Wukong Evaluate — A Gorgeous But Flawed Journey

Editor’s Word: Nvidia India offered a Steam copy of Black Fantasy: Wukong to IGN India for this overview.

In case you are maintaining with the newest within the gaming world, you will have probably heard of Black Fantasy: Wukong, the online game sensation hailing from China. Or, on the very least, a couple of online game the place you play as a monkey making headlines for breaking Steam information or different questionable causes.

The sport was first revealed in 2020 with a good looking trailer that shortly received the eye of online game fanatics. Since then, common teasers and early gameplay movies continued to extend the sport’s hype. The spectacular visuals showcased in these previews helped generate a considerable buzz for the sport months, if not virtually a yr, earlier than its launch. This created a excessive expectation for Black Fantasy: Wukong as the primary premium providing from the Center Kingdom.

When the sport lastly launched on August 20, 2024, it largely met these expectations, with a record-setting variety of gamers diving into its world day by day.

A Cultural Big with Excessive Stakes

Developed and revealed by Shenzhen-based Recreation Science, Black Fantasy: Wukong is an motion role-playing sport the place you play because the Destined One, a monkey character primarily based on the culturally iconic determine of Solar Wukong from the Chinese language novel Journey to the West that was first revealed within the sixteenth century. The fascinating half is that the “West” right here refers to India. It’s primarily based on the real-life journey of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang (Tripitaka), who travelled to India to acquire Buddhist scriptures and convey them again to China.

The sport is undeniably vital in right now’s cultural panorama, particularly in China. However the true query is: how good is it to play?

The very first thing you’ll discover — whether or not from screenshots or gameplay footage — Is that Black Fantasy: Wukong seems completely beautiful. The extent of element is astounding, from character designs and their apparel to weapons, surroundings, flora, fauna, and managers. It’s on par with something produced by the juggernauts of the West, Japan, or South Korea.

“Black Fantasy: Wukong seems completely beautiful. The extent of element is astounding.”

Nevertheless, when you anticipate to be taught every little thing about this culturally essential novel by taking part in the sport, assume once more. The sport assumes a certain quantity of familiarity with the setting and the characters, which could confuse you typically. Nonetheless, it presents sufficient to drag you in and maybe encourage you to take a look at the lore of the Journey to the West by your self. I notably appreciated the intensive lore info out there for every character within the in-game menu after encountering them. The sport is full of quite a lot of particulars.

A Boss-Rush Journey By Historic China

The story follows the Destined One’s quest to search out six relics scattered throughout China by Solar Wukong — sure, you don’t really play as Solar Wukong. The aim is to tackle his mantle by discovering these relics and reviving Wukong, who the Celestial Courtroom has sealed for disobedience. That is, in fact, a really simplified model of occasions, however that is the gist.

The gameplay includes back-to-back encounters with numerous bosses, making for a linear expertise. You’ll discover and transfer throughout totally different areas, battling minor enemies and dealing with off towards bosses, progressing by means of the story because the Destined One.

However Black Fantasy: Wukong does attempt to maintain issues fascinating. It options a number of bosses that excel in design, technique, and fight. Seeing a few of these bosses and the way the battles unfolded genuinely stunned me a number of occasions.

The sport is difficult and even brutal at occasions, particularly when dealing with sure bosses. Like different soulslike video games, it’s essential to be taught enemy assault patterns, completely timing your dodges and assaults together with your employees whereas utilizing spells. If you happen to die, you’re despatched again to one of many shrines scattered throughout every space, serving as checkpoints.

After each chapter, Black Fantasy: Wukong options animated shorts in numerous artwork types which might be superbly animated, voiced, and produced, together with an excellent soundtrack. These had been at all times a pleasant deal with on the finish of every of the six chapters.

Lacklustre Fight

Fight is the guts of Black Fantasy: Wukong, however that is the place I really feel the sport falters. I did discover hitting large, dangerous guys with a stick fairly enjoyable. Nevertheless, the fight system lacks depth, providing solely mild and heavy assaults. Performing mild assaults or dodging completely builds “Focus,” which permits for extra highly effective strikes. Whereas intuitive and easy, this entire spiel can really feel repetitive. Spells do supply some selection, however the gameplay typically boils all the way down to utilizing your employees till your spells can be found once more after a cooldown. I want the sport had a extra assorted fight system.

“Fight is the guts of Black Fantasy: Wukong, however that is the place I really feel the sport falters.”

One other space the place the sport struggles is in its map design. The world of Black Fantasy: Wukong might seem huge, however the paths are linear, and there’s no in-game map. Invisible partitions are a frequent annoyance; it’s essential to depend on psychological notes and old-school navigation. Whereas this method is commendable in principle, it’s irritating in apply, particularly when areas look comparable and there are inconsistencies — like with the ability to climb a small boulder in a single space however not in one other.

Regardless of these flaws, Black Fantasy: Wukong is a vital sport in 2024. It showcases what China can convey to the desk of AAA video games. With this title, the nation has positioned itself as a brand new participant within the AAA gaming area. The sport introduces the wealthy cultural heritage of Journey to the West — a novel as vital to China because the Ramayana or Mahabharata are to India. The cultural affect is solely simple.

Nevertheless, as a lot as the sport does properly in cultural illustration, it falls brief in essential gameplay elements. At a sure level, taking part in Black Fantasy: Wukong felt extra like a quest to see the sport by means of to the top for me than a real curiosity in its story.

“The sport introduces the wealthy cultural heritage of Journey to the West — a novel as vital to China because the Ramayana or Mahabharata are to India.”

The “boss-rush” design of the sport means you face a sequence of difficult boss battles consecutively, with the sport making you focus most of your time on mastering every encounter quite than letting you discover or supply some other gameplay components. The dearth of a robust fight system and a restricted world that solely seems huge diminishes the general expertise. I felt that Recreation Science centered closely on the large and small particulars however didn’t give sufficient consideration to the essential components in between.

Black Fantasy: Wukong — Definitely worth the Cash?

In India, Black Fantasy: Wukong is priced at INR (₹) 3,599 for PC on Steam and the Epic Video games Retailer, and ₹3,999 for on the PlayStation Retailer. A Deluxe Version improve, together with some in-game objects, is accessible for an extra ₹1,000. A separate free-to-download benchmark software can be out there, permitting PC players to verify how the sport will carry out on their programs.

This worth is honest given the sport’s high quality, particularly since comparable AAA titles typically exceed ₹4,000. Past the standard, the sport has a lot to supply relating to the hours you’ll be able to make investments making an attempt to beat its many bosses.