Summary
Black Myth: Wukongis an expansive new action game, but how it stacks up against titles likeSekirocan be difficult to judge without actually playing it. Even ahead of its launch,Black Myth: Wukongpicked up plenty of comparisons against other popular action games and RPGs, from theDark Soulsseries to more approachable experiences like the modernGod of Warentries. In the end, it isn’t quite like any of the titles it’s been compared to, butSekiromight make the best point of reference when talking aboutBlack Myth: Wukong’s map size.
One area whereBlack Myth: Wukongfalls in line withSekirois the lack of a clear map reference. InSekiro, a stylized map does depict the various areas of the game without providing any particularly helpful details about size or layout, whileBlack Myth: Wukongforegoes the map altogether. It’s ultimately easy enough to navigate its world without a visual reference, but it can make it a lot harder to tell just how large the game will be when making progress early inBlack Myth: Wukong’s story.
Is Black Myth: Wukong A Soulslike?
Black Myth: Wukong borrows a lot of elements from the souls series, but is it as difficult and can it be truly classed as a souslike game?
Black Myth: Wukong’s Map Size Is Similar To Sekiro
Not Too Small Or Too Huge
Without official world maps to compare, making a definitive call on the exact size ofBlack Myth: Wukong’s map can be a challenge. Even without a clear resource, however,it’s relatively similar toSekiroin size and functionality, and the expanse of some levels might edgeSekiroout overall. AlthoughBlack Myth: Wukongdoesn’t take an open-world approach, chapters are structured as large levels that start to open up some branching pathways as the game goes on, with many diversions ultimately converging again to press the player forward.
Black Myth: Wukong’s areas are often a bit wider than the frequently narrow paths found inSekiroand theDark Soulsgames, but they don’t necessarily offer quite as much to explore. Despite the branching pathways,level design is still largely linear and sometimes a bit sparsely populated. While some sections have a nice variety of foes to fight and loot to uncover, other stretches can be filled with little aside from basic enemy fodder, and the presence of invisible walls hems things in more than might be expected from glancing at the environments.
Black Myth: Wukong Review: The Soulslike Action Hype Train Is A Little Off-Rails
Despite the exceptional qualities of Black Myth: Wukong, the souls-like RPG has some necessary improvements to make, for a truly immersive experience.
Like inSekiro, it’s fairly easy to move through most areas inBlack Myth: Wukongquickly, and a comparatively relaxed (but still frequently challenging) difficulty level means hang-ups might not be quite as severe asSekiro’s penchant for punishing difficulty.Black Myth: Wukonglacks any powerful mobility options likeSekiro’s grappling hook, but the protagonist known as the Destined One is still easily capable of simply running past most enemies when repeating an area or rushing to an objective.
Black: Myth Wukong Is More Segmented Than Sekiro
Areas Are Distinctly Divided Into Chapters
The biggest difference betweenBlack Myth: Wukong’s map and something likeSekirois the hard division between its chapters.The game essentially bounces to a chapter select screen in between chapters, and there’s no way to physically run between the zones covered in each chapter in the game. Each chapter takes on its own environmental theme, whether that’s desert sands or mountain snow. Despite how large some of the chapters can be, it’s consequently further from any open-world design elements thanSekiro.
Is Black Myth: Wukong On Xbox Game Pass?
Black Myth: Wukong feels like the perfect game for Xbox Game Pass thanks to its action-packed gameplay, but will it ever grace the service?
Black Myth: Wukongdoes offer fast travel at its various checkpoints, which are called Keeper’s Shrines and serve a similar role toSekiro’s Sculptor’s Idols. It’s possible to jump between chapters quickly with this method, making it easy to revisit NPCs with useful functions or clear out optional bosses that were originally left behind. Although the distribution is relatively similar, Keeper’s Shrines can be a bit more densely populated in some areas ofBlack Myth: Wukongthan Sculptor’s Idols tend to be in Sekiro.
Keeper’s Shrines also provide access to useful functions like crafting.
Anyone worried about the fundamental amount of content offered inBlack Myth: Wukongshouldn’t be concerned, as it’s a substantially sized game despite not being a massive open world. IfSekirofelt like a satisfying experience in terms of size,Black Myth: Wukonghits a similar standard, even if the distinction between chapters results in a less connected presentation of its areas.
The studio behind Black Myth: Wukong, GameScience, has previously been accused of fostering a toxic environment for its workers. The 2023 allegations include sexualized comments against women, misogyny, fatphobia, and more. More details can be foundhere.
Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG game from the developers at GameScience. Based on the original Chinese novelJourney to the West,players take on the role of Sun Wukong, a legendary monkey warrior who fights against mythical beasts and beings to save his world.
