Game Science's action RPG Black Myth: Wukong is almost here, and the recent release of its final trailer has built a ton of anticipation for its release date, August 20. In a story based on one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West, players will embark on a one-of-a-kind adventure as the Destined One. Black Myth: Wukong has been likened to a Soulslike ahead of its release, but its godlike protagonist and fast-paced combat may beg to differ.
The final trailer for Black Myth: Wukong is extensive, to put it lightly. Running for close to five minutes, the trailer does everything in its power to pack as much into it as possible, with scene changes that are almost as rapid as the game's combat seems to be. Nevertheless, it does an excellent job of showing fans what Black Myth: Wukong is made of.
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Black Myth: Wukong's Final Trailer Begins With an Environmental Showcase
One of the biggest questions fans have had about Black Myth: Wukong is whether it will simply be a boss rush game from start to finish or if players will experience the same level of freedom and side content generally found in a standard modern action RPG. Thankfully, Game Science has confirmed that the world would eventually open up for players to meet new NPCs, acquire side quests, and uncover plenty of secrets. Regardless, it's still refreshing to see the final trailer for Black Myth: Wukong open with an environmental showcase, as if to reassure the game's followers that its world is much bigger than a mere boss rush.
The first environment shown in the trailer is a desert landscape, but not before the camera soars through a nearby canyon with stone structures built into its sides. On the right is a large drum that appears near the end of the trailer as well, suggesting it could play an important role in Black Myth: Wukong's gameplay. As the trailer progresses through its first cinematic minute, it becomes clear that Black Myth: Wukong wants to emphasize the verticality of its world, as each environment features towering cliffs and large mountainous regions. This could be nothing more than a display of the size of its environments and landmarks, but there could be an underlying message revolving around the large-scale conflict within the world and the godlike beings who inhabit it.
Black Myth: Wukong's Final Trailer Shows Off Its Fast-paced Combat
After just a little over a minute into the final trailer, it gives a brief, half-minute glance into the game's combat, including several of Black Myth: Wukong's highly anticipated transformations. The first transformation shown in the trailer has been confirmed by hands-on previews of Black Myth: Wukong to be obtained after players defeat Guangzhi, a wolf guai who wields a double-bladed flame staff. The Destined One then proceeds to subdue a large group of enemies in a series of frenzied flame strikes using the newly acquired transformation. From there, four more transformations are seen using their unique abilities to vanquish foes in some rather bizarre and brutal ways.
One of Black Myth: Wukong's transformations shown in the final trailer sees the Destined One throwing snowballs at enemies using two long tentacles. As the enemies are hit by a snowball, they are only briefly stunned, but it may still be long enough for players to flail the Destined One's tentacles around to ensure they go down and remain that way. Two other transformations change the Destined One's head, with one appearing to be a balled-up cluster of corpses and the other resembling a larva. A final transformation for this segment of the trailer sees the Destined One as a beast of some sort who wields a large blade and can breathe fire.
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Black Myth: Wukong's Final Trailer Introduces Several of Its NPCs
Every video game world is brought to life by two things: the story and the characters. As so much of Black Myth: Wukong's footage has centered around the game's combat, it's nice to finally see many of the faces the Destined One will encounter during his journey being introduced in the final trailer. Of course, these characters don't appear until after the Destined One is seen meditating near a frozen lake — a feature that players will become familiar with as they progress through Black Myth: Wukong's narrative.
From the looks of things, the Destined One will be meeting a variety of different characters as he journeys deeper into Black Myth: Wukong's world, many of them taking on a bizarre and often otherworldly appearance. Some of these NPCs could be friendly and others enemies, but it's too soon to tell. One NPC, in particular, is a human-like tiger who may be one of Black Myth: Wukong's boss fights. What's interesting about this particular NPC, however, is that the final trailer shows him on the ground, seemingly asking the Destined One for mercy. It's entirely possible players could find themselves in a fight against this character, only for him to eventually become a helpful ally to the Destined One.
As so much of Black Myth: Wukong's footage has centered around the game's combat, it's nice to finally see many of the faces the Destined One will encounter during his journey being introduced in the final trailer.
Several other characters are revealed in the final trailer for Black Myth: Wukong, including an old man with a large gourd on his back, a person in a cracked white mask, another canine humanoid, a woman in a dark cave seen tossing a dagger in the air, a character wearing what appears to be a white Oni mask, and several others. It feels obvious that some of these characters will be friends of the Destined One while others will be enemies, but that is purely speculation. At the very least, the appearance of so many unique characters in the world of Black Myth: Wukong helps reinforce its narrative.
Black Myth Wukong's Final Trailer Concludes With One Last Combat and Boss Montage
While Black Myth: Wukong will undoubtedly have a story, its bread and butter will be its strong emphasis on combat, as well as scale because there are reportedly over 80 bosses in Black Myth: Wukong. Nevertheless, given the godlike abilities of the Destined One, there is no better way to show off those skills than against a formidable foe who can take more than a few hits with a staff. In light of Black Myth: Wukong's strong emphasis on combat, the final trailer concludes with one last cinematic montage to show off even more of the game's transformations and Soulslike boss fights.
Nearly ten more of Black Myth: Wukong's transformations are put on display for this segment of the trailer, each of which grants the Destined One unique skills, like the ability to become a spirit to avoid an attack or the ability to vanish into thin air. Several other transformations are difficult to interpret, simply due to how quickly the Destined One is moving on the screen. However, this is a testament to Black Myth: Wukong's energetic and fast-paced combat, as it's likely to keep even the most skilled players on their toes.
Eventually, the trailer ties a bow on it all with over a dozen brief glimpses at many of Black Myth: Wukong's terrifying bosses, including a dragon, a massive troll, a rock monster, and a dual sword-wielding character that looks like a tough time. Other scenes near the end of the final trailer, like one of the Destined One placing a mask on a statue to open a large door, have very little context, so it's impossible to know what all of it means. One particular scene of a blood moon could be the cinematic introduction to a boss fight, as blood moons are considered a sign of impending doom in Chinese culture.
One final scene in the trailer occurs after the game's main title appears, in which the Destined One can be seen sitting at a table with the gourd-laden old man who was shown earlier. They sit together, surrounded by a ring of fire that is soon revealed to be a shield protecting them from a nearby enemy. The old man appears to be mentoring the Destined One, so it's likely he will fill this role in the game.
If the final trailer for Black Myth: Wukong accomplishes anything, it is that it all but confirms that the game will be more than simply fighting boss after boss. That said, even if it were a boss rush, it would likely still be an engaging experience with what has already been revealed about Black Myth: Wukong's gameplay. Thankfully, however, players will find plenty of interesting characters scattered throughout Black Myth: Wukong's world, feast-for-the-eyes environments, and plenty of secrets around the darkest corners.
Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology and based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.
As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles where surrender is not an option.
Aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning strategy that best suits your combat style.
Action RPG
Systems
- Platform(s)
- PC , PlayStation 5
- Released
- August 20, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Game Science
- Publisher(s)
- Game Science
