Monkeys and apes make pretty great video game protagonists – just as Donkey Kong and his family, or perhaps Overwatch’s Winston. It should come as no surprise that an action RPG starring none other than the mythological Monkey King himself would catch the attention of gamers on the Internet. But what about a gorgeously animated RPG featuring a fluid combat style, multiple environments to explore, terrifying giant-sized foes, and more…all developed by a small up-and-coming studio who exploded onto the scene with a 13-minute gameplay reveal?
Black Myth: Wukong seemingly came out of nowhere – but it quickly popped up everywhere. Small China-based studio Game Science debuted 13 minutes of gameplay for their upcoming title inspired by the classic tale Journey to the West. Play as the Monkey King, Sun Wukong himself, as he takes on hordes of enemies armed with nothing more than his signature staff.
The reveal, which has been compared to games such as Nioh and Sekiro, focuses on both combat and exploration. Wukong travels through a rich jungle (designed using Unreal Engine 4) and takes down both giant-sized single bosses and large groups of smaller foes. His staff, though it may look simple at first, is used to perform several combat tricks and maneuvers, including spinning to deflect arrows. There’s even a stealth mechanic where Wukong transforms into a cicada to sneak past his enemies!
Currently, Black Myth: Wukong is still in pre-alpha, and is expected to take several more years to finish development. Due to this, no official release date has been revealed. It is also unknown which consoles Wukong will be released for, although next-generation models such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X would not be surprising.
We wish Game Science the best as the studio continues to work on Wukong in the coming months and years.
