Steam. This makes it the second most-played game on the platform, which means its popularity will likely continue to expand.
There are many different games gaining popularity with gamers that have great potential to be nominated for Game of the Year in 2024. Oli Welsh from Polygon.com, a source for the latest news in video games, sci-fi, fantasy and more, wrote that some of the games to be nominated this year are “Black Myth: Wukong”, “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth” and “Astro Bot”. All of the games that are predicted for nomination are great, but I know that “Black Myth: Wukong” will win game of the year. The game has so much potential to win because of its complex storyline and dynamic gameplay.
The Chinese culture in the game is remarkable with its music and characters. Learning about characters’ backstories or legends have been captivating as well. It is almost as if you learn more about the culture, while also learning about the myths.
The myth of the Monkey King is a very well known story among China. In the novel “Journey to the West”, the Monkey King never wanted to follow anybody. He was always known to be mischievous and undisciplined. This is why the game gives so much depth into fighting for your freedom and wanting to live freely.
Because Wukong rejected life in the Celestial Court, the God and the army were sent as punishment. Before the end of the fight, Wukong loses his powers and becomes sealed away by a crown from the Celestial Court. When the game finally begins, you play as a young monkey who is being told about the legend of Sun Wukong many centuries later. That being said, the character you play goes on a journey to collect the six relics that can revive Sun Wukong. The game has many different areas to explore with multiple enemies to fight against. You also get a few powers of Wukong, which help you become stronger for boss fights and more.
The novel always showed how rebellious the Monkey King was towards the celestial gods which is what caused a war between them. When you first play the game you start off fighting against the celestial gods’ army. Throughout the game you can see many references to Chinese culture: different traditional Chinese clothing worn by characters, the language settings allows you to listen to the game audio in Chinese with English subtitles, the music is inspired by traditional Chinese instruments, and much of the concept has to do with the culture/heritage. I know a lot about Chinese tradition or culture through the many fantasy Chinese movies I watch that are based on famous Chinese novels.
“The Sorcerer and the White Snake,” “Chinese Odyssey,” “Once Upon A Time” and more. These movies have soundtracks with the beats of traditional Chinese instruments like the game. Some musical instruments you can hear in the game or movies are the Chinese flute and the Pipa. The Pipa is a Chinese guitar that is shaped like a pear. The game itself interested me as the story of the Monkey King is one of my favorites. I believe that this game can also help others learn a bit about Chinese culture whether it be the language, customs or stories.
Though the game is great story wise, I feel that the gameplay can be improved a bit more. There are a few technical issues. Sometimes when you do a few controls to dodge the enemy’s attacks, it is too slow which causes you to be attacked. You can be fast on your controller, but somehow you don’t dodge as quickly as you would hope to because the game lags. Another thing is that there isn’t a map for the game. This makes things difficult because you don’t know where to go to continue the story, so it takes you more than a few minutes just to move to the next part.
“Black Myth: Wukong” was released on Aug. 19. After a month of being out, I can tell it has interested many gamers who like to play role-playing games. You can clearly see from comments and ratings on Steam, TikTok and other gaming discussion sites. Many different platforms have posted their opinions on the best things in the game, how to beat certain enemies in the game and more. This goes to show how quickly “Black Myth: Wukong” has created a gaming community.
This game has so much more to show gamers in the gaming community. I say play the game yourself, or watch agameplay . When it comes to the sound, visual, and fighting you will be captivated. “Black Myth: Wukong” has a story to tell.
