Black Myth: Wukong (黑神话：悟空) is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Game Science. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows on August 20, 2024, with an Xbox Series X/S version delayed to an unspecified date due to technical concerns.
The game's story is a take on the legendary Chinese character of "Sun Wukong" (孫悟空/孙悟空), the main character of the 16th-century classical fantasy novel Journey to the West (西遊記/西游记), written by Wu Cheng'en (吳承恩/吴承恩). The game is potentially the first in a series of games under the Black Myth name.[2]
History[]
In 2017, Game Science started developing this game.[3]
On August 20, 2020, Game Science uploaded a 13-minute pre-alpha gameplay video. It gained loads of views. On February 8, 2021, the studio released a 3-minute trailer, showing the game's enemies bosses, areas, and spells.
On August 19, 2021, a 12 minute gameplay trailer was released, having moved to using Unreal Engine 5. In January 2023, a minute long Chinese New Year short revealed a Summer 2024 date release.
On August 20, 2023, a trial event was held in Hangzhou, China, where fans could play a demo of the game featuring five boss encounters. A new trailer was released at Gamescom 2023, on August 22, 2023.
On June 7, 2024, a new trailer at Summer Game Fest 2024 revealed the pre-order start and physical game editions for PC. The Xbox Series version has been delayed to an unannounced date, needing more optimization to meet Game Science quality standards.
On August 8, 2024, a "Final" trailer was released showcasing never-seen-before gameplay and characters. On August 12, 2024, Game Science released "Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool" on Steam. A PC benchmark application specifically developed for "Black Myth: Wukong" that evaluates hardware performance and system compatibility through the real-time rendering of an in-game sequence. It allow players to customize benchmark settings to preview game visuals and performance under different graphics options.
On June 20, 2025, the Xbox version was released to be releasing on August 20, 2025.
About[]
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. The story is 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.
The game will restore the mysterious and romantic world of Journey to the West with top-notch graphics, rich details and immersive combat experience.
Key Features[]
- Explore a Land of Vast Wonders – A world unseen, where new sights rise with every stride. Enter a fascinating realm filled with the wonders and discoveries of ancient Chinese mythology! As the Destined One, you shall venture through breathtaking landscapes in the classic tale of Journey to the West, creating a new epic of uncharted adventures.
- Confront Mighty Foes, Old and New – Heroic Monkey, might and fame, adversaries rise, to test his name. One of the major highlights of Journey to the West is its diverse cast of adversaries, each with unique strengths. As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles that know no surrender.
- Temper Your Mastery of Varied Spells – Spells unbound, knowledge's flight, infinite abilities take their height. Spells, transformations, and magic vessels in all manifestations, complementary yet adversarial, have long been iconic combat elements in Chinese mythology. As the Destined One, aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning formula that best suits your combat style.
- Discover Heartfelt Tales Behind Every Facade – Within beings of every kind lies the story of a life. Beneath the ferocity and craftiness of your foes lies an engaging tapestry of their origins, personalities, and motivations waiting to be revealed. As the Destined One, you will uncover the stories behind a variety of characters, delving beyond your battles with them, to taste the love and hate, greed and fury they once had and still carry with them.
Gameplay[]
- The gameplay has been described as Souls-like. The player controls Sun Wukong (also known as Monkey King) to fight through an assortment of enemies, with abilities to transform into flying insects or a giant monster.
Editions[]
Standard Edition[]
The Standard Edition ($59.99 / €59.99) includes:
- Base game
- Pre-order bonus "Trailblazer Scarlet's Gourd"
Digital Deluxe Edition[]
The Digital Deluxe Edition ($69.99 / €69.99) includes:
- Base game
- Pre-order bonus "Trailblazer's Scarlet Gourd"
- Weapon "Bronzecloud Staff"
- Equipment: "Folk Opera Mask", "Folk Opera Almsgiving Armor", "Folk Opera Leather Bracers" and "Folk Opera Buskins"
- Curio: Wind Chimes
- Selected Digital Sountrack
Physical Deluxe Edition[]
The Physical Deluxe Edition includes:
- Base game (Steam Digital Edition Activation Code)
- Steelbook Case
- Pre-order bonus "Trailblazer Scarlet's Gourd"
- The Constricting Headband, 1:1 scale, bronze replica
- Gold Sun Crow (Pin)
- Wind Chime (Necklace)
- Thunderstone (Ring)
- Stamps and Postcard
- Warranty Certificate
- Chaos at the Beach Banquet (Color Print on Silk Scroll)
Physical Collector's Edition[]
The Physical Collector's Edition includes:
- Base game (Steam Digital Edition Activation Code)
- Steelbook Case
- Pre-order bonus "Trailblazer Scarlet's Gourd"
- Confront Destiny, 40 cm Protagonist Figurine
- Gold Sun Crow (Pin)
- Wind Chime (Necklace)
- Thunderstone (Ring)
- Stamps and Postcard
- Warranty Certificate
- Teaching of the Heart Sutra (Color Print on Silk Scroll)
Voice cast[]
| Character | Mandarin Voice Actor | English Voice Actor[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Wukong Destined One |
Lin Qiang | Mark Takeshi Ota |
| Erlang, the Sacred Divinity | Zhang Jie | Andrew Koji |
| The Old Monkey | Gao Zengzhi | Steven Pacey |
| Keeper of Black Wind Mountain | Lin Qiang | Alan David |
| Guangzhi | Ba He | Gordon Cooper |
| Ma Tianba | Yin Lize | Kris W. Laudrum |
| Yuan Shoucheng | Tang Shuiyu | Ashley Alymann |
| Guangmou | Luan Lisheng | Jeremy Ang Jones |
| Shen Monkey | Li Haojia | Kerry Shale |
| Elder Jinchi | Zheng Lian | Jonathan Keeble |
| Black Wind King | Zhang Wentian | Steve Chusak |
| Guanyin | Jiang He | Millie Hikasa |
| Headless Monk | Luan Lisheng Xiong Zhuying (singing) |
James Bradwell |
| Xu Dog | Fu Chenyang | Jim Johnson |
| King of Flowing Sands | Li Nan | Jonathan Keeble |
| Second Rat Prince | Liu Zheng | James Alexander |
| Bodhisattva Lingji | Li Jin | Vincent Lai |
| Zhu Bajie | Tang Zixi | Jack Ayres |
| Chen Loong | Guo Zhengjian | Kerry Shale |
| Yin Tiger | Zhang Ruobing | James Alexander |
| Pingping | Tong Xinzhu | Leader Looi |
| Rakshasi | Zhang Ai | Arina Ii |
| Bull King | Zhao Mingzhou | Jonathan Keeble |
| Red Boy | Wang Ni | Ashley Goh |
| Yaksha King | Li Lanling | Jay Taylor |
| The Buddha | Zhang Yunming | Steve Chusak |
| Keeper of the Flaming Mountains | Bian Jiang | Jeremy Ang Jones |
Release[]
- In a 2020 interview with IGN China, Game Science said they plan to release Black Myth: Wukong by 2023. The developer aims to release the game for PC as well as main-stream consoles.
- The game was sold as a one-time purchase with possible DLCs. In early 2023, the game was delayed to Summer 2024 due to technical concerns.
- It was released on PC and PlayStation 5 on August 20, 2024. An Xbox release was delayed due to concerns with performance on the Xbox Series S and was released on August 20, 2025.
Reception[]
The game reached the top of the most wishlisted game on steam in May 2024 and stayed #1 until the release date. Upon release, it was met with positive reviews and praise.
By August 23, 2024, it has sold 10 million copies with 3 million concurrent players.[5] Daniel Wu of Hero Games, the biggest external shareholder in the developer Game Science, revealed during an interview with Bloomberg, that the sales have surpassed 18 million units just two weeks after release, and an expansion is currently in development.[6]
Links[]
- Wikipedia:Journey to the West (Background novel)
- Wikipedia:Monkey King (Sun Wukong)
- List of Journey to the West characters
- Game Science Official Site
- Black Myth: Wukong Official Site
- Black Myth: Wukong Official X
- Game Science Official Weibo (微博, Popular social media in China)
- Black Myth: Wukong Official Bilibili (哔哩哔哩, Popular video sharing platform in China)
Sources[]
- ↑ Screenrant article, from August 20, 2021
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200911091611/https://www.ign.com/articles/black-myth-wukong-making-of-behind-the-scenes-exclusive
- ↑ Media interviews with the development team
- ↑ Behind the Voice Actors: Black Myth Wukong
- ↑ Black Myth: Wukong has sold 10 million copies across all platforms - https://x.com/BlackMythGame/status/1826985302592049599
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-05/investor-who-risked-it-all-on-wukong-scores-another-sales-win
Gallery[]
