Black Myth: Wukong first started making waves upon its announcement back in 2020, and since then, with each subsequent showing, the game has looked increasingly promising. From its Chinese mythology inspired fantasy setting to its promises of a different kind of Soulslike action RPG experience, Game Science’s upcoming game is looking like it’s taking solid shape in several areas, and as we approach its PS5 and PC launch in August and more details on it continue to emerge, that notion becomes more cemented still. Following the game’s recent showing at Summer Game Fest, it was previewed by a number of outlets that have posted new information and hands-on impressions, and here, we’re going to comb over those and bring you all of the key details that you should know about.
NOT ENTIRELY A SOULSLIKE
Since it was unveiled, Black Myth: Wukong has been classified as a Soulslike by almost everyone who has spoken about it, but developer Game Science is now indicating that the game doesn’t necessarily fall in that genre- at least not entirely. As per recently published previews, though Black Myth: Wukong certainly does have Soulslike elements, it doesn’t abide by the genre’s playbook every step of the way. It will differ from your typical Soulslike in a number of ways, including letting you pause the action at any time, you only losing a fraction of your earned XP upon death, you have a set primary weapon, progression being handled through a skill tree, the skill tree being accessible anywhere and at any time, and other differences that we’ll be speaking about in this feature. Speaking of which…
FASTER COMBAT
Here’s another area where Black Myth: Wukong is looking to offer a different kind of experience from what you may be used to seeing in most Souslike titles. Multiple recent previews – from IGN to GamesRadar – have described the game’s combat being much faster, more nimble, and more agile than what the genre is typically known for. Protagonist Sun Wukong is a fast-moving character who jumps and twirls around, zips around the arena to dodge attacks, and deals out fast and furious strikes with his staff. Obviously, faster combat isn’t necessarily something that Soulslikes are complete strangers to, but Black Myth does look like it will be leaning harder on that style of gameplay than some may have expected.
MORE DODGE-FOCUSED
Black Myth: Wukong will subvert genre combat conventions by de-emphasizing blocking and parrying, to the extent that it’s looking like the game won’t let you block and parry attacks at all. Players will have the ability to block incoming projectiles by spinning Wukong’s staff really fast, but there will be no traditional block if you’re looking to, say, deal with an incoming melee blow. Instead, if you’re looking to avoid damage, Black Myth: Wukong’s combat will revolve entirely around dodging.
HOW DODGING WORKS
How exactly is dodging going to work, then? Black Myth: Wukong might not be an out-and-out Soulslike, but it is going to be a challenging game nonetheless, which means endlessly spamming the dodge button is not going to be an option. Instead, as described in IGN’s preview, Black Myth will let players dodge thrice in quick succession, but after those three dodges, the next one will lock you into a lengthy recovery window before you can dodge again. Timing your dodges will also be key, thanks to a perfect dodge mechanic that will see you earning focus every time you pull off a dodge with perfect timing. And what exactly is focus?
FOCUS
Focus is a core mechanic that you’re going to have to pay attention to if you want to get the most out of the combat in Black Myth: Wukong. And what exactly will it do? Hitting enemies with combos of your light attacks, executing perfect dodges, and the like will reward you with Focus, and once you’ve filled your bar up, you’ll be rewarded with a Focus point. That, in turn, can be used to unleash a heavy attack that you can integrate into your combo chain, allowing you to unleash stronger moves on enemies to deal heavier damage. Figuring out the right time for using Focus points to unleash heavy attacks will be a big part of many of the game’s tougher combat encounters, especially the boss fights.
MAGIC
In addition to Wukong’s arsenal of weapons, he’ll also have access to magical abilities. Players will have four slots open for magical spells, with multiple spells becoming available for each slot as you progress deeper into the game. Magic will, of course, require mana, and players will be able to use a number of different kinds of spells. For instance, one spell in particular that a number of previews have described is Immobilize, which, as its name suggests, will allow you to completely freeze enemies in their tracks for brief windows (which may get briefer still depending on how strong those enemies are), allowing you to dodge their attacks and land plenty of your own attacks instead.
TRANSFORMATIONS
Another key mechanic that will play a major role in Black Myth: Wukong’s core loop is transformations, which will essentially let you temporarily take on the form of select bosses and minibosses that you find and defeat throughout your journey. As per several recently published previews, an early miniboss that players will be able to transform into upon defeating it is Guangzhi, a formidable, wolf-man monstosity that wields a giant, flaming weapon. For short windows, players will be able to play as the creatures they transform into, which will also mean having full access to their attacks and abilities. Exactly how much freedom the game will afford in this area remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a mechanic that promises to set the game apart from other similar action RPGs, or Soulslike adjacent experiences.
STANCES
Black Myth: Wukong will also give players access to three different combat stances, each of which will bring different play styles and abilities. You’ll start with the Smash stance, which is a jack-of-all-trades sort of deal, giving you access to basic, quick combos of light attacks, as well as a regular heavy attack. At level 20, you’ll attack the second stance, which is the Pillar stance. Pillar stance, as described in IGN’s preview, will replace the heavy attack with a move that will task players with remaining balanced atop Wukong’s staff long enough for a Focus point to recharge, which you can then use to flip into the air and unleash a heavy slam attack into the ground using your staff. What the third stance is remains to be seen, though players will be able to seamlessly swap between them using the d-pad, similar to Ghost of Tsushima.
PROGRESSION
As we touched on earlier, Black Myth: Wukong will handle progression through a system of skill trees that will not only be accessibly anywhere and at any time, but will also let you respec whenever you want. As per GamesRadar, the game will supposedly have three skill trees- one for passive buffs, one for magic and transformations, and one for your staff and its stances. Defeating enemies will reward you with Will, which is basically XP, and accumulating enough Will and filling up a bar will reward you with a Spark, which, you guessed it, is effectively a skill point. Beyond the skill tree, you’ll also be able to tweak your gear loadout and modify your staff.
LINEAR LEVELS
Black Myth: Wukong is also looking like it’s going to be a much more linear experience than your typical Soulslike. Developer Game Science has said that there will be some levels in the game that will feature branching paths, hidden bosses and challenges, secrets and optional quests, and what have you, but by and large, you shouldn’t expect the game to feature the sort of semi-open and winding level design that something like Dark Souls would have. Instead, Black Myth: Wukong is going to be a mission-based game that will take you through much more linear levels with constant forward momentum.