Black Myth: Wukong's Transformations Need to Be Its Bread and Butter

Summary

Black Myth: Wukongis an upcoming action RPG by Game Science based on the 16th-century Chinese novelJourney to the Westby Wu Cheng’en. As a monkey based on the novel’s legendary Sun Wukong, players will embark on a fantastical journey and face plenty of challenges along the way.Black Myth: Wukonghas been marketed and perceived as a Soulslike up to this point, despite technically being classified as anaction RPG, so players should expect it to keep them on their toes at every turn. That being said, the Monkey King thatBlack Myth: Wukong’s playable character is based on is extremely powerful, so his might and supernatural abilities may be more than enough to keep his foes at bay.

AsBlack Myth: Wukongis ultimately based on a character that has already been created, it will need to ensure it honors Wukong’s story and characteristics. One of Sun Wukong’s most distinct characteristics is his ability to transform into dozens of different shapes and animals. It has already been confirmed that the monkey players will be controlling inBlack Myth: Wukongwill also be able to transform, just as Sun Wukong could. While the full extent of these transformations has yet to be revealed,Black Myth: Wukongshould arguably focus on this aspect of gameplay more than anything else to give it as much uniqueness as possible in the ever-growing library of Soulslike games.

Black Myth Wukong Tag Page Cover Art

Black Myth: Wukong’s Transformations Should Be Top Priority

One of Sun Wukong’s Defining Characteristics Is His Ability to Transform

Based on what has been written about him inJourney to the West, Sun Wukong, otherwise known as the Monkey King, is an extremely powerful religious figure. Not only does he have incredible strength, speed, and intellect, but he can also transform into 72 different animals and objects. After seeking out the immortal Taoist patriarch Puti Zushi, Sun Wukong learns the secrets of immortality through Taoist practices and obtains the ability to transform into various animals and objects, like a falcon, a wolf, and even a pine tree. IfBlack Myth: Wukongdecides to go the full nine yards with Sun Wukong’s transformations, it will be one of the first times a Soulslike title has attempted anything to that extent.

Black Myth: Wukong Transformations Will Ultimately Be What Makes It Stand Out

As Sun Wukong is able to transform into various objects and animals,Black Myth: Wukonghas something that no other Soulslike title has to this day — especially if players are given access to every transformation that Sun Wukong is recorded to possess. In a world whereSoulslike gamesare coming out at an increasingly regular pace,Black Myth: Wukongneeds to do whatever it can to stay set apart from the crowd, and Sun Wukong’s transformations may be the key to doing just that.

Black Myth: Wukongcan effectively be a one-of-a-kind Soulslike by giving players access to all 72 of Sun Wukong’s transformations and allowing them to use those transformations at regular intervals. It would be a massive letdown for players to gain the ability to transform, only to be restricted to very limited use of those abilities. Furthermore, even if these transformations and the godlike powers of Sun Wukong make his fights a little too easy for atrue Soulslike experience,Black Myth: Wukongshould lean as heavily as possible into Sun’s shape-shifting abilities by allowing each one to provide him with unique abilities and access to distinct playstyles that would make them all more than worth having.

It will be interesting to see whether Game Science pulls off something of this magnitude, as giving a video game character 72 distinct transformations feels like a tall task. Nevertheless, it may very well be the key toBlack Myth: Wukong’s success in the Soulslike genre.