Despite the weight of expectation on Black Myth: Wukong after years of hype-building with visually stunning trailers, and the shadow of allegations against developer GameScience, it seems that the game has largely delivered on its promise, with the review embargo lifting to a bevy of positive reviews from outlets around the globe.
At the time of writing, the game is sitting at a very healthy 82 on Metacritic, based on 54 verified critic reviews –though it does appear as though early review access was only available on PC, so there aren’t any reviews of the PS5 version available. We weren’t provided review code for this one, but we’ll endeavour to cover it anyway.
Common praise among most reviewers, unsurpisingly, goes to the game’s visuals and action combat against a range of unique and exciting bosses, with most of the negativity geared around some underwhelming UX considerations, level design and the need for bug fixes and balance patches to smooth out the experience.
Black Myth: Wukong Review Round-Up
IGN scored the game an 8/10, saying, “As GameScience’s debut action game, Black Myth: Wukong is mostly a great success, despite some major technical black marks and localization issues that are likely to cause some frustrations at launch. Combat is fantastic thanks to a great balance of careful resource management and lightning-fast, twitch-reaction gameplay that tested my skills as much as Elden Ring ever has, despite being a more traditional action game than FromSoftware’s style. Not only that, but there are a ton of exciting boss battles, a great variety of enemies, and the world they inhabit is an absolute treat for the eyes and ears. Its story has its moments but relies a bit too much on having prior knowledge of the events of Journey to the West, and it really could have used a map to make its rewarding exploration measure up to the strength of its combat. That said, its strengths more than carry it through, making Black Myth: Wukong a great action game that could be even greater if GameScience can squash the bugs.”
Praise from Twinfinite was even higher, with Syed Hamza Bakht awarding the game a huge 9/10, calling it “a true AAA experience that blends the intensity of Sekiro with the accessibility of Modern RPGs bundled in a well polished package.”
Meanwhile, Charlie Kelly at Checkpoint Gaming landed on an 8/10, writing, “Though a mere optimisation and balance patch from meeting its full ambition, Black Myth: Wukong is a really great action RPG, almost standing as high as the rest. The story and world of Journey to the West and all its mythos translate incredibly well into an action game, providing immensely captivating creature and enemy boss designs and encounters. Serving as one of the most demanding games of its ilk for a while, both graphically and in combat challenge, you’ll be well vested in Black Myth’s world as you crush powerful mythic beasts wherever you go with fantastical magical abilities. This journey to the west is a journey well worth the wait.”
Polygon’s review, unscored as is the norm, had some of the most positive impressions of the game’s storyelling, something that was a low point for others. “All in all, Black Myth: Wukong is an astounding triumph, one that blends a story celebrating Chinese and other East Asian cultures with an original retelling that has resonant themes, all complemented by spectacular design and exhilarating combat,” Jason Rodriguez writes. “While the narrative is confusing at first — as I can personally attest to — it nonetheless encourages you to embrace that sense of strangeness and wonder as you venture into distant lands, much like a certain journey written centuries ago that has stood the test of time.”
Game Rant’s Dalton Cooper came in at a rare, low 3 stars (or 6/10), mostly citing uneven level design with a lack of direction, technical and balance issues, saying, “Black Myth: Wukong is a game that shies away from the Soulslike label, yet it is clearly gunning for the Soulslike audience. It is far from the best in the genre, but it’s also not the worst game that has followed in Dark Souls’ footsteps. If you go into it expecting a mostly standard Soulslike experience with some blood-boiling boss encounters mixed in with basic level design, you will have a better time than if you were going into it expecting it to be like a traditional character action game. Black Myth: Wukong offers about 30 hours of gameplay for its first playthrough with a ton of side content to check out as well, but many will tire of the limited combat options long before they reach its dazzling yet equally aggravating final boss fight.”
And Patrick Dane of Dexerto wasn’t monkeying around with a 4/5 verdict, penning that “Black Myth Wukong is style over substance, but it has so much style and enough substance, that it largely works. It excels in what it is trying to do: making one of the most striking marriages of graphical prowess and artistic vision. And even when you get to the substance part, while it won’t rival the best in the genre, it has enough going on with enough decisions and systems to let you craft your own playstyle, even if you’re going to be pulling from the same hymnsheet with each playthrough. “
