Gameplay Impressions From Black Myth: Wukong's Final Trailer

Aug. 10, 2024

Gameplay Impressions From Black Myth: Wukong’s Final Trailer

In this Black Myth: Wukong Impression article, we will be breaking down all the details from the final trailer of Black Myth: Wukong, an upcoming third-person action RPG set to be released on the 20th of August. The game has a combat system similar to Souls games, but with its own unique twists. Its lore heavily draws inspiration from the novel “Journey to the West” and has elements of Chinese mythology. The final trailer showcases different biomes and its inhabitants, new transformations of Wukong, and several bosses, which we will be discussing in this video.

The trailer starts off by showing the first location. It is a shrine built on a cliffside, panning out to a desert area surrounded by numerous mountains. The second location is a lush forest area with an inhabitant sitting by the cliff, overlooking the area. It’s not implied whether it is a friendly inhabitant or a hostile one, but it definitely seems to fit the theme of a forest inhabitant.

The third area seems to be a shrine dedicated to deities and historical figures in Black Myth: Wukong’s world, while the fourth area seems to be a Buddhist temple carved on a mountaintop. The fifth area shown is a temple-like structure located in a mountainous region. These locations show the mountainous geography of the east and central Asia – staying faithful to the setting of its source material.

The final trailer introduces different kinds of biomes and locations where Black Myth: Wukong’s story will unfold. These areas are visually stunning, especially the locations having inhabitants that very much fit the theme of the environment. The atmosphere of this game will definitely boost the player’s immersion as they play Black Myth: Wukong.

The trailer then shows us a closer look at the various transformations of Wukong. The first transformation shown is a wolf-like form with a flaming staff, reminiscent of the Wolf Captain boss shown in the gameplay trailer from four years ago. It also shows some of the attacks of the transformation, such as a spinning staff strike, a jumping lunge attack, and a dash attack.

The second form shown is a slow-moving form carrying a heavy sack of skulls. In this form, it seems to be that the movement speed is at its lowest. However, this form has been shown in previous trailers with a defensive property, as it is seen to deflect plenty of incoming arrows from archers. It is shown in this trailer that this also has an option for attacking, as a shattering animation is shown as the form lands from a jump, although it has a pretty small AoE.

For the third form, Wukong seems to have slug-like features in this form, but still maintaining a humanoid form. It has tentacle-like features on its hand being utilized as a backhand blade, likely having toxin imbued on it. The trailer also shows a glimpse into one of the form’s abilities, a toxin blast that damages nearby enemies which also staggers Wukong for a short duration.

In the fourth form, Wukong is shown to have long tentacles that he uses not only for attacking in a wide radius, but also for maneuvering quickly to dodge the enemies’ attacks. It shows a preview of Wukong’s attack using his tentacles to forcefully slam himself onto the ground, creating a small earth shatter. The trailer also shows Wukong being in a wintery shore area fighting against oar-wielding enemies that shatter when defeated.

As for the fifth form shown in the trailer, Wukong shapeshifts into an ursine creature wielding a sword backwards fighting a giant spider boss in its web-filled lair. It also showcases the form’s power of using the element of fire for its attacks – a fire breath, and a fire blast. The ursine form is also agile in its movement, mimicking the movement of the boss shown in a previous gameplay trailer.

The trailer then shows us a wide shot of a temple in the middle of a frozen lake, and Wukong meditating by the dock. This area seems to be the arena of a boss fight from a gameplay preview of the game. It is a vast area with mountains on the background, which really is visually stunning.

It then pans to the frozen lake, showing a glowing orange light beneath it. Could this be the thunder dragon that Wukong is going to fight, or is it another creature living in the lake?

After Wukong’s speculated companions were shown, there’s a quick scene of Wukong going through a portal on a wall to a forest biome. This could be the fast travel mechanic, as the world of Black Myth: Wukong is looking like a massive world. The animation and visuals of this look pretty neat, as with everything that has been shown to us so far.

The trailer then shows us several NPCs in the game, some are most likely to bosses that we will encounter in the game. The first one, a woman dressed in traditional clothes, is seen to be inside the spider lair that we saw earlier. If my speculations are correct, the woman is the Spider Demoness in human form. Then, a horned creature with three eyes is shown briefly.

It then shows us various NPCs in a fleeting manner: a vermin-like creature, a monk monkey, a human with pointed ears, a long-necked dragon with human characteristics, a bipedal tiger. It also shows a different armor or outfit of Wukong bowing down towards a statue of Buddha – panning to a Buddhist toddler eating watermelons.

A frenzied monkey is briefly shown, along with a large-headed Buddhist monk with grey-bluish skin being absorbed by a small gourd owned by Wukong. This could be the Purple Gold Red Gourd in the novel, which is owned by the Golden Horned King and Silver Horned King in the novel. It is said to be a powerful gourd that sucks anyone that speaks before it, melting them into a stew. This could be a preview of how Wukong obtains the different forms of his fallen enemies, allowing him to shapeshift and mimic the physical traits and abilities of his foes.

The trailer then shows us a glimpse of the flow of the combat mechanics in Black Myth: Wukong. It shows Wukong fighting a long-necked bipedal tiger, attacking with a flurry of attacks. Then, Wukong transforms mid-combat fluidly into the large-headed monk we saw earlier being absorbed by the gourd.

Wukong then uses his staff to shoot out rapid fireballs quickly out of his staff against a worm-like boss with a golden Buddhist head. It then shows Wukong dodge-rolling to the side with a fluid animation against a boss that looks to be where Wukong gets the ursine form.

Then, the trailer showcases a mechanic wherein Wukong dodges a lunging attack by going to his astral form that looks like a monk. This looks like one of the unique combat mechanics that the game has.

Wukong can also parry enemy attacks with flashy animations, similar to the longsword parries in Monster Hunter. The trailer shows various animations of the parry, depending on the weapon that Wukong is using.

Aside from Wukong transforming into the different bosses he defeats, it shows Wukong shapeshifting to a tree to hide from a giant Buddhist statue-like creature walking around in a winter location of the game. This could be a mechanic to avoid some unnecessary conflict or hard fights in the game, as Wukong could mimic different inanimate objects in his surrounding to not be noticed by enemies. This is one of Wukong’s well-known abilities, staying true to the game’s source material.

The trailer then shows several creatures in the game, without showing too much information. The first creature is either a fox or wolf sprinting on the snowy landscape. Second, a humungous turtle with trees growing on its shell is seen to be looking up to the skies, with a glowing light falling off of it. This seems to be the World Turtle in Chinese mythology. Then, a harpy-like creature wielding two imbued swords is seen carrying Wukong away. Next, a giant flying demon mask, similar to the appearance of a traditional Oni in Japanese folklore, is seen to be attempting to attack Wukong. There is also a boss that looks to be an ogre residing beneath a sandy biome. A giant insect creature with flaming antennae is also shown, along with its power to utilize fire for its attacks, along with the gourd from earlier absorbing it and receiving the fire characteristics of the enemy.

The boss that looks like a slug, where the slug form was obtained from, was also shown to emit a toxin blast into the air. There’s also a bat-like creature that seems to shout to send out waves as a form of attack, which is similar to how bats navigate around places. Another enemy shown is a dual-wielding warrior wearing a demon mask similar to the flying mask shown earlier, although with a more intimidating style. You will also encounter a giant boss with hands similar to a human, which seems like you’ll be fighting in a tight cavern.

There is also a staff-wielding boss that might have an attack that when it hits Wukong, it will force him to go into his astral form. There are plenty of bosses shown in the trailer, even having gigantic bosses such as a giant golem and a beetle-like creature – which might have a different mechanic of fighting compared to bosses that are relatively smaller sized. The trailer suggests that Black Myth: Wukong might be heavy on boss fights, with each boss having unique mechanics which will keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.

It then shows a preview of several characters in quick succession – an ape-like creature by the desert, a fallen giant Ent by the roots of a tree, a giant golem, a giant beetle-like creature living in the desert, a horned creature sprinting in the forest, a wheel-like creature, and an ape-like stone golem with a human face.

The trailer shows plenty more bosses, such as a boss with a cluster of spiders, a scorpion-man creature wielding a sword, a giant mantis-like creature, and a Buddhist monk using its gravity ball to absorb anyone and anything surrounding it. Lastly, a creature with a hand for its head and hawk wings is shown to fight Wukong, dragging him towards the sky.

Four powerful entities are then shown – each wielding a different weapon and having control of the weather. These entities are the Four Heavenly Kings – deities that watch over each of the cardinal directions. The Heavenly King of the East wields a pipa, a Chinese traditional musical instrument. The Heavenly King of the South wields a sword, the Heavenly King of the west holds a snake, and the Heavenly King of the North wields an umbrella.

In the final sequence of the video, Tang Sanzang and Wukong are seen conversing inside a protective ward that Wukong has created for an incoming demon attack – which is said to keep Tang Sanzang safe as long as he stays inside it. This sequence gives us a glimpse of what is to happen in Black Myth: Wukong, and how it stays faithful to the Journey to the West novel.

The final trailer for Black Myth: Wukong shows us a glimpse into the immersive atmosphere and action that this game has to offer. From the diverse and visually stunning biomes to its unique enemies, the different interesting forms of Wukong, and the iconic characters of the novel, the trailer showcases its deep connection to the Journey to the West Novel and Chinese mythology, while adding its own unique flavor to it. The combat mechanics, which seems to be a fast-paced spin on the Souls games, seems to suggest that the game will give its players a challenging experience.

As Black Myth: Wukong approaches its release date on the 20th of August, the final trailer highlights its potential as one of the most exciting RPG releases of the year. If you’re a fan of Soulslike games, Chinese mythology, or if you’re looking for a visually stunning game to play, this game is shaping up to be a must-play.

Castielle

Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.