Black Myth: Wukong has looked like one of the most promising non-FromSoftware additions to the Soulslike genre ever since it was first unveiled roughly four years ago, but as the rollout of information on the action RPG has continued in the lead-up to its imminent release in August, developer Game Science has revealed that it is, in fact, not entirely a Soulslike after all. Make no mistake, Black Myth: Wukong will have more than a few things in common with your traditional Soulslikes, but it will, in other ways, also deviate from the genre’s established formula, sometimes in significant ways, other times in ways that are more subtle. Here, we’re going to go over a few of those differences.
FASTER COMBAT
This one is perhaps a bit more nebulous than some of the others, but seeing as it’s going to apply to the majority of the experience, it makes sense to kick things off with it. The traditional Soulslike game that the mind conjures up when you think of the genre is one that generally revolves around slower combat with methodical and deliberate movements, but Black Myth is looking to be much faster in its moment-to-moment pacing. Everything from regular movements to attacks to the more high-flying abilities in the game will be faster and more bombastic than what the genre traditionally has you doing.
MORE LINEAR
Level design isn’t something that all Soulslikes necessarily have the exact same approach to without fail, with different games going for different styles, but without some obvious notable exceptions (like the open world of Elden Ring), there’s traditionally a very style of world that you associate the genre with- a semi-open, wide-linear one, one with winding, interconnected paths and a bevy of shortcuts, hidden pathways, secrets, and what have you. In this area, however, Black Myth: Wukong is heading in a different direction. Though there will of course be branching paths, secrets, hidden bosses, and the like, the game is otherwise going to be a mission-based one, and will offer a much different kind of experience form an exploration perspective.
WEAPONS
This is another area where Black Myth: Wukong might not scratch the exact Soulslike itch, because rather than focusing on the extreme build diversity – a lot of which boils down to having different weapon types to experiment with – it will have players focusing on just one main weapon type, that being protagonist Wukong’s staff. In that regard, Black Myth: Wukong is going to be more like Bloodborne and Sekiro than other Soulslikes, since it will challenge players to master a very specific style of combat rather than offering the freedom to approach duels in a variety of different ways.
LIMITED PROGRESSION
Black Myth: Wukong’s more guided and curated approach to action also manifests in its progression mechanics, which are also much less focused on build diversity and player expression than the likes of Dark Souls or Elden Ring (or even something like, say, Lies of P). Players will be unlocking upgrades across a total of three skill trees, each dictating a specific category of upgrades, which by default means more limited gameplay options than a system where you’re simply pumping points into different stats and attributes. Unlike the average Soulslike, you can also put points into your skill tree whenever you want by simply heading into the menu, rather than only being able to do so at specific checkpoints. Meanwhile, Black Myth will also deviate from the traditional Soulslike way of doing things in the gear department by having all loot be colour-coded on the basis of their rarity.
DE-EMPHASIZED BLOCKING
With Black Myth: Wukong’s combat being faster than your typical Soulslike experience, this one makes sense once you think about it- the focus on blocking that you see being placed by most games in the genre won’t be a thing here. Instead, this is a game that’s much more focused on dodging, which also cannot be spammed, because after three dodges in quick succession, you basically need to cycle through a lengthy recovery window. On the other hand, perfect dodges are a thing, so there’s that. All said, the flow of combat promises to be significantly changed with this focus on dodges over blocks and parries.
PUNISHMENT FOR DEATH
One of the characteristics most strongly associated with Soulslike games is how they punish death- by sending you back to your last checkpoint (Bonfire, Site of Grace, Lamps, or whatever else they’re called) and taking all of your unspent XP away from you. Black Myth: Wukong will do that as well- but not entirely the way most other games in the genre do. Specifically, the game will only take away a portion of your XP upon death, which should make things feel much less punishing, and should also make it much easier to grind.
APPROACH TO DIFFICULTY
In general, Black Myth’s approach to difficulty isn’t necessarily exactly what you would expect from your regular Soulslike. Game Science has, of course, made it a point to emphasize that the game is going to be plenty challenging for those looking for the sort of experience that pushes back against the player, especially where its bosses are concerned, while there also aren’t going to be any difficulty levels. But it also doesn’t look like Black Myth: Wukong will be quite as focused on being a grueling gauntlet of challenge as most games in the Soulslike space tend to be.
PAUSING
Weirdly enough, the last decade and a half has turned the player’s inability to pause into a genre staple for Soulslikes. If you’re someone who has been hoping for that particular eccentricity to go away, you’re in luck. Developer Game Science has confirmed that Black Myth: Wukong will let you pause the action whenever you want, so go ahead and take all the breaks that you need.
TRANSFORMATIONS
The transformations mechanic is one of Black Myth: Wukong’s most standout mechanics, and one that can potentially set it apart from the vast majority of other Soulslikes (or Soulslike-adjacent games). Effectively, this mechanic lets you turn into select minibosses and bosses that you fight and defeat throughout the course of your journey. Upon transforming, you temporarily take on the form of one such past foe, whcih gives you access to their moves and abilities. Gleefully bombastic abilities such as Black Myth’s transformations aren’t something we see too much of in the Soulslike space, so we’re excited to see what they bring to the table.
MORE DIRECT STORYTELLING
With Demon’s Souls, FromSoftware pioneered a style of storytelling that, over the course of subsequent years, it has perfected to a T with many games, to the extent where millions and millions of dedicated fans spend endless hours of their lives pouring over every detail of those games’ lore. That style has been replicated in many other Soulslikes (to varying degrees of success), though it seems Black Myth: Wukong wants to play by different rules. Rather than the cryptic, indirect, deliberately foggy style of storytelling that Soulslike games are generally known for, Black Myth will instead be much more direct and traditional with its narrative and how it tells it.