Black Myth: Wukong Xbox Series X Review – The Art of the Battle

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I last played Black Myth: Wukong, tearing through hordes of grunts and intelligently using my Spells, Transformations, and Stances against bosses in my search for the elusive Monkey King.

Gathering the legendary hero’s six senses was an absolute pleasure, with Game Science’s beautifully crafted world hiding secrets, lore drops, hidden bosses, cool gear, and a host of well-written NPCs from the lore that inspired this title, all coming together to make Black Myth: Wukong one of my favorite action titles of last year.

At the same time, I can’t believe it’s taken a year to bring this incredible title to the Xbox Series X|S, but hey, it’s better late than never. That’s because Wukong brings every facet of the experience to life on Microsoft’s current-gen hardware with aplomb, and like the Monkey King, does so with style and substance.

Black Myth: Wukong certainly wears its inspirations on its sleeve. Based on the Chinese Journey to the West, the story centers around Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, as he’s better known in popular culture.

"Game Science’s switch to Unreal Engine 5 in the middle of Wukong’s development cycle is a decision that has worked wonders for the game."

Following in his footsteps as one of his descendants, looking to bring the living legend back to life after an unfortunate encounter with divine forces, your time as the protagonist brings you in contact with several characters from Wukong’s journey, tweaked to better suit the narrative that Game Science is trying to present in its title.

And it’s quite the tale. Game Science makes intelligent use of the source material to craft an experience that is visually stunning while carrying enough emotional heft to make it memorable, its characters all playing their part in making this a journey that’s a pleasure to embark upon rather than a tedious trek through key locations from Wukong’s past.

The pacing and execution of the protagonist’s tale is brilliant, and the choice to divide the journey into distinct chapters allows each stage of that journey to shine in its own unique way. And shine it does on the Xbox Series X.

Game Science’s switch to Unreal Engine 5 in the middle of Wukong’s development cycle is a decision that has worked wonders for the game. Every vista that the protagonist visits outdoes the grandeur and sheer beauty of the last, boasting of a unique visual signature that ties very well with the narrative themes it presents.

It helps that the Xbox was able to keep up with it all for the most part, bringing each area to life just as well as the game’s counterparts on other platforms while maintaining a silky smooth framerate in Performance Mode, which remained as my pick among the options on offer.

While Balanced and Quality modes are present, a title like this always benefits from a better framerate, allowing me to better weave in and out of enemy animations, which is quite important to the protagonist’s journey. I must point out that there was a bit of stutter in comparison to the PS5 version I played last year, but it’s not a deal breaker for the most part.

Loading times are largely the same, letting you get right back into the action quite quickly every time you load up a new area, either by visiting it for the first time or via fast travel from the game’s many locations. While it’s too early to comment on how the Series S is holding up, expect a similar experience, albeit at a lower resolution.

"You navigate through each chapter fighting off grunts to accrue XP and Will (the currency you use to purchase upgrades and other useful items)."

Overall, the graphics on Wukong’s Xbox debut are largely on par with its PS5 and PC versions. Kudos to Game Science for its determination to recreate the magical experience it designed for its players on Xbox.

Getting into a fight against the stunning visual backdrop of Wukong’s levels continues to be my favorite part of the game. While I can’t stop lamenting the lack of weapon variety in this title, considering that you only get to wield varying versions of your trusty staff, I must admit that it does get the job done while the options you are presented with work well with other facets of your build.

While Game Science has been quite emphatic about this one not being a Soulslike, it’s hard to miss the familiar trappings from that genre as you take on the many threats that Wukong offers.

You navigate through each chapter fighting off grunts to accrue XP and Will (the currency you use to purchase upgrades and other useful items). You must use all of the tools at your disposal to come out victorious against minibosses and bosses. It’s all quite familiar, but with the challenge dialled down to present a more accessible combat system.

That’s not to say that this game’s enemies are pushovers, not in the slightest. Even lowly grunts can quickly send you packing, although retaining your collected XP and Will when you die does ease things up a bit. But you must learn attack patterns and animations, using that knowledge to Perfect Dodge your way into opportunities to dish out some damage of your own.

You pick up a lot of unique gear and spells along your journey, with each new discovery opening up the potential to create a build that’s truly your own. However, there are only so many unique builds that can be crafted in this game, considering the limited selection of perks on offer, each of which centers around the use of one spell over the others.

"Overall, the graphics on Wukong’s Xbox debut are largely on par with its console and PC versions."

With three stances opening up offensive and defensive options, and your choice of playstyle, Wukong’s combat quickly becomes a deadly dance in which one wrong move on either side could alter the course of a fight. Things only get more spectacular and challenging as the story progresses, and there’s never a dull moment as you navigate this game’s semi-linear world and try to tease out all of its secrets.

Overall, I’m glad that Game Science decided to persevere and bring Wukong to the Xbox when it could have easily called it a day after the game’s successful showing on the PS5 and PC last year. It’s given me a chance to revisit a title that I absolutely love, while giving me an opportunity to brush up on its systems before the release of its rumored DLC.

Minor performance hiccups aside, Black Myth: Wukong is as great on an Xbox as it was on other platforms, and is definitely worth a try if you haven’t had the chance to see what the fuss was all about last year. It’s quite easy to recommend a title that delivers on all fronts and does so in such an effortless fashion, after all.

Give it a shot if you like a game that blends a solid story, stunning visuals, and meaty combat into one cohesive experience.

This game was reviewed on Xbox Series X.