Black Myth: Wukong review – ape escapades [Video]

Games from China have been having a much more global impact lately, albeit mostly free-to-play ones. Black Myth: Wukong could change that.

A game based on the beloved 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West is hardly anything new; countless adaptations have been made over decades, including the Andy Serkis-starring game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, an opera written by Damon Albarn, and hugely popular manga/anime Dragon Ball. Black Myth: Wukong is the first Chinese-made adaption to make a big splash in the west, having turned heads when developer Game Science dropped its first in-engine gameplay trailer back in 2020.

It reimagines the tale as a dark fantasy, with jaw-droppingly animated combat and larger-than-life set pieces. The millions of eyeballs those trailers reached have raised huge expectations for what is essentially the studio’s first premium blockbuster. Can it actually live up to the hype?

Animal kingdom

That vision for a cinematic …