Black Myth: Wukong - New game from Game Science

[Rodgerwilco]

Any word how it runs on console?

I played it on my PS5 last night and had no major issues. There are three different settings. One for "best graphics" one for "best performance" and a "balanced" mode. I chose to play on Balanced.

There are times, mostly in the video sequences, where there's a noticeable dip in video performance, but overall it's really not so bad if you're not one of those people who obsesses over video FPS and stuff like that. There's not been a single performance issue that has affected game play, or meaningfully affected video sequences.

 

[Oogie Boogie]

Are you on PC or console? Also, any games that are comparable?

I'm playing on PC. If you have played any soulslike games, then you'll already have a feel for how it's going to play a bit. Although there are additional things you have for combat, like being able to transform into other forms from bosses that you take down. Also, I could be wrong, but it doesn't feel like you lose anything when you die. You don't spend points like souls or something similar like in other souls games, but you accumulate them into "sparks" and it just gives you points to put into a skill tree that you want it in, and upon dying you don't lose the spark point.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I'm playing on PC. If you have played any soulslike games, then you'll already have a feel for how it's going to play a bit. Although there are additional things you have for combat, like being able to transform into other forms from bosses that you take down. Also, I could be wrong, but it doesn't feel like you lose anything when you die. You don't spend points like souls or something similar like in other souls games, but you accumulate them into "sparks" and it just gives you points to put into a skill tree that you want it in, and upon dying you don't lose the spark point.

Yep you don't lose anything when you die... On the contrary, all the of the enemies respawn when you die, so if you're having a hard time on a boss you can kill the mobs again on your way and maybe level up again before the boss. I found it helpful, as I kept dying on certain bosses and was able to accumulate some more spark points to help with the upcoming boss.

 

[Shareefruck]

I've heard it's more like God of War or Devil May Cry/Bayonetta than Souls-likes, but I'm not too familiar.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Wasn't expecting latency to be an issue of all things..

 

[Mikeaveli]

Those visual modes are bizarre. A 30 FPS mode that isn't properly capped, a 45 FPS mode which is just nonsensical, and a 60 FPS mode which seems stable but only gets there due to the use of FSR 3 Frame Generation which should not be used unless the base frame rate is 60. Not sure what the devs were thinking here.

Also, not having HDR in a game that is supposed to be a visual showpiece should be a crime

 

[Shareefruck]

Okay, so I skipped through some of the story bits via Youtube, and those chapter interlude sequences are absolutely outstanding and tasteful/poetic. Truly artful love-letters to some of the subtext hinted at in the original (again, I don't know if the written versions were this seriously/darkly represented, I've only seen the campy adaptations). From the little I saw, the narrative of the game seems to be an actual rumination on the events/themes of the original rather than just dumb spin-off entertainment. (kind of reminds me of what Wong Kar Wai was attempting to do with other Chinese myths in the film, Ashes of Time)

Although people unfamiliar with the lore might be a bit lost/things might get too abstract, they're so well done that they're sure to intrigue and get people curious. This appears to have much more substance (and money poured into that substance) than I expected. Very surprised. Also, my concern/tentative criticism above was addressed.

I was actually losing interest after seeing the intro and first chapter (which felt like a run-of-the-mill but high budget disposable action game with a coat of paint that appeals to me, + bugs/poor quality of life choices on top of that), but consider me intrigued all over again.

Oh, and the lack of diversity stuff does seem to be absolute BS.

Here are the sequences for anyone who doesn't mind spoilers:

Spoiler

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Okay, so I skipped through some of the story bits via Youtube, and those chapter interlude sequences are absolutely outstanding and tasteful/poetic. Truly artful love-letters to some of the subtext hinted at in the original (again, I don't know if the written versions were this seriously/darkly represented, I've only seen the campy adaptations). From the little I saw, the narrative of the game seems to be an actual rumination on the events/themes of the original rather than just dumb spin-off entertainment. (kind of reminds me of what Wong Kar Wai was attempting to do with the Chinese myths in the film, Ashes of Time)

Although people unfamiliar with the lore might be a bit lost/things might get too abstract, they're so well done that they're sure to intrigue and get people curious. This appears to have much more substance (and money poured into that substance) than I expected. Very surprised. Also, my concern/tentative criticism above was addressed.

I was actually losing interest after seeing the intro and first chapter (which felt like a run-of-the-mill but high budget disposable action game with a coat of paint that appeals to me, + bugs/poor quality of life choices on top of that), but consider me intrigued all over again.

Oh, and the lack of diversity stuff does seem to be absolute BS.

As someone who knows little about the lore (I've never read Journey to the West) , I appreciate your breakdowns about this game and how the lore is represented in the game. I'm very happy with my experience with the game so far. Glad your critiques were addressed and you're having fun with it.

Overall, it seems to be getting very positive reviews.

 

[Jovavic]

Seems like I'll love it once I get the chance, more action like God of War and you don't lose anything when you die. Is it "open world" at all or does the game kinda flow from one area to the next?

 

[Shareefruck]

As someone who knows little about the lore (I've never read Journey to the West) , I appreciate your breakdowns about this game and how the lore is represented in the game. I'm very happy with my experience with the game so far. Glad your critiques were addressed and you're having fun with it.

Overall, it seems to be getting very positive reviews.

I'd actually be surprised if it isn't the GOTY favorite AHEAD of Rebirth after the cultural phenomenon/record-breaking popularity it's getting, combined with how creatively ambitious it kind of looks like they went with some of it (almost feels like the Chinese government stepped in and went "you're not going to make us look bad" and poured money into some of those sequences or something, because how would an indie do this?), combined with the whole concept of it being the pioneering Chinese game.

Regardless of the obvious game design/quality of life flaws that it does have.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Seems like I'll love it once I get the chance, more action like God of War and you don't lose anything when you die. Is it "open world" at all or does the game kinda flow from one area to the next?

It's not really "open world", as you said the game flows from one area to the next and you can quick-travel between shrines in different areas that you've visited, so you can go back if you want to explore or re-visit something from a past location.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Okay, so I skipped through some of the story bits via Youtube, and those chapter interlude sequences are absolutely outstanding and tasteful/poetic. Truly artful love-letters to some of the subtext hinted at in the original (again, I don't know if the written versions were this seriously/darkly represented, I've only seen the campy adaptations). From the little I saw, the narrative of the game seems to be an actual rumination on the events/themes of the original rather than just dumb spin-off entertainment. (kind of reminds me of what Wong Kar Wai was attempting to do with other Chinese myths in the film, Ashes of Time)

Here are the sequences for anyone who doesn't mind spoilers:

Spoiler

Just got to the end of chapter 1 last night and I was blown away by the the sequence. Absolutely something I was hoping for in this game, beautiful art pieces and story-telling segments that delve into the deeper lore. I loved the poster after the comic that you could look around at and get some more info on various pieces.

Absolutely loving this all. I'm not that great at fighting games, and don't have many abilities unlocked yet so some of the bosses wear me down at times lol.

 

[Jovavic]

It's not really "open world", as you said the game flows from one area to the next and you can quick-travel between shrines in different areas that you've visited, so you can go back if you want to explore or re-visit something from a past location.

Sounds like the three most recent Tomb Raider games, sounds great! I might just get this today, the FOMO is hitting me hard lol

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Sounds like the three most recent Tomb Raider games, sounds great! I might just get this today, the FOMO is hitting me hard lol

Well I know you've seen my comments throughout the thread and can guess what I'd recommend you do haha.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I may download it. Is it worth it for PS5?

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I may download it. Is it worth it for PS5?

I think so, I've not had any meaningful performance issues on PS5.

 

[Jovavic]

f*** it, YOLO or whatever the kids are saying now

Edit: 104.5GB, they aren't messing around

 

[Rodgerwilco]

f*** it, YOLO or whatever the kids are saying now

Edit: 104.5GB, they aren't messing around

hell yeah buddy, hope you like it!

 

[Jovavic]

Took over three hours to download, LFG.....have dinner first

 

[Shareefruck]

Just got to the end of chapter 1 last night and I was blown away by the the sequence. Absolutely something I was hoping for in this game, beautiful art pieces and story-telling segments that delve into the deeper lore. I loved the poster after the comic that you could look around at and get some more info on various pieces.

Absolutely loving this all. I'm not that great at fighting games, and don't have many abilities unlocked yet so some of the bosses wear me down at times lol.

Some context for that sequence/chapter if you or anyone else wants it (though I'm a bit hazy on specifics):

Chapter 1:

The bear demon and elder Jinchi are one of the first story arcs/villains that Wukong and the monk he's protecting (named Tripitaka) face along their Journey to the West. A Kasaya is a monk's robe, and elder Jinchi (friend of the bear demon) becomes obsessed with Tripitaka's fancy high-tier monk robes after inviting them to rest at their temple. In a plot to kill them in a fire and steal it for himself (with the help of the bear demon), the entire monastery ends up burning down (murder plot thwarted by Wukong, which is why he's watching the temple burn in that animated bit) and he ends up killing himself (don't remember the reasons).

In the final part of that cinematic, the bear demon (after having been tamed), basically asks Guanyin (the female deity overseeing this whole Journey to the West thing) why a monk who's sole purpose is to let go of earthly desires would care so much about some stupid Kasaya of all things. Her final line is expressing the irony that the one thing that someone who wants nothing more than to let go of earthly desires would in fact desire most is the very thing that shows the world that they've let go of those earthly desires (since you get the fanciest robes the closer to enlightenment you reach).

 

[Shareefruck]

Oh also, something basic that might go over people's heads: Every time someone says "Great Sage" they're referring to the original Wukong. Basically, Wukong's such a cocky, power-tripping ego-maniac that when he went on a one-man crusade against the celestial forces, he gave himself the title "Great Sage, Heaven's Equal" and had a habit of declaring it/making people call him that everywhere he went.

 

[Blitzkrug]

An xbox leaker (fairly legit most of the time) with a blurb as to what exactly is holding up the Series X/S version of it

"At Gamescom, I spoke to Xbox insiders and developers who informed me about a technical issue affecting the launch of Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox consoles."

"Apparently, the game is suffering from a bug known as "Memory Leak," which can cause significant crashes that could compromise the performance of your Xbox console. Because of this issue, the game has not passed Xbox's bug detection tests and has therefore been delayed indefinitely until they manage to optimize the game for Series X|S."

"The studio is already working hard to resolve this issue and achieve the necessary certification. Once they get approval, they will set a release date for the game, but they do not yet know when or how, but apart from that error the game is "close to being ready.""

This checks out since i've seen scattered reports of people saying the game starts to come to a crawl during extended play sessions. Wonder how long this'll take to fix.

 

[Jovavic]

I'm still in chapter 1, up to the guy who turns into a snake for his second form, I think I might need to move my sparks around. I beat both the giant frog and the giant wolf on my second time so I guess I'm not completely terrible lol

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I'm still in chapter 1, up to the guy who turns into a snake for his second form, I think I might need to move my sparks around. I beat both the giant frog and the giant wolf on my second time so I guess I'm not completely terrible lol

that snake guy gave me fits man, lol. Just try to take your time and learn his dashes and you should be alright. I've found my biggest pitfall in this game so far is being too aggressive instead of just waiting for the enemy to bring the fight to me and then countering.

An xbox leaker (fairly legit most of the time) with a blurb as to what exactly is holding up the Series X/S version of it


This checks out since i've seen scattered reports of people saying the game starts to come to a crawl during extended play sessions. Wonder how long this'll take to fix.

I'm not a console war fanboy by any means, but it's frustrating to me that there is clearly something about the XBox that makes it so hard to optimize games for it that energy and attention is taken away from the dev team to have to focus on trying to get the game to run on this console. At this point, I just wish they'd ditch the Xbox altogether and make sure that they're continuing to work on improving the product for systems that are competent enough to run the game as is.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Some context for that sequence/chapter if you or anyone else wants it (though I'm a bit hazy on specifics):

(chapter 1 spoilers)
The bear demon and elder Jinchi are one of the first story arcs/villains that Wukong and the monk he's protecting (named Tripitaka) face along their Journey to the West. A Kasaya is a monk's robe, and elder Jinchi (friend of the bear demon) becomes obsessed with Tripitaka's fancy high-tier monk robes after inviting them to rest at their temple. In a plot to kill them in a fire and steal it for himself (with the help of the bear demon), the entire monastery ends up burning down (murder plot thwarted by Wukong, which is why he's watching the temple burn in that animated bit) and he ends up killing himself (don't remember the reasons).

In the final part of that cinematic, the bear demon (after having been tamed), basically asks Guanyin (the female deity overseeing this whole Journey to the West thing) why a monk who's sole purpose is to let go of earthly desires would care so much about some stupid Kasaya of all things. Her final line is expressing the irony that the one thing that someone who wants nothing more than to let go of earthly desires would in fact desire most is the very thing that shows the world that they've let go of those earthly desires (since you get the fanciest robes the closer to enlightenment you reach).

Thanks a lot for adding this insight. I've been watching a series of breakdown videos for Journey to the West and it's helping me put the story into context and understand the ins and outs of what's going on here.