Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong is based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and casts the player as the Destined One, a simian warrior setting out to collect the relics of the legendary Sun Wukong. The structure is more a sequence of sprawling, interconnected chapters than an open world: each has its own landscape, mythological characters, and a string of bosses who are the game's main attraction. The narrative is rounded out by hand-animated interludes at the end of each chapter, each rendered in a different art style.

Combat is faster-paced than in classic Soulslike games. The foundation is a staff and three different stances you can switch between, plus charged heavy strikes, magic that freezes enemies in place, transformations into defeated foes, and summoned animal allies. Stamina limits both dodging and attacking, but the game pushes the player toward offense rather than cautiously waiting for an opening. Progression comes through skill points, brewing elixirs, and forging gear from materials dropped by defeated bosses. Bosses have their own backstories, elaborate animations, and often several phases, turning every encounter into a small spectacle.

Built on Unreal Engine 5, the title ranks among the visually most ambitious games of its year, and on PlayStation 5 it offers a choice between image quality and performance, with the performance mode sparking discussion after launch and being further tuned by the developers. The environments draw on real Chinese architecture and landscapes, while the music mixes traditional instruments with an orchestra, opening up mythology to Western players who barely know it from games. The game became one of the biggest surprises of its generation and gave major visibility to Chinese developers; reservations were aimed at the pacing of the second half and at how understandable the story is without knowledge of the source material. Today it's worth trying mainly for the boss fights. The game first launched on PlayStation 5 and PC, and its popularity proved that a big-budget action title can succeed even without an established franchise behind it. Anyone who enjoys demanding combat has nothing to think twice about.