“Black Myth: Wukong” had already won Game of the Year at Golden Joysticks and broken multiple world records by the time I purchased and played it. Although I was skeptical and had incredibly high expectations, I was quickly proven wrong, and I couldn’t have been happier with a game like this. From world-building to graphics and combat, this game couldn’t have been more fun.

“Black Myth: Wukong” is available on PS5 and PC but, unfortunately, not on Xbox. It is an RPG (role-playing game) with Soulslike elements. The game is based on the book Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, but instead of following the original plot, it takes place after the events of the book. Instead of playing the main character from the story, you control a descendant trying to revive the original hero, Sun Wukong, by defeating new and old enemies, making new friends, and meeting familiar ones. The game broke the Steam world record for most concurrent players, with 2.2 million people playing it at launch and even more playing it now. It had a hot start and continues to burn brighter. Along with all that, it even won the Game of the Year award at the National Game Awards.

Journey to the West is about a monkey named Sun Wukong, who was imprisoned under a mountain for 500 years by the Buddha. He later accompanies the monk Tang Sanzang on a journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from India. At the end of the journey, Wukong is granted the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha and ascends to Buddhahood. Throughout the journey, Wukong and Sanzang have many side adventures and get into all kinds of mischief because Wukong is mischievous and loves to play pranks on people.

The world-building and character design were astonishing, especially for such a small and unknown company. Many of the bosses and enemies are directly from the book, while others are fresh and new. Most of the bosses are taken from the original story, but since this game takes place after the events of Journey to the West, you fight older versions of them. For example, in the book, Wukong and Sanzang betray a royal empress who can turn into a spider, but in this game, you fight her children and an older version of the empress.

Most side quests are continuations of stories from the book, like exploring and helping someone from a monastery Wukong once burned down during a fight. The lore continues to surprise me with how deep it goes. Every item and piece of gear has bits of lore that help you figure out who certain characters are, even if you haven’t read the book. As someone who loves video game lore, I appreciated how much there was to learn and explore. All the boss fights are very well designed, with amazing movesets, design, lore, and stunning visuals.

But the boss fights weren’t the only visually impressive part of the game. The environments were so visually pleasing that I often found myself wanting to do nothing but sit there and look at the scenery. With different environments like forests, temples, mountains, and caves, there’s a lot to look at and explore. Additionally, there are nearly a hundred outfit designs for your character, each with careful attention to detail. My favorite outfit so far is the Yaksha Outrage set, which is obtained by completing New Game Plus. Some outfits and a certain moveset can also be unlocked if you beat the game four times with the same character, although it can be a lot of work. Each outfit also provides unique set bonuses for combat. For example, the Yaksha Outrage set boosts your damage but also increases the damage you take, which fits my playstyle perfectly, as I tend to avoid getting hit when I get good enough. But be warned: this game can be incredibly difficult.

Speaking of combat, the system is both complex and simple at the same time. It took me some time to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, the game became much easier. The combat system revolves around focus points. Light attacks build your focus meter, while heavy attacks consume focus. There’s also a dodge and perfect dodge mechanic to help avoid damage, but there’s no blocking. You get a healing gourd, which can be upgraded throughout your journey. When your focus meter builds up enough, it grants you a focus point, which can be used to enhance your heavy attacks. You start with a maximum of one focus point, but as you progress through the skill tree, you unlock more, up to a maximum of four. The fourth point decays over time, so you need to time it carefully. This adds a layer of strategy and challenge to the gameplay. There are three stances: Smash Stance, Pillar Stance, and Thrust Stance. Each changes your heavy attacks to be more offensive, defensive, or balanced. After beating the game four times with one character, you unlock the Wukong Stance, a mix of all three. There are five skill trees in total: Player Stats, Staff Skills, Stances, Spells, and Transformations. Fun fact: the max level is 341, because in the book, Wukong was 341 years old when he achieved immortality. As for spells and transformations, throughout your journey, you’ll collect various spells, like Paralyze, Rock Form, and Clones of Yourself. Spells use mana, which regenerates when you rest at a spot. Transformations allow you to take on the form of certain enemies, giving you access to their abilities for a short time. Each transformation serves a unique purpose, whether for offense or defense. As you can see, the combat system is quite complex, but it’s also incredibly rewarding once you learn it. The bosses and enemies don’t give any quarter. This game is very hard and was voted the second hardest game of the year. I fared pretty well, mostly because I have experience with difficult games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but even with that, I still struggled at times. Some players may find the difficulty overwhelming, and I don’t blame them. I was stuck on one boss for two days, and it’s not uncommon to get frustrated. So, if you don’t enjoy challenging and complex games, this might not be for you.

As you can tell, I have a lot of knowledge about this game, and that’s because I had so much fun with it. Even though it was tough at times, I got through it and thoroughly enjoyed the world-building, graphics, and combat. I cannot recommend this game enough to players who enjoy hard but beautiful and in-depth experiences.