Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong is an action-RPG from Game Science (China), released on August 20, 2024. You play as the Destined One, a nameless warrior monk who travels through six chapters to collect six relics of the six senses of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King). The story takes place 500 years after Journey to the West (a classic Chinese novel of the 16th century): gods and demons have returned, and the world has changed. Each of the six chapters is a separate biome with distinctive architecture, bestiary, and bosses inspired by Buddhist and Taoist mythology.

What happens in the game: combat is built on three staff stances (Smash / Pillar / Thrust), transformations (Immobilize - freeze, Cloud Step - invisibility, Ring of Fire - metamorphosis into a demon) and upgrading "Sparks", spiritual powers, through a skill tree. Bosses are the center of the game: Yellow Wind Sage (Chapter 2, a sand whirlwind with visibility 0), Tiger Vanguard (Chapter 1, an aggressive sparring champion at the end of the first chapter), Erlang Shen (Chapter 5, a chapter finale boss with several transformation phases). Each requires its own set of techniques. Difficulty is at the Souls level, but without PvP and invasions.

Why it matters: the first Chinese AAA game in history to receive international recognition. Game of the Year 2024 at the Steam Awards. GOTY at the Golden Joystick Awards. Best Action Game and Players' Voice at The Game Awards 2024. 25+ million copies by the start of 2025. Steam: Overwhelmingly Positive (~96.6% of 1.2 million reviews). Metacritic PC 81/100, a fair score from critics alongside record-high user scores.

Who it is for: if you are drawn to Eastern mythology, challenging combat with transformations, and cinematic bosses in one of the most beautiful engines of the generation, this is an event. Official Russian subtitles are available; the voice-over is the original Chinese or an English dub. ⚠️ The game is demanding on hardware: RTX 2060+ and an SSD are recommended.

The first Chinese AAA game. 25 million copies. The Destined One, a monk, against gods and demons: the mythology of Journey to the West in Unreal Engine 5.