It's pretty good. It is basically a continuation of Sun Wukong's story. Though it is quite strange to have Sun Wukong start to get "bored" of buddahood and wanting enjoy the smaller things in life. Especially as actual Buddahood means that you no longer have the desires for such things... Doesn not quite make sense, but still. The story itself is pretty awesome. ^^ Though I do wish that there were a few more endings. One where the Destined would have a happy life in the mortal world. Or one where he joins the Heavenly counsil and takes on the place where his original incarnation Wukong once held. Or maybe one where he would be a sort of trickster deity of sorts or something like he would be teh deity of childlike wonder and such. Where he still plays pranks on teh gods and mortals alike but always to impart some wisdom and lesson upon the deity or person that he pranked, etc. =3
My opinion is that is game is after journey to the west. Because he become budha after jouney to the west. In this game 3rd eye said that he was once a budha. Therefore this is my claim . Not sure why his kind is being killed as well as the game didn't explain why his kind is hunted.
@@justinhhe9980 In the original book, during the fight between Erlang and Wukong, Erlang's army also attacked Wukong's mountain and imprisoned/killed many animals in order to capture Wukong. Wukong managed to protect the monkeys that time before being captured. The events of the game follow a similar pattern, with Erlang attacking the mountain to capture Wukong again. I don't think his kind was being hunted after Wukong got captured, otherwise the destined one wouldn't be here right now.
I think your interpretation is right on. We Chinese who knew all of the lores, have similar understanding of the plot. A little suggestions would be, the thing that was put on Wukong's head, or in the bad ending onto the destined one's head, cannot be interpreted as a crown. Since it is the very key of the entire story, the meaning of it has to be understood. The crown like hoop is called 紧箍(the tightening band). The band was created to control Wukong in case he does not obey his master in the journey to the west. The band cannot be removed and there was a spell 紧箍咒 （the spell to tighten the bend）to activate the band. After it's activated, it will tighten the head of Wukong and create unbearable pain. The whole story of Black Myth Wukong is that Wukong realized that the only way to relieve himself from the restriction of this band, is to destroy his body. That's why he sacrificed his immortality, and make a bet with Erlang god, that one day there will be a destined one who can beat all of the challenges and prove he is the right one, and to inherent all of his lagacy and memory, and become the reborn of himself.
And in the ending animie, Most are the reversed story of the entire Journey to the West, including Wukong's original war with celestial court. I believe this reversed story is a hint his wish to transform from 'Buddha of Victorious Fight' which means his subordination, back to the true self 'Great Sage which Equals the Heaven'. Those are all of Wukong's memories. But after he put down the bowl on the table, it is suggested by the blood and broken weapons, that this is the reincarnated Wukong in the present timeline. And his exit suggests that a new journey begins.
@@leodelonix155this was what i was looking for, a comment explaining the good ending. as i have thought, the chosen one became the one wukong was betting on. thus, embarking on a new journey, the journey sun wukong wasn't able to experience due to the restrictions. i hope ill witness the journey of the new/destined wukong in the future. absolute peak of a story JTTW is.
@@cainthedeity wow, this explanation of wukong/destined one's story/journey in the game really resembles the path of the creative team members of game science, they're originally Tencent's employees, lots of restrictions were placed on them. eventually they left and created their own path, if they were stayed, it will be like wukong with the head band on, stayed in the amber stone , just endless meaningless recycle/reincarnation and no true nirvana.
I really wished you delved deeper into the story between Erlang Shen and Wukong. Erlang was the son born between the Jade Emperor's sister and a mortal, a sin that caused his mother to be locked up by the heavens until rescued by Erlang himself. His rebellious nature shares many similarities with Wukong, and in the original JTTW only his skills in transformations were a match for Wukong, a worthy rival who he might've looked up to. During the bossfight with Erlang we can hear Erlang say something along the lines of "Do you think this meeting of ours was planned by Wukong?" implying that this was all a plan by Wukong to get rid of the headband, and Erlang humours us. He even acknowledges that he understands Wukong's thoughts the most, "His mind is an ordeal, I know". The reason why Erlang is so eager to fight us and help Wukong slowly get accustomed to his former power might be because he secretly wishes for us to break free from heaven's will. This is just my interpretation, but I personally really enjoyed the similarities and differences between Erlang and Wukong, showing both who are bound by heaven's will, but Wukong representing the defiance against it.
@tngaming50 if you read deep enough into Erlang's story, he is as rebellious as Wukong in some instances, but was finally being subdued by Celestial Court through power and manipulation. He has always has a sort of deep respect masked by faux hatred for Wukong. Deep down, Wukong is something his heart always yearn to be, but he himself never has the actual will to go for it.
The cutscene at the end of chapter 5 is the memories of the bull king that the chosen one received through the relic. It not only showed memories of their conflict during Journey to the West, but it also showed his memories of what happened during Wukong's fight at the beginning of the game. It showed that the demon kings were involved in that fight on the side against Wukong, and were there for his death. As well, they were given Wukong's senses by Erlang, rather than them finding the scattered senses on their own. Additionally, Erlang himself took the sixth sense, and he also held some of Wukong's memories in his third eye, which he released to the Chosen One upon defeat. In other words, the fight as experienced in the tutorial segment is not actually the truth of what happened, but rather a leading and incomplete story told by the old monkey.
Yes Erlang helped the Stone Monkey to find a better successor, Stone monkey didn't transcend directly but indirectly through his six senses to the destined one. In the animation of the true ending(where Destined One fights the 4Kings and Erlang) Wukong says Erlang that he will be free from the Ring on his head this time. All comes to this that Wukong wanted to be free from the head ring and erlang knows it very well that's why he tried to help him by scattering all the senses, which will eventually make the destined one powerful throughout the journey
I need to watch it again. I thought what happened was that the Celestial Court gave the relics to the five yaoguai kings after forcing them to fight and betray Wukong (because each one is the disciple of someone in Heaven), but Erlang and his brothers conspired with Wukong to hijack the plan to kill him and turn it into a second, even deeper scheme to escape Heaven's control. My understanding was that the five kings were used by Maitreya, Guanyin, etc to try to create a new Monkey King who would be obedient to them while having his powers (the Destined One, they test him that way and then put on the headband to control the new fake Wukong). But Erlang sabotaged this by stealing Wukong's memories and keeping them safe, while his brothers of Mt. Mei went to follow the yaoguai kings and investigate the deception of Heaven, and they also test the Destined One to find someone worthy of really carrying on Wukong's legacy and not just his power. Venom Daoist, Whiteclad Noble, Treasure Hunter, etc are all the brothers of Erlang. Although it seems like Maitreya is also working with them in secret to oppose Heaven itself, or at least has decided to be a neutral party and see what happens to destiny once Wukong is reborn?
copy paste from somewhere: For those wondering, yes he is wukong. Wukong split himself into 6 relics to prevent himself from being fully sealed. The character we play as is the embodiment of the 6th relic. In the end you absorb the other 5 and become the real wukong AGAIN. In the bad ending the destined one reject his past self and doesnt fully revive and chooses to become a pawn for the gods while the old wukong remains trapped in the stone. The original wukong couldn't get rid of that headband that weakened him so he came up with a plan with erlang to die and be reborn without the headband weakening him. His reincarnation is the destined one aka the mc for this game. He let erlang kill him and erlang kept his memori3s inside his 3rd eye and waited for him to be reincarnated. Erlang himself admitted in the game when u meet him again that no one could e killed wukong besides himself confirming wukong let erlang kill him. This reincarnation was born stronger because he didn't have the headband. My guess is they're gonna release a bug dlc continuing the story with wukong fighting heaven. I think the continuation will be a dlc because the creator said the next black myth game will be based on a different mythological story from Chinese novels. This is suppose to be the start of a series of different black myth games set in different chinese mythology stories. As to why erlang would help wukong eventhough they were rival. I have no idea and the game doesn't explain it
Real Wukong want to be free from that headband and the destined one got it mean real wukong is free and the destined one is from now in control of headband also headband have every memories of the real wukong so destined one got all of his memories by the headband now we can say that he is same as the real wukong
sometimes its hard for non Chinese speakers to understand some nuances in Chinese literature, because we Chinese names actually have meanings, not only a sound or symbolic to call someone, like Zhu Bajie literally means Pig with 8 Precepts, Sun Wukong means Monkey who enlightened the Emptiness. and in China, you can call someone many names, similar concept to nickname but with some nuanced differences. for we Chinese, its easy to understand, but for most westerners, you may easily misunderstand those are different characters in the story.
thats really cool to know, but as a mexican i though that most names had a meaning elsewhere, it seems that i was wrong, or atleas nowdays most people name their sons and daughters with cute sounding names without taking into account the meaning.
@@cobetx472 the English names I know mainly comes from bible, but I dont know where the names in the bible come from, and if they have any actual meaning. I name my daughters with characters representing beautiful jade. and my surname sounds the same with fish, so my nickname called by close friends is a kind of local fish.
@@yuey0602 As far as I know, most of the English names that came from the Bible are mostly jewish, greek, or latin and has meaning just like Chinese names. But it is worth noting that the english names used today aren't exactly the same as their orignal since they are influenced by many factors such as the translation or interpretation of the names. Put for example the english name "Peter," which was derived from the Greek word "Petros." The name also means "rock" or "stone." I'm not an expert on this topic but I hope this explains something.
You’ve done such a wonderful job to explain the story line! However, the story with the fox was not meant to warn others about the appearance of the “fox”, or to reject the supernatural, but to ask people to think which is the real monster here, the fox yaoguai who was born a monster, or the guy who killed her because of his fear? In Chinese mythology, and in this novel, monsters are ranked lower than humans, and humans of surely lower than the gods and the Buddha, however, this story asks the viewer to reflect on whether that is really true. =)
The second chapter story, the fox, can be interpreted as followed: Trust your heart. The fox was ready to fully repay the scholar, but his fear and paranoia made him killed her. We can see this ingame when we saw a corpse with a fox for a coat. She asked the monke to avenge her, because in reality she has never meant any harm towards the man.
Agree. Fox spirits have somehow gotten a bad reputation in Asian mainstream literature and folk tales. The truth is the fox had been a revered animal and was commonly worshipped as a guardian deity pre-Tang Dynasty (before Buddhism became the official religion). Even today you can still find fox deity shrines in some parts of northern China.
@@SwampBeats666 except Buddhism never said any spirit even Fox spirit is bad, it's Chinese folklore that said Fox spirits seduce men like mermaids do in Europe
Im personally disappointed they didn't lean into the comedic aspects of his personality. The entire story is built on his hubris. Wukong is not a noble figure and that's the point of his arc in the book.
4th phase of the final boss fight with Wukong's broken shell was quite comedic tho. those teasing interactions were exactly what Wukong may do if he's really there.
Actually only after the Destined One opened his eyes after refusing to put on the band, did he become Wukong. Only after he inherited memories from Erlong god's third eye, and defeated the remains of Wukong, can he become the reborn of Wukong.
As a Chinse who finished playing this game, I'll do a deeper explaination about second chapter. Through the description of the little boy in the well.And traveling through time and space to help the yellow wind sage to defeat that big bug.This is actually because the Great Sage Huang Sheng came back here to protect the people long time ago.Then the people loved the Yellow wind Sage very much and began to support mice Yaoguai instead of bodhisattvas,So you can see a lot of Buddha heads that have been taken off in the map.Including some buildings in the village is mice yaoguai instead of Buddha.Coming up, bodhisattva lingji made many people in the village turned into mice to frame up Yellow wind sage. There are many details in the game, including the last short film.A lot of times we are more inclined to believe what you want to believe.Who come to you first with kind.Who is the good one 😂
My interpretation of the endings is a bit different from yours. My opinion is that throughout the journey, the Destined One doesn't really know what he's doing, he's just going through the motions. As he gathers the relics and Sun Wukong's titular equipment, he becomes similar to Sun but only similar. Often imitated but never surpassed is probably the ideal phrase for this situation. The default ending where he accepts the circlet implies he's accepting everything that belonged to Sun, including the circlet because he thinks that only by possessing all his items can he become Sun Wukong. That is a fallacy in and of itself as he ends up becoming the next Stone Monkey waiting for the next Destined One to arrive. In the true ending, the Destined One obtained the memories of Sun Wukong from Erlang Shen that made him who he is, without those experiences, he would just be a puppet, an exquisite one but a puppet nonetheless. From the fight with Erlang we can see that Sun planned his apparent death to get rid of the circlet because from the Old Monkey's story we know the original Sun Wukong died during the Journey to the West the moment he accepted that circlet for "redemption". Sun Wukong can be described as unruly and free and when he gave those qualities up he lost himself. I think the Old Monkey was Sun Wukong's final test for the Destined One on whether he could surpass those before him and truly claim the name Sun Wukong. If they obtained his memories, it means they understand the circlet for what it is, something meant to destroy everything about him and would then reject the circlet from being placed on him. I think it would have been better if during the true ending when the eyes flash, the Destined One's arm would shoot out and stop the Old Monkey from placing the circlet on his head before shifting to the memories. I sort of get the close up on his face to visualize the flashback but even then something as simple as the sound of the circlet being knocked out of the Old Monkey's hands would have been nice. At least something concrete to imply the rejection of the circlet. At the moment, it's very implicit and you have to assume the Destined One rejected it after the memory flashback. Just not as satisfying and cathartic as you would hope to end the game.
That's close. What seems to have happened is that Heaven itself set up this whole scheme to create a new Monkey King who could be controlled; each Yaoguai King is a disciple or a prisoner of a great figure in heaven. Bear under Guanyin, rat sage under Lingji, Yellowbrow under Maitreya, and so on. They were all commanded to fight Wukong by their masters and kill him, and for their "reward", they each received a piece of his body. But they were being used as pawns in a bigger plan; they're sacrifices meant to test each Destined One's ability to earn the powers of Wukong through overwhelming strength. If he collects all the relics, merges them all, and then has the headband placed on him, then Heaven gets another Monkey King with his incredible strength, but none of the memories or the defiance that makes up his personality. They can use him. If he doesn't retrieve the memories, then as a monkey who only knows how to fight like Wukong, but doesn't even really speak or show any personality... He lacks the wisdom or the context to understand what it represents. But if he gets the memories, he fulfills the secret plan within a plan Wukong hatched with Erlang to cheat Heaven one more time. Erlang staged the duel with Wukong so they could escape into the forest and Wukong's memories could be hidden in the third eye; Erlang would "win" and make Heaven think its plan succeeded. Then, his brothers, the sages of Mt. Mei (Whiteclad Noble, Boar, Treasure Hunter, Venom Daoist, Bull), would follow the Yaoguai Kings back to their homes and investigate to uncover the secrets hidden by Heaven - such as Hundred-Eye being effectively the prison warden for his own spider relatives, working for Heaven to guard the gates of their longevity pill farm. Or the lies of Lingji, who actually sent his own mount Fuban to punish the Kingdom of Gold for turning away from Buddhism; the Wind Sage tried to save the people of the golden land, but failed and turned to Wukong's power out of desperation, and it drove him mad because he couldn't control it. So basically, there's just a plot within a plot, tests within tests; the main story is the surface level journey orchestrated by Heaven, but the secret area story is the true journey of proving that the Destined One is not just like Wukong in strength, but also in personality. Cleverness, compassion, and insight are all part of who Wukong was, so using those skills to uncover the truth is what's needed to be worthy of carrying forward his true self and finally escaping the palm of Buddha.
also, for all those confused by the end animation of 5th chapter, here is the explanation. Everything in the animation happened, it's just that the events shown are not linear. Hundreds of years back, before the journey to the West, Wokong and the Bull became sworn brothers, and together they rebelled against heaven, which is the mid part of the animation where the Bull and Wukong fought side by side against the celestial army. That rebellion was also the first time Wukong fought Erlong (the three-eyes dude from the beginning of the game). They lost that fight and Wukong was captured and eventually imprisoned under the five-finger mountain for 500 years. Then the journey to the West took place, during that journey, Wukong and his gang ran into the Bull again. Wukong and his gang were blocked by this fire mountain and needed to borrow the Plantain Fan from the Bull's wife to quell the flame, but lots of shit happened and they made the Bull into an enemy (Bajie even killed his mistress). The Bull was so powerful that Wukong had to call for help from the celestial court to subdue him (he was defeated not killed, losing a head is nothing), this was shown at the part when Wukong and Bajie were talking down to the Bull. Then the journey to the West concluded, and time forward to the beginning of this game. Wukong was attacked by the celestial court again, this time, the Bull and the four bosses from previous chapters joined Heaven's force to defeat Wukong. Hence 5 of Wukong's 6 senses were given to them as rewards, this is the part at the beginning of the anime. When the Bull held Wukong in his arms, he started to reminisce the past. They didn't show Wukong fought the 5 of them in the intro, I guess more combat went on after Erlong thrust Wukong into the mountain. After that event, at some point, the Bull's son finds out about his own lineage and wants to take Wukong's "body sense" so he can become strong enough to avenge his people (rebel against Heaven like his dad and Wukong did). But fear for his son, he refused, thus the father and son are at odds now.
@@storieswithcookie I have a theory, our Destined One, might not be the only one... maybe there are others who came before... why you ask? remember Bajie's line when he first meet the monkey in the game, he say: "Ah, that same look again. A furry coat and a pinched face. Luck's all you've got Great, another mute. Whatever, let's not dally..."
@@Bobbie_Lee84It was quite obvious from the in-game text and dialogue that the Macaque Chief was one of the monkeys of Mount Huaguo and presumably one of the candidates to be the Destined One. But he got corrupted by Yellowbrow.
Very good and in depth summary. Especially the ending, where the the destined one opened his eye and received the original WuKong's memories. It's a foreshadowing that the new WuKong will not wear the head band and be confined and will have his free will.
The original story on Jinchi is that the Tangseng (Tang xuanzang) and Wukong who visits the Guanyin temple showed him the kasaya. Jinchi was so obsessed with the kasaya he and his disciples (Guangzhi and Guangmou) tried to get rid of both Tangseng and Wukong to seize the kasaya. Eventually, Guangzhi suggested to burn the temple where Tangseng resides, but the plan was overheard by Wukong. So Wukong borrowed a magic tool (防火罩）that keeps Tangseng away from fire, while Wukong redirects the fire and burned down the whole temple. Jinchi and the bear were good friends where they studied Buddhist teachings together and Jinchi lived very long till 270 years due to the bear's powers. When the bear saw the fire, it went to the temple and intended to put out the fire but the kasaya caught its attention away. The bear was attracted with the kasaya and stole it, forgot its intention to save the temple from fire. Jinchi with his temple and kasaya gone, chose to kill himself. Since the kasaya is gone in Guanyin temple, Wukong decided to find Goddess Guanyin to solve this problem and soon wukong found the bear that stole the kasaya. The bear wanted to have a celebration with his friends and show the kasaya to them. So Guanyin was transformed to one of his friends who will be attending the party and give the bear a pill. Wukong trnasformed into the pill and managed to get inside the bear, making a fuss which leads to great pain and discomfort to the bear. This forced the bear to return the kasaya, and become Guanyin's disciples and as the guard of Guanyin.
Thank you, I saw a Japanese retelling of journey to the west and they shortened this episode so it made no sense with the game footage described here, now I understand.
Nice video, just want to point out that chapter2's side quest shows that the Yellow Wind Sage might have actually been the hero to the village, and Lingji was responsible for ruining the place because the people there didn't want to believe in buddhist. It's in fact an ironic story.
@@AbbasAlqattanexactly, the true ending is the destined one becoming Wukong since he gets his memories and because he doesn’t have the band restraining him, he’s able to do whatever he wants
Full lore to be take in consideration: Level 1: [ 西游记 THE Journey to the west (1592) ] a satire novel based on Chinese mythology, story we all eastern grew up and familiar with. Level 2: [ 大话西游 A Chinese Odyssey (1995) ] Stephen Chow movie series, the OG subversion work of JTTW with WK crazy romance story, starting point of derivative work of the classic. Level 3: [ 悟空传 WuKong (2000) ] Web Novel by JinHeZai which inspired by Chow work, a dark re-interpretation of WK life story with a lot conspiracy, was a big hit in Chinese internet at the time. Level 4: [ 斗战神 Asura (2010) ] MMORPG on Tencent, story highly inspired by the web novel, JinHeZai is the game world view chef designer. And the developer team in Tencent at that time, is the dev team of BMW today. In that sense, Asura can be count as prequal of BMW.
As was pointed out, one of the most important lore is the 1986 TV series, the original music and the Chinese voice of both Wukong and Bajie, are all meant to honor that.
@@RoeZL @leodelonix155 1986 TV series for me is kind of fall on level 1 as it is too loyal to the source. In fact, the novel itself is even darker then the drama, consider drama is cater for all ages audience, some of the element seems being beautified or taken away.
Fun fact, the cutscene animstion in Ch3, the turtle demon is Yellowbrow that rigged/cheated in a wager with the monk to prove the flaws of human nature by using the decrepit village for his own means to an end.
The bet was to prove all humans are inherently greedy. Yellowbrow then instead of waiting and observing for his wager to be true, basically rigged it by intentionally making the nearby humans greedy thus proving his point to golden cicada.
The story of the hunter who saved the fox and later killed it because of a dream tells of human’s dark thoughts that determine their dark actions. A central theme in the Wukong story. 一念天堂，一念地狱，老婆变毛巾
This video was very helpful, since I am not the greatest when deciphering philosophy, morals, and ethics, since I tend to focus on the lesser of two evils.
a little more addition to ZhuBajie's story: seems the Chang'e in BM is a mix of JTTW and Laozhang Zhiyi, since Bajie met two Chang'es. the higher ranked one that he simps and the lower ranked one that loves him. as Bajie punished he was cursed to repeat the cycle of love that will ends up tragically for him. knowing this, the lower ranked chang'e somehow break the rules in order to be banished to mortal world. Ironically, she would be the one that Bajie meet on every tragic cycles as she swore to wear the same makeup (the three lines on her forehead) so Bajie would instantly recognized him. as why she hates Wukong, is that when they reunites, she already given in to her yaoguai nature, and when she and her kin learned that Tripitaka is a monk with merit, she and her kin tried to poison them so they could eat tripitaka's flesh to attain immortality, but got caught by Wukong and she was the only one who was spared as she was fighting Bajie at the time. So in a way it's one of Bajie's curse of tragic love cycles.
The reason Bajie rejects her and his daughter with harsh words is, I think, because he wants to protect them from the wrath of Heaven. He doesn't seem to know that the seven spider guai are already prisoners of Heaven, used to make pills of immortality and watched by Hundred-Eye, who works for the Celestial Court in secret. Bajie can't confront his true feelings when his love dies, so he walks away to hide his sorrow... As usual.
A worthy successor to the original indeed. I hope this story can be viewed and read for the millennia to come. We are all shackled like wukong through various means in the society for good and for bad. How we deal with this life ordeal will be relevant even when one day we are living on mars or anywhere in the universe.
I love this story. It resonate so much within myself. No body wants to be shackled whether it be physically or mentally like being stuck at a job going no where. And its funny how they say we originated from monkeys or ape like creatures. Maybe it was Wukong that set us free haha >.
maybe this is why gods no longer exist in the modern era - after becoming wukong, the destined one led a final assault against the celestial court and succeeded in slaying every diety in heaven, after which mankind became truly unshackled by supernatural powers thanks to wukong bestowing the gift of freedom to not just himself, but the world.
This was SO helpful! There were aspects of the game I was unsure if I understood & some that I misinterpreted. This video threaded all the loose ends and made me even more excited for the adventure! Also awesome recap of the book! Definitely subscribing to this channel for more!
This game cannot be explain just by basing on the OG source. The creator borrowed a lots from other adaptations of Journey to the West. In the game it stated he has feeling for a woman "Demon female" on White Tiger Ridge, in the book and original TV series he was never wanted or experienced romantic love, but in at least 2 other adaptations, Wu Kong was portrayed to have romantic relationship toward her but have to severed due to the mission of protecting Suan Zhang plus it's forbidden for Buddhism practitioner to have romantic relationship. Even tho the game lore was strayed from the original source I think I like it more since it added depth to Wu Kong Character and make him more human, more relatable.
I would like to add that the second animation (the stop motion one) is actually vital to Wukong's story. The hidden meaning of that story is actually to show the celestial court's pov. Just like the man who killed the fox due to the fear born from a dream, the Heaven feared and mistrusts Wukong and his kind. Remember the voice at the end saying everyone has an inherent role in the world and nobody should break the order of things, well the order is decided by the celestial court. Wukong represents a force that disturbs their precious "order", and they fear he might bite back at them again, therefore, they killed him.
Also in the final boss level, Old Monkey said something about Wukong “forsaking his love” for the White Bone Spirit. If there’s a sequel for this game I want more lore on that story as well.
Amazing vid!!! You really helped me understanding whats going on in the cinemaic intro. I wasnt sure up until now if this story took place after Yourney to the West or if it was some kind of alternate story in which Sun Wukong never finished his quest with the Tang Monk. It is clear now to me this happens AFTER the events on Journey to the West. There is only one thing I do not entirely agree with regarding Act 1: Elder Jinchi requested the Kasaya from Tang Monk and Great Sage (Sun Wukong). They were the visiting monks. This can be seen in the Journal entry for Elder Jinchi. He puts on an excuse saying he "cannot see it clearly" and request the Tang Monk to leave the Kasaya one night with him. Sun Wukong says at the end "Let him take it for a look. If anything goes wrong, I'll handle it". This makes me thing Sun Wukong set a trap that eventually caused the fire. If you put that entry toguether with the dialog shown after the Guangmou fight: "Guangmou? Guangzhi? I remember now. The evil monks abetter Elder Jinchi to burn the Great Sage and Tang Monk alive. That's these two, I thought they were already turned to ashes by that fire. who would have thought they had turned into yaoguais? The conclussion is that Guangmou and Guangzhi convinced Elder Jinchi to steal the Kasaya from Tang Monk and Sun Wukong. Elder Jinchi wasnt able to control the Kasaya's fire power or Sun Wukong set a trap (most likely). The Black Wind King/Bear only tried to protect Elder Jinchi from the flames (Guanyin asked Black Wind King to look out for him). You can see Sun Wukong looking at the fire at the end of the cinematic so this kinda confirms to me this was a trap, probably to test ElderJinchi's good will/honesty . Elder Jinchi failed the "test" (possibly trying to tap into the Kasaya's power. So flames went out of control, and in the end, everything burned. Elder Jinchi, Guangmou and Guangzhi were turned into yaoguais after the fire and Black Wind King/Bear was left to guard the mountain after the scene with Guanyin.
As a person who read JTTW, you’re pretty spot on! But in the novel (idk about the game) Jinchi and his monks just set fire to the area Wukong and his master were sleeping in. However Wukong borrowed some fire repelling magic from a godly friend and deflected the firs onto the rest of the monastery. At that time the Black Beat Demon, who was not in Guanyin’s service, that’s only after he is defeated by Wukong, comes down to help put out the fire, but his own greed for the Kasaya leads him to steal it and abandon the monks to their own problem.
@@limkailuen3022 Thaaaaaank you soooo much! That was the piece I was missing!!! I have not read JTTW so it makes sense I was missing those details. I guess the game gives for granted that you know some things (I've only seen some movies and such). Nevretheless, I think the game does a great job in giving clues that you can put toguether in order to see "see the bigger picture", one of the things I believe shares with SoulsLike games. Reading the object descriptions and the amazing journal entries give you a much better understanding. Thanks for explaing what happened during the fire :)
@Deltasquad-boss What i can tell from reading the novel he gained immortality multiple times in the novel. •He learned the secret of eternal life from a Sage, Master Sabudi, it was a breathing method. • He Went to underworld, then erased his name and all other Monkeys from the book of dead. •Ate a garden of eternal peaches, each peach stated to grant another layer of immortality and he ate multiple. •Drank immortal wine. •Took pills of immortality, a full stock of it. •Eating Laozi's immortal elixir. He got 5 types of immortality in those 7 layers. •Eternal Life ( never aging ) •Resilient immortality (can survive fatal wounds like getting his heart ripped out of head cut off). •Immortality via regeneration ( can heal from anything) •Has an extra life for each one of his transformations so he can just resurrect himself ( he was allowed to pick between the spell 72 heavenly transformations or Earthly transformations, he picked Earthly also remember that 72 transformations is just the name of the spell he can transform into more. •He is deathless as in death no longer applies to him because he removed himself from the book of life and death because he got pissed that he died even tho he gained the first of hus layer being “Eternal life” which is just never aging fought everyone in hell and forced them to write him out🤷♂️😭. I might have missed something but this is all i know from the novel and my research on him.
Wukong did not give up his buddahold because he found the celestial rules too constraining, he challenged the celestial court because he found out their immortality came from the exploitation of the people and yaoguais, for example in chapter 4, the whole place is a lab for the celestial court to test their medicine for immortality, these spiders' only purpose is to be made into medicine for the celestial court. That's why sunwukong only gains his sixth sense(his mind) if you complete all the hidden quests and fight erlang, in this case, the sixth sense is a symbol of learning the "truth". But if you don't complete the hidden sidequests, you'll wear the golden hoop again, which means you haven't learned the truth, and have become the lapdog of the celestial court.
Come to think of it... Only when you defeat Erlang and read all the backstory can you really understand what Wukong says in the intro. That immortality is a word that has ruined countless people. Considering how the Celestials make their pills... Maybe he found out and they killed him for it, too. The Celestial Court is also basically just very, very racist. They believe in the absolute hierarchy of buddha, deity, man, yaoguai, and beast, with all beings destined to have a fixed nature and a place in the universe. This is almost identical to some ideas that have been taught about race. It's very interesting how Game Science wrote a chapter about certain people being kept in a prison camp, tortured and experimented on...
8:16 ok correction, it wasn’t just any travelling monk’s robe, it was Tong’s(wukong’s master), and wukong was the one covered Tong in a fire repelling barrier and spread the fire to burn the whole temple
Wukong died by plan of himself. That's why when the chosen one first meet erlang he said he can't kill wukong no one can except himself. Wukong choose to kill himself Because he found it's wrong to be with the buhda side. Buhda has no justice every since. They capture strong monster to make pill that help them to go immortal. So wukong planned kill himself But leave the spirit to come back. The spirit is the chosen one. Even it's no more completely himself anymore. But the spirit will lead to justice and freedom like always. He thought to become a buhda will help all of his kind and friends to get a better life but not. He become a powerful tool of gods. And They are doing even worse business on human and even the monsters. On chapter 2 everyone become like a rat is because of the No-head buhda.
Some Buddhas seem to be helping us... Maitreya, the little boy in chapter 3, helps guide the Destined One to the truth. He's with the fortune-teller Yuan Shoucheng at the end, and seems to be interested in finding out what happens if the reborn Wukong escapes the cycle of destiny. The Old Monkey also seems to be a Buddha in disguise. He has the floating ribbon of an enlightened one. But they don't say who he is... Some have speculated that he might be Sanzang, based on how he talks to Bajie.
This game adapts as a purgatory punishment for wukong to remove his sins thats all Hence you see why he has to fight zhu bajie, etc his own friend , he does spare alot of demons in the story after tansanzhang told him to
Great video. you missed the side quest story how Erlang has aided Wukong by sending his boies to test/assist the destined one in each chapter. Some joked team Wukong/Erlang; Some joked Erlang is the guy you can trust to take care of your family after you are gone and not to worry about being NTR.
This video is amazing! Thank you so much for your hard work. It's going to make the rest of my playthrough so much more enjoyable now that I understand what's going on 😅. Subbed and will be checking out many more of your explained videos.
I have a slight understanding of the story "journey to the west" before this week... but now its becoming one of my favorite stories with all the lore deep dives ive seen lately. Probably gonna read the actual book soon too. Wild cause this is how i got into "a song of ice and fire" and "the witcher" books and stories. Atm those are my top 3 😂
22:27 The monk talking to the turtle in this cinematic is actually Tang San Se before life, and yes Tang San Se has many lives before as a monk which highlights the concept of reincarnation and karma in Buddhism. In this cutscene, the turtle and the monk are both Buhhda disciples, the turtle wants to prove to the monk that grief is undeniable as it is human nature however the monk asks what is the point of proving that because it is not human nature that we are grief but it is outer impact of our life that makes us becoming grief in this case the turtle is the one that make the villagers become more and more grief. Stories like this make Journey to the West a great novel and also the Black Myth Wukong game of the year. Like a saying in Vietnamese and Chinese culture: "At first, humans were naturally born deemed to be good"
Nice video！To be honest, as a native Chinese player, I even can't quite understand the whole story of the game. This is because it is a completely new story happened after the novel Journey to the West. Many characters or boss in the game are quite different from traditional novels. So there are many hidden clues in the game, and we are still exploring the secrets behind the superficial plot. let's enjoy it together :）
Your theory on the game’s theme against speed running is actually sound. I personally am not a fan of the speed running craze. I find it pointless in games with deep and meaningful story to be enjoyed. The whole purpose of speed run is to show vanity, validity and hubris. If not for winning, why set yourself a goal that is a means to an end.
wait until you find out that the entire back story of wu kong is actually just an introduction to the novel. The main content of the novel is the journey of wu kong and his master to get the scriptures. There are a total of 81 tribulations in that journey, each tribulation has different content and many plot twists.
8:15 Master Jinchi Killed himself by smashing his head towards Temple Pillar. He smashes (His attack) just like you see in game. . 16:55 - Kang-Jin Star .... She IS a dragon (Female dragon) but transformed into a human form.
The first ending, the destined one replace wukong in his duty - bounding by the the shackle. because he now have wukong power, a boundless power that can corrupt lesser mind and he dont have the experience and lesson that calmed wukong chaotic nature he must be bound by the headband in fear of someday he might do bad things - that why the six relic put it on him and he accepted it - while wukong trapped in a stone, awaiting to be bourn once more without the headband but loosing everything he has learn on his journey and might make the same mistake. Repeating his same path. The black mist that came out of erlang shen third eye is the memory of wukong on the jorney to the west, his life story, his emotion, his everything. ( the original voice from the film also). Only when the chosen monkey have that memory that he truely be Sun wukong - not in name - but also wisdom to control that boundless power. Wukong and the chosen monkey became one, not quite wukong, not quite the chosen one, but both and he awaken - full power and with wisdom to use it, not to repeat the same mistake of the young Wukong. He is reborned, without the shackle on his head, without the shackle in his heart because of the pass miss deed he have done. The headband is not only a shackle on his head, it is also a symbol of the shackle in his heart that he cant forget and forgive himself - that why the old monkey criticised him on the way we came to the boss fight. With the memory he acceptef it and be free from both. No shackle can bound him, the onlything bounding the monkey king is himself, no matter how many time he reincarnates, the cycle stay the same if only his power passed down, not his wisdom
The story behind Black Myth Wukong is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and echoes the classic Journey to the West. Immersive Translate helped me appreciate these cultural nuances and the lore much better.
In cutscene of bull king, Bull didnt kill WuKong during the journey to the west, actually multiple gods together beheaded bull king, with the help of WuKong. They killed bull's younger brother too.
I knew this game will be a good game with better story, I've been waiting for it's release since 2019 I'm just surprised ccp didn't banned this game due to their story is about rebeling authority lmao
The visiting Monk in Chapter 1 ending, is Tang Sanzhang, and he came with Wukong and the group. The Elder is jealous of Tang Shanzang golden Kasaya . And schemed with other monk to kill Tang Shanzang and group. But Wukong out wit them, by protecting his master and group with fire protection, so the fire instead burn Elder Jinchi and his companion. In Black Myth Wukong turn out, they became demon
Dedicated to all players who want to learn about the backstory." Actually, there are many interpretation videos on the Chinese internet. In the story of Zhu Bajie, my personal interpretation is: Zhu Bajie: Zhu Bajie fell for a leading figure among the Chang'e (this is mentioned in Zhu Bajie's game story, "A group of Chang'e fairies in plain clothes entered the scene from the back," and "Among them, a fairy in a white dress and white hair, danced gracefully.") (Chang'e is a general term for the maids of Taiyin Zhenjun). During his pursuit (perhaps courtship), Zhu Bajie encountered the Purple Spider. Later, he accidentally witnessed the white-haired Chang'e meeting privately with the Jade Emperor (or the Jade Emperor's son). As a result, Zhu Bajie was punished by the Jade Emperor's guards and banished to the mortal world, where he was reincarnated as a pig. In the animation, when Zhu Bajie woke up, he met Gao Cuilan (not the Purple Spider) at Gao Laozhuang, where she was seeking a husband and eventually chose Zhu Bajie. Later, when the four went on their journey to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West, they passed through the Spider Cave, where Zhu Bajie reunited with the Purple Spider but did not dare to recognize her (as the gods in heaven were constantly watching over them during their journey). Similarly, after defeating the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, he still couldn't acknowledge her. In the end, they had a daughter together, and during the journey, Sun Wukong asked Zhu Bajie to kill the remaining spiders, but Zhu Bajie spared the Purple Spider’s life (according to speculation based on the story). Throughout this plot, Zhu Bajie dared not acknowledge the Purple Spider, fearing that the heavenly court would punish her and their daughter (the story of Bull Demon King and Spider Sister Four in Chapter 5 is a good example of this). (Speculation) As a side note, during the Bull Demon King's storyline, Zhu Bajie killed the Bull Demon King's old lover, the Jade-Faced Fox, and arrogantly proclaimed it. To explain, the Jade-Faced Fox was a spy for the heavenly court, and Zhu Bajie was also helping the Bull Demon King. Sun Wukong was also speaking ill of the Bull Demon King to make things appear proper for the heavenly court, but in secret, he whispered in the Bull Demon King's ear, "Acknowledging our master is the only way out." After hearing about the Jade-Faced Fox, the Bull Demon King decided to rebel against the heavenly court on his own. Easter egg: Some online have analyzed the last lyrics of the animation, "We meet in the next life," with the male voice saying, "Please don't look back," and the female voice singing, "Please remember to glance back." Now, let's talk about Sun Wukong and Sister Four, with some interesting analysis: In the predecessor to Black Myth called , the White Bone Spirit was Sun Wukong's wife. (Before the 100-chapter version of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong always had a wife, and each new version was a reinterpretation based on the original.) In an old Chinese animation, Sun Wukong and the Purple Fairy, one of the Seven Fairies, had mutual feelings for each other. When Sun Wukong’s leg was trapped by golden shackles, the Purple Fairy stole a diamond from the Queen Mother of Heaven and gave it to Sun Wukong, freeing him. In the end, they helped each other but never dared to confess their feelings. Similarly, in Stephen Chow's movie A Chinese Odyssey, Sun Wukong and Zixia Fairy also had mutual affection but could not be together in the end. (Speculation) After repeatedly helping Sun Wukong, the Queen Mother banished the Purple Fairy to the mortal world, where she became the White Bone Spirit. After many trials, Sun Wukong was made to forget the Purple Fairy by the heavenly court. During the chapter of "The Three Fights with the White Bone Spirit," she tried multiple times to recognize Sun Wukong, but in the end, the forgotten Sun Wukong killed her. (Speculation) In the game, Sister Four is the reincarnation of the White Bone Spirit. She helped the fated protagonist multiple times despite the opposition of the heavenly court. In one chapter, Sister Four gave the protagonist some treasures, possibly the dowry she once intended for Sun Wukong. There is also the character Qinlang Xian (one of the masterminds behind the Spider Cave, but also a henchman for the heavenly court). Sister Four was controlled by the heavenly court, sealed with purple talismans. In the end, she was captured by the heavenly court and said to Sun Wukong, "Leave quickly," not wanting him to get involved. If you continue forward and tear off the talisman, the heavenly court will capture her. (Hurry up and release the DLC; I want to storm the heavenly court!) Bull Demon King: The Bull Demon King was once one of Sun Wukong's good brothers. Sun Wukong, a great demon, had six good brothers before embarking on the journey to retrieve the scriptures, and the seven of them were known as the "Seven Great Saints," namely: Bull Demon King, Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, Demon King Jiao, Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea, Roc Demon King, Great Sage Who Confounds Heaven, Lion Camel King, Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, Macaque King, Great Sage Who Commands the Winds, Baboon King, Great Sage Who Drives Gods, Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven. They once rebelled against the heavenly court but were eventually defeated. Red Boy, the son of the Bull Demon King, set up his own territory, with the sole desire to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh. As a mischievous child, he transformed into a boy to deceive the four disciples and eventually captured Tang Sanzang. Yes, just like the little fox in the game. Many Chinese players knew immediately it was Red Boy. Sun Wukong, as the sworn brother of the Bull Demon King, tried to use their relationship to get his master back, but Red Boy didn't believe him and obstructed the journey. They fought, and Sun Wukong eventually asked Guanyin to subdue Red Boy (perhaps also to help the Bull Demon King). After Sun Wukong brought Red Boy into Buddhism, the Daoist faction (the heavenly court) was unhappy and revealed Red Boy's true identity to the Bull Demon King (Red Boy was not the Bull Demon King's biological son; the heavenly court had made Iron Fan drink water, and she gave birth to a Yaksha). The Bull Demon King became deeply disappointed and eventually left home, encountering the Jade-Faced Fox, whom he later married into. Sun Wukong needed the fan of the Bull Demon King's wife to get through the Flaming Mountains (only the Banana Fan could extinguish the flames). The couple had separated, but Sun Wukong barged in. Iron Fan Princess, still resentful over the Red Boy incident, refused to give it. Sun Wukong then transformed into the Bull Demon King and tricked the fan away. When the Bull Demon King found out, he turned into Zhu Bajie and stole the fan back. Zhu Bajie slaughtered the Jade-Faced Fox's entire household (the Jade-Faced Fox was a spy for the heavenly court, sent to seduce the Bull Demon King, which Zhu Bajie likely figured out, as he hadn't done anything like this earlier in the story). However, the Bull Demon King didn't know the full story. First, they harmed his son, then insulted his wife, and finally killed his concubine. Unable to endure the humiliation, he rebelled against the heavenly court. The heavenly court then came to behead the Bull Demon King (though demon kings don't die from beheading, at least the Bull Demon King wouldn't). Iron Fan Princess couldn't bear to see it and offered the Banana Fan, choosing to submit to Buddhism along with the Bull Demon King, bearing the humiliation. Later, when Sun Wukong's descendants were slaughtered and he once again stormed the heavenly court, the Bull Demon King, driven by family revenge or other motives, joined Erlang Shen in killing Sun Wukong. In Sun Wukong's dying words, the Bull Demon King finally understood. Everything Sun Wukong had done to his son and wife was to show the heavens, aiming to protect the Bull Demon King. In the end, Sun Wukong concealed everything, allowing the Bull Demon King to take the credit, but the Bull Demon King felt immense guilt. Eventually, the heavenly court revealed Red Boy's identity, and together with Sun Wukong's body, the Yaksha clan (who were wiped out by Buddhism, leaving Red Boy as the last survivor). Red Boy, now aware of his identity and mission, asked the Bull Demon King for Sun Wukong's body, intending to wage war against Buddhism (Buddhism had wiped out the Yaksha clan but had taken in Red Boy, a case of psychological torment). This is my interpretation. For every thousand people, there is a different Hamlet. Journey to the West is a myth that can be interpreted in many ways. written in Chinese, created by AI translation. If there are any inaccuracies (whether in the plot or translation), please forgive me. - The English translation may differ.
I think the part where wukong dies is after the fight in the opening scene where erlang assaulted the bull king as he was wukongs sworn brother and he was awarded wukongs body hence why he has a relic which he kept in his stomach and did not absorbed as wukong told him.
In buddhism, the 3 venoms of humanity is greed, anger, ignorance (贪噌痴)。The story also emphasize the Monk, Sanzhang to tame his 3 apprentices Wukong (anger), Wuneng aka Bajie (greed), Wujing aka Shazeng (ignorance). After the journey, they managed to be better self after 81 challenges along the journey. Meanwhile, the story also teasing officers in Ming Dynasty obsessed with power and many problems indirectly spill to peoples of lower tier.
What do you think of Black Myth Wukong's story?
It's pretty good. It is basically a continuation of Sun Wukong's story.
Though it is quite strange to have Sun Wukong start to get "bored" of buddahood and wanting enjoy the smaller things in life. Especially as actual Buddahood means that you no longer have the desires for such things...
Doesn not quite make sense, but still.
The story itself is pretty awesome. ^^
Though I do wish that there were a few more endings. One where the Destined would have a happy life in the mortal world. Or one where he joins the Heavenly counsil and takes on the place where his original incarnation Wukong once held.
Or maybe one where he would be a sort of trickster deity of sorts or something like he would be teh deity of childlike wonder and such. Where he still plays pranks on teh gods and mortals alike but always to impart some wisdom and lesson upon the deity or person that he pranked, etc. =3
so cool and what a journey !
a monkey
My opinion is that is game is after journey to the west. Because he become budha after jouney to the west. In this game 3rd eye said that he was once a budha. Therefore this is my claim .
Not sure why his kind is being killed as well as the game didn't explain why his kind is hunted.
@@justinhhe9980 In the original book, during the fight between Erlang and Wukong, Erlang's army also attacked Wukong's mountain and imprisoned/killed many animals in order to capture Wukong. Wukong managed to protect the monkeys that time before being captured. The events of the game follow a similar pattern, with Erlang attacking the mountain to capture Wukong again. I don't think his kind was being hunted after Wukong got captured, otherwise the destined one wouldn't be here right now.
I think your interpretation is right on. We Chinese who knew all of the lores, have similar understanding of the plot. A little suggestions would be, the thing that was put on Wukong's head, or in the bad ending onto the destined one's head, cannot be interpreted as a crown. Since it is the very key of the entire story, the meaning of it has to be understood. The crown like hoop is called 紧箍(the tightening band). The band was created to control Wukong in case he does not obey his master in the journey to the west. The band cannot be removed and there was a spell 紧箍咒 （the spell to tighten the bend）to activate the band. After it's activated, it will tighten the head of Wukong and create unbearable pain. The whole story of Black Myth Wukong is that Wukong realized that the only way to relieve himself from the restriction of this band, is to destroy his body. That's why he sacrificed his immortality, and make a bet with Erlang god, that one day there will be a destined one who can beat all of the challenges and prove he is the right one, and to inherent all of his lagacy and memory, and become the reborn of himself.
And in the ending animie, Most are the reversed story of the entire Journey to the West, including Wukong's original war with celestial court. I believe this reversed story is a hint his wish to transform from 'Buddha of Victorious Fight' which means his subordination, back to the true self 'Great Sage which Equals the Heaven'. Those are all of Wukong's memories. But after he put down the bowl on the table, it is suggested by the blood and broken weapons, that this is the reincarnated Wukong in the present timeline. And his exit suggests that a new journey begins.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I see exactly what you mean about the band vs crown distinction. And thank you for the insight❤️
@@leodelonix155this was what i was looking for, a comment explaining the good ending. as i have thought, the chosen one became the one wukong was betting on. thus, embarking on a new journey, the journey sun wukong wasn't able to experience due to the restrictions. i hope ill witness the journey of the new/destined wukong in the future. absolute peak of a story JTTW is.
@@cainthedeity wow, this explanation of wukong/destined one's story/journey in the game really resembles the path of the creative team members of game science, they're originally Tencent's employees, lots of restrictions were placed on them. eventually they left and created their own path, if they were stayed, it will be like wukong with the head band on, stayed in the amber stone , just endless meaningless recycle/reincarnation and no true nirvana.
That thing should be a shackle turns Wukong into a prisoner
I really wished you delved deeper into the story between Erlang Shen and Wukong. Erlang was the son born between the Jade Emperor's sister and a mortal, a sin that caused his mother to be locked up by the heavens until rescued by Erlang himself. His rebellious nature shares many similarities with Wukong, and in the original JTTW only his skills in transformations were a match for Wukong, a worthy rival who he might've looked up to.
During the bossfight with Erlang we can hear Erlang say something along the lines of "Do you think this meeting of ours was planned by Wukong?" implying that this was all a plan by Wukong to get rid of the headband, and Erlang humours us. He even acknowledges that he understands Wukong's thoughts the most, "His mind is an ordeal, I know". The reason why Erlang is so eager to fight us and help Wukong slowly get accustomed to his former power might be because he secretly wishes for us to break free from heaven's will.
This is just my interpretation, but I personally really enjoyed the similarities and differences between Erlang and Wukong, showing both who are bound by heaven's will, but Wukong representing the defiance against it.
Completely agree! Erlang deserves his own deep dive. Stay tuned 😊
Wait... This feels like Yin and Yang?
Erlang is rebellious while Wukong is freedom? Erlang rebelled for loved and Wukong fought for his freedom?
Erlang always been the coolest friend-and-foe kind of character in tv shows and flims in China. I love him like i love Vergil.
@tngaming50 if you read deep enough into Erlang's story, he is as rebellious as Wukong in some instances, but was finally being subdued by Celestial Court through power and manipulation. He has always has a sort of deep respect masked by faux hatred for Wukong. Deep down, Wukong is something his heart always yearn to be, but he himself never has the actual will to go for it.
heavens will? REverend insanity reference fs
The cutscene at the end of chapter 5 is the memories of the bull king that the chosen one received through the relic. It not only showed memories of their conflict during Journey to the West, but it also showed his memories of what happened during Wukong's fight at the beginning of the game.
It showed that the demon kings were involved in that fight on the side against Wukong, and were there for his death. As well, they were given Wukong's senses by Erlang, rather than them finding the scattered senses on their own. Additionally, Erlang himself took the sixth sense, and he also held some of Wukong's memories in his third eye, which he released to the Chosen One upon defeat.
In other words, the fight as experienced in the tutorial segment is not actually the truth of what happened, but rather a leading and incomplete story told by the old monkey.
Yes Erlang helped the Stone Monkey to find a better successor, Stone monkey didn't transcend directly but indirectly through his six senses to the destined one.
In the animation of the true ending(where Destined One fights the 4Kings and Erlang) Wukong says Erlang that he will be free from the Ring on his head this time.
All comes to this that Wukong wanted to be free from the head ring and erlang knows it very well that's why he tried to help him by scattering all the senses, which will eventually make the destined one powerful throughout the journey
Fascinating
aka KEIKAKU DORI
wukong and erlang doing 4D chess with the celestial court all this time
I need to watch it again. I thought what happened was that the Celestial Court gave the relics to the five yaoguai kings after forcing them to fight and betray Wukong (because each one is the disciple of someone in Heaven), but Erlang and his brothers conspired with Wukong to hijack the plan to kill him and turn it into a second, even deeper scheme to escape Heaven's control.
My understanding was that the five kings were used by Maitreya, Guanyin, etc to try to create a new Monkey King who would be obedient to them while having his powers (the Destined One, they test him that way and then put on the headband to control the new fake Wukong). But Erlang sabotaged this by stealing Wukong's memories and keeping them safe, while his brothers of Mt. Mei went to follow the yaoguai kings and investigate the deception of Heaven, and they also test the Destined One to find someone worthy of really carrying on Wukong's legacy and not just his power. Venom Daoist, Whiteclad Noble, Treasure Hunter, etc are all the brothers of Erlang. Although it seems like Maitreya is also working with them in secret to oppose Heaven itself, or at least has decided to be a neutral party and see what happens to destiny once Wukong is reborn?
copy paste from somewhere:
For those wondering, yes he is wukong. Wukong split himself into 6 relics to prevent himself from being fully sealed. The character we play as is the embodiment of the 6th relic. In the end you absorb the other 5 and become the real wukong AGAIN. In the bad ending the destined one reject his past self and doesnt fully revive and chooses to become a pawn for the gods while the old wukong remains trapped in the stone. The original wukong couldn't get rid of that headband that weakened him so he came up with a plan with erlang to die and be reborn without the headband weakening him. His reincarnation is the destined one aka the mc for this game. He let erlang kill him and erlang kept his memori3s inside his 3rd eye and waited for him to be reincarnated. Erlang himself admitted in the game when u meet him again that no one could e killed wukong besides himself confirming wukong let erlang kill him. This reincarnation was born stronger because he didn't have the headband. My guess is they're gonna release a bug dlc continuing the story with wukong fighting heaven. I think the continuation will be a dlc because the creator said the next black myth game will be based on a different mythological story from Chinese novels. This is suppose to be the start of a series of different black myth games set in different chinese mythology stories. As to why erlang would help wukong eventhough they were rival. I have no idea and the game doesn't explain it
Real Wukong want to be free from that headband and the destined one got it mean real wukong is free and the destined one is from now in control of headband also headband have every memories of the real wukong so destined one got all of his memories by the headband now we can say that he is same as the real wukong
Never have I seen such effort go into a video game, the animated little movies after each chapter are just heavenly. Such an amazing and special game.
Totally agree, those endings were so fun to watch and experience 😊
sometimes its hard for non Chinese speakers to understand some nuances in Chinese literature, because we Chinese names actually have meanings, not only a sound or symbolic to call someone, like Zhu Bajie literally means Pig with 8 Precepts, Sun Wukong means Monkey who enlightened the Emptiness.
and in China, you can call someone many names, similar concept to nickname but with some nuanced differences. for we Chinese, its easy to understand, but for most westerners, you may easily misunderstand those are different characters in the story.
Very interesting, thank you for pointing out!
thats really cool to know, but as a mexican i though that most names had a meaning elsewhere, it seems that i was wrong, or atleas nowdays most people name their sons and daughters with cute sounding names without taking into account the meaning.
@@cobetx472 the English names I know mainly comes from bible, but I dont know where the names in the bible come from, and if they have any actual meaning. I name my daughters with characters representing beautiful jade. and my surname sounds the same with fish, so my nickname called by close friends is a kind of local fish.
@@yuey0602 As far as I know, most of the English names that came from the Bible are mostly jewish, greek, or latin and has meaning just like Chinese names. But it is worth noting that the english names used today aren't exactly the same as their orignal since they are influenced by many factors such as the translation or interpretation of the names. Put for example the english name "Peter," which was derived from the Greek word "Petros." The name also means "rock" or "stone."
I'm not an expert on this topic but I hope this explains something.
@@tastywater_ thx
You’ve done such a wonderful job to explain the story line! However, the story with the fox was not meant to warn others about the appearance of the “fox”, or to reject the supernatural, but to ask people to think which is the real monster here, the fox yaoguai who was born a monster, or the guy who killed her because of his fear? In Chinese mythology, and in this novel, monsters are ranked lower than humans, and humans of surely lower than the gods and the Buddha, however, this story asks the viewer to reflect on whether that is really true. =)
Thank you, and I appreciate you sharing! 😊
That is actually really interesting
Was thinking of this if he was scared of what happened in the dream why didnt he just release the fox instead
@@SonVu-ns1zv “Because it’s always the right thing to do to kill the yaoguai, which is always born evil.”
@@SonVu-ns1zv good question. That’s because you’re more kind. Or naive/unaware of potential danger. Which one is it? 😂
The second chapter story, the fox, can be interpreted as followed:
Trust your heart. The fox was ready to fully repay the scholar, but his fear and paranoia made him killed her. We can see this ingame when we saw a corpse with a fox for a coat. She asked the monke to avenge her, because in reality she has never meant any harm towards the man.
Love the interpretation, thank you!
Agree. Fox spirits have somehow gotten a bad reputation in Asian mainstream literature and folk tales.
The truth is the fox had been a revered animal and was commonly worshipped as a guardian deity pre-Tang Dynasty (before Buddhism became the official religion).
Even today you can still find fox deity shrines in some parts of northern China.
A one's fate can be determined often by a single thought is a good theme whether to save or kill
@@SwampBeats666 except Buddhism never said any spirit even Fox spirit is bad, it's Chinese folklore that said Fox spirits seduce men like mermaids do in Europe
@SwampBeast666 i mean there is nine tailed fox which is really famous in asia...
Im personally disappointed they didn't lean into the comedic aspects of his personality. The entire story is built on his hubris. Wukong is not a noble figure and that's the point of his arc in the book.
This is him after the journey. So, it fits.
4th phase of the final boss fight with Wukong's broken shell was quite comedic tho. those teasing interactions were exactly what Wukong may do if he's really there.
But he is not wukong that’s the whole point he just takes the mantle and name of wukong
Because it's Black myth and it dark
Actually only after the Destined One opened his eyes after refusing to put on the band, did he become Wukong. Only after he inherited memories from Erlong god's third eye, and defeated the remains of Wukong, can he become the reborn of Wukong.
As a Chinse who finished playing this game, I'll do a deeper explaination about second chapter. Through the description of the little boy in the well.And traveling through time and space to help the yellow wind sage to defeat that big bug.This is actually because the Great Sage Huang Sheng came back here to protect the people long time ago.Then the people loved the Yellow wind Sage very much and began to support mice Yaoguai instead of bodhisattvas,So you can see a lot of Buddha heads that have been taken off in the map.Including some buildings in the village is mice yaoguai instead of Buddha.Coming up, bodhisattva lingji made many people in the village turned into mice to frame up Yellow wind sage. There are many details in the game, including the last short film.A lot of times we are more inclined to believe what you want to believe.Who come to you first with kind.Who is the good one 😂
My interpretation of the endings is a bit different from yours. My opinion is that throughout the journey, the Destined One doesn't really know what he's doing, he's just going through the motions. As he gathers the relics and Sun Wukong's titular equipment, he becomes similar to Sun but only similar. Often imitated but never surpassed is probably the ideal phrase for this situation. The default ending where he accepts the circlet implies he's accepting everything that belonged to Sun, including the circlet because he thinks that only by possessing all his items can he become Sun Wukong. That is a fallacy in and of itself as he ends up becoming the next Stone Monkey waiting for the next Destined One to arrive.
In the true ending, the Destined One obtained the memories of Sun Wukong from Erlang Shen that made him who he is, without those experiences, he would just be a puppet, an exquisite one but a puppet nonetheless. From the fight with Erlang we can see that Sun planned his apparent death to get rid of the circlet because from the Old Monkey's story we know the original Sun Wukong died during the Journey to the West the moment he accepted that circlet for "redemption". Sun Wukong can be described as unruly and free and when he gave those qualities up he lost himself. I think the Old Monkey was Sun Wukong's final test for the Destined One on whether he could surpass those before him and truly claim the name Sun Wukong. If they obtained his memories, it means they understand the circlet for what it is, something meant to destroy everything about him and would then reject the circlet from being placed on him.
I think it would have been better if during the true ending when the eyes flash, the Destined One's arm would shoot out and stop the Old Monkey from placing the circlet on his head before shifting to the memories. I sort of get the close up on his face to visualize the flashback but even then something as simple as the sound of the circlet being knocked out of the Old Monkey's hands would have been nice. At least something concrete to imply the rejection of the circlet. At the moment, it's very implicit and you have to assume the Destined One rejected it after the memory flashback. Just not as satisfying and cathartic as you would hope to end the game.
This is terrible interpretation of the fight with Wukong. Thankfully you weren’t working on the game.
@@JesusAlvarado-b9swrong. Thankfully you’ve never worked on a game
@@JesusAlvarado-b9s СЯУ
That's close. What seems to have happened is that Heaven itself set up this whole scheme to create a new Monkey King who could be controlled; each Yaoguai King is a disciple or a prisoner of a great figure in heaven. Bear under Guanyin, rat sage under Lingji, Yellowbrow under Maitreya, and so on. They were all commanded to fight Wukong by their masters and kill him, and for their "reward", they each received a piece of his body. But they were being used as pawns in a bigger plan; they're sacrifices meant to test each Destined One's ability to earn the powers of Wukong through overwhelming strength. If he collects all the relics, merges them all, and then has the headband placed on him, then Heaven gets another Monkey King with his incredible strength, but none of the memories or the defiance that makes up his personality. They can use him. If he doesn't retrieve the memories, then as a monkey who only knows how to fight like Wukong, but doesn't even really speak or show any personality... He lacks the wisdom or the context to understand what it represents.
But if he gets the memories, he fulfills the secret plan within a plan Wukong hatched with Erlang to cheat Heaven one more time. Erlang staged the duel with Wukong so they could escape into the forest and Wukong's memories could be hidden in the third eye; Erlang would "win" and make Heaven think its plan succeeded. Then, his brothers, the sages of Mt. Mei (Whiteclad Noble, Boar, Treasure Hunter, Venom Daoist, Bull), would follow the Yaoguai Kings back to their homes and investigate to uncover the secrets hidden by Heaven - such as Hundred-Eye being effectively the prison warden for his own spider relatives, working for Heaven to guard the gates of their longevity pill farm. Or the lies of Lingji, who actually sent his own mount Fuban to punish the Kingdom of Gold for turning away from Buddhism; the Wind Sage tried to save the people of the golden land, but failed and turned to Wukong's power out of desperation, and it drove him mad because he couldn't control it. So basically, there's just a plot within a plot, tests within tests; the main story is the surface level journey orchestrated by Heaven, but the secret area story is the true journey of proving that the Destined One is not just like Wukong in strength, but also in personality. Cleverness, compassion, and insight are all part of who Wukong was, so using those skills to uncover the truth is what's needed to be worthy of carrying forward his true self and finally escaping the palm of Buddha.
also, for all those confused by the end animation of 5th chapter, here is the explanation. Everything in the animation happened, it's just that the events shown are not linear. Hundreds of years back, before the journey to the West, Wokong and the Bull became sworn brothers, and together they rebelled against heaven, which is the mid part of the animation where the Bull and Wukong fought side by side against the celestial army. That rebellion was also the first time Wukong fought Erlong (the three-eyes dude from the beginning of the game). They lost that fight and Wukong was captured and eventually imprisoned under the five-finger mountain for 500 years. Then the journey to the West took place, during that journey, Wukong and his gang ran into the Bull again. Wukong and his gang were blocked by this fire mountain and needed to borrow the Plantain Fan from the Bull's wife to quell the flame, but lots of shit happened and they made the Bull into an enemy (Bajie even killed his mistress). The Bull was so powerful that Wukong had to call for help from the celestial court to subdue him (he was defeated not killed, losing a head is nothing), this was shown at the part when Wukong and Bajie were talking down to the Bull. Then the journey to the West concluded, and time forward to the beginning of this game. Wukong was attacked by the celestial court again, this time, the Bull and the four bosses from previous chapters joined Heaven's force to defeat Wukong. Hence 5 of Wukong's 6 senses were given to them as rewards, this is the part at the beginning of the anime. When the Bull held Wukong in his arms, he started to reminisce the past. They didn't show Wukong fought the 5 of them in the intro, I guess more combat went on after Erlong thrust Wukong into the mountain.
After that event, at some point, the Bull's son finds out about his own lineage and wants to take Wukong's "body sense" so he can become strong enough to avenge his people (rebel against Heaven like his dad and Wukong did). But fear for his son, he refused, thus the father and son are at odds now.
I kinda glad the developer make our uncle Bajie small but tenacious...
He’s a firecracker, that’s for sure 😂
@@storieswithcookie I have a theory, our Destined One, might not be the only one... maybe there are others who came before... why you ask? remember Bajie's line when he first meet the monkey in the game, he say:
"Ah, that same look again.
A furry coat and a pinched face.
Luck's all you've got
Great, another mute. Whatever, let's not dally..."
@@Bobbie_Lee84 it is a metajoke about the other players in the game.
@@ChauLe-dx3fq aint ya a party pooper...
@@Bobbie_Lee84It was quite obvious from the in-game text and dialogue that the Macaque Chief was one of the monkeys of Mount Huaguo and presumably one of the candidates to be the Destined One. But he got corrupted by Yellowbrow.
Very good and in depth summary. Especially the ending, where the the destined one opened his eye and received the original WuKong's memories. It's a foreshadowing that the new WuKong will not wear the head band and be confined and will have his free will.
Thank you!! 😊❤️
The original story on Jinchi is that the Tangseng (Tang xuanzang) and Wukong who visits the Guanyin temple showed him the kasaya. Jinchi was so obsessed with the kasaya he and his disciples (Guangzhi and Guangmou) tried to get rid of both Tangseng and Wukong to seize the kasaya. Eventually, Guangzhi suggested to burn the temple where Tangseng resides, but the plan was overheard by Wukong. So Wukong borrowed a magic tool (防火罩）that keeps Tangseng away from fire, while Wukong redirects the fire and burned down the whole temple. Jinchi and the bear were good friends where they studied Buddhist teachings together and Jinchi lived very long till 270 years due to the bear's powers. When the bear saw the fire, it went to the temple and intended to put out the fire but the kasaya caught its attention away. The bear was attracted with the kasaya and stole it, forgot its intention to save the temple from fire. Jinchi with his temple and kasaya gone, chose to kill himself.
Since the kasaya is gone in Guanyin temple, Wukong decided to find Goddess Guanyin to solve this problem and soon wukong found the bear that stole the kasaya. The bear wanted to have a celebration with his friends and show the kasaya to them. So Guanyin was transformed to one of his friends who will be attending the party and give the bear a pill. Wukong trnasformed into the pill and managed to get inside the bear, making a fuss which leads to great pain and discomfort to the bear. This forced the bear to return the kasaya, and become Guanyin's disciples and as the guard of Guanyin.
Thank you, I saw a Japanese retelling of journey to the west and they shortened this episode so it made no sense with the game footage described here, now I understand.
Didn't GuangMo suggested to just stab Tang and take it but Guangzhi said it's too obvious so they needed to burn the room they're in instead?
@@X-SPONGED yes, more detailed. I skipped that
Wukong trashing speedrunner behavior is funny
Indeed 😂
the destination is the journey itself and not the end of it. don't rush it and miss everything.
❤
Agreed! 😊
Perhaps the most long awaited sequel of all time lol
Only 400 years, about the same wait time until GTA 6 I imagine 😂
@@storieswithcookie We got a Journey to the West sequel before GTA 6. You really can't make this shit up
Nice video, just want to point out that chapter2's side quest shows that the Yellow Wind Sage might have actually been the hero to the village, and Lingji was responsible for ruining the place because the people there didn't want to believe in buddhist. It's in fact an ironic story.
Every story in this is about making you question whether Heaven is truly good and demons are truly evil. That's just one example...
This was a really thoughtful breakdown of the underlying story of Sun Wukong prior to the plot of the game well done
Thank you for the kind comment 😊❤️🍪
Erlang was holding onto Wukong’s 6th relic (the mind) in his third eye; reason why you need to beat him to become complete with all six relics.
not exactly he hold his memory but not his 6th relic the mind
Since tge destined one is wukong mind reincarnated
@@AbbasAlqattanexactly, the true ending is the destined one becoming Wukong since he gets his memories and because he doesn’t have the band restraining him, he’s able to do whatever he wants
The broken sage was the mind I thought
Full lore to be take in consideration:
Level 1: [ 西游记 THE Journey to the west (1592) ] a satire novel based on Chinese mythology, story we all eastern grew up and familiar with.
Level 2: [ 大话西游 A Chinese Odyssey (1995) ] Stephen Chow movie series, the OG subversion work of JTTW with WK crazy romance story, starting point of derivative work of the classic.
Level 3: [ 悟空传 WuKong (2000) ] Web Novel by JinHeZai which inspired by Chow work, a dark re-interpretation of WK life story with a lot conspiracy, was a big hit in Chinese internet at the time.
Level 4: [ 斗战神 Asura (2010) ] MMORPG on Tencent, story highly inspired by the web novel, JinHeZai is the game world view chef designer. And the developer team in Tencent at that time, is the dev team of BMW today. In that sense, Asura can be count as prequal of BMW.
Thank you!
Level 2:《西游记》1986-杨洁导演的电视剧
As was pointed out, one of the most important lore is the 1986 TV series, the original music and the Chinese voice of both Wukong and Bajie, are all meant to honor that.
@@leodelonix155 Exactly
@@RoeZL @leodelonix155
1986 TV series for me is kind of fall on level 1 as it is too loyal to the source. In fact, the novel itself is even darker then the drama, consider drama is cater for all ages audience, some of the element seems being beautified or taken away.
Fun fact, the cutscene animstion in Ch3, the turtle demon is Yellowbrow that rigged/cheated in a wager with the monk to prove the flaws of human nature by using the decrepit village for his own means to an end.
The bet was to prove all humans are inherently greedy. Yellowbrow then instead of waiting and observing for his wager to be true, basically rigged it by intentionally making the nearby humans greedy thus proving his point to golden cicada.
The story of the hunter who saved the fox and later killed it because of a dream tells of human’s dark thoughts that determine their dark actions. A central theme in the Wukong story. 一念天堂，一念地狱，老婆变毛巾
Thanks for the insight!
This is such a good summary of the Wukong story. Can't imagine how many hours you spent making this video
Aww, thank you! 😊 ❤️
Your voice is so soothing, I loved your narration ❤
Thank you, that means a lot 😊❤️
@@storieswithcookie very welcome sweetheart 😊
The story is deep... So was the classic tale. Thanks for the deep dive!
It really was. Thanks for joining the wild ride 😊❤️
This video was very helpful, since I am not the greatest when deciphering philosophy, morals, and ethics, since I tend to focus on the lesser of two evils.
Thank you! So happy to hear you found it helped! 😊❤️
Thank you! Beautifully rendered. Your patiently crafted video is worthy of becoming a companion to the quest itself.
Aww you’re so sweet, I really appreciate hearing that ❤️☺️
excellent video for explaining the background, but the truth requires a deeper dive.
a little more addition to ZhuBajie's story:
seems the Chang'e in BM is a mix of JTTW and Laozhang Zhiyi, since Bajie met two Chang'es. the higher ranked one that he simps and the lower ranked one that loves him. as Bajie punished he was cursed to repeat the cycle of love that will ends up tragically for him. knowing this, the lower ranked chang'e somehow break the rules in order to be banished to mortal world. Ironically, she would be the one that Bajie meet on every tragic cycles as she swore to wear the same makeup (the three lines on her forehead) so Bajie would instantly recognized him.
as why she hates Wukong, is that when they reunites, she already given in to her yaoguai nature, and when she and her kin learned that Tripitaka is a monk with merit, she and her kin tried to poison them so they could eat tripitaka's flesh to attain immortality, but got caught by Wukong and she was the only one who was spared as she was fighting Bajie at the time. So in a way it's one of Bajie's curse of tragic love cycles.
The reason Bajie rejects her and his daughter with harsh words is, I think, because he wants to protect them from the wrath of Heaven. He doesn't seem to know that the seven spider guai are already prisoners of Heaven, used to make pills of immortality and watched by Hundred-Eye, who works for the Celestial Court in secret. Bajie can't confront his true feelings when his love dies, so he walks away to hide his sorrow... As usual.
Thanks for sharing the great insights. Love every details.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed ☺️❤️
A worthy successor to the original indeed. I hope this story can be viewed and read for the millennia to come. We are all shackled like wukong through various means in the society for good and for bad. How we deal with this life ordeal will be relevant even when one day we are living on mars or anywhere in the universe.
Extra information, Jinchanzi in chapter 3 ending animation is the previous incarnation of Wukong's master
Your story summary is a masterpiece too bravo!
Thank you, this means so much. I appreciate you!!!
This was the exact video I was looking for after completing the game. Thank you so much! This channel is criminally underrated. SUBSCRIBE!
Aww thank you, you are too sweet. I appreciate YOU!! 😊❤️🍪
I love this story. It resonate so much within myself. No body wants to be shackled whether it be physically or mentally like being stuck at a job going no where. And its funny how they say we originated from monkeys or ape like creatures. Maybe it was Wukong that set us free haha >.
Everyone could be wukong😂
@@madingggwe are wukong, let us return to monke
@@cainthedeity I would suggest you to read the shore stories of each characters,that's the essence
maybe this is why gods no longer exist in the modern era - after becoming wukong, the destined one led a final assault against the celestial court and succeeded in slaying every diety in heaven, after which mankind became truly unshackled by supernatural powers thanks to wukong bestowing the gift of freedom to not just himself, but the world.
Journey to the west was written long long time ago and is one of chinese popular fictional classic!
one of the best
This was SO helpful! There were aspects of the game I was unsure if I understood & some that I misinterpreted. This video threaded all the loose ends and made me even more excited for the adventure! Also awesome recap of the book! Definitely subscribing to this channel for more!
Aw thank you for the kind words! So happy to have you here 😊❤️🍪
This game cannot be explain just by basing on the OG source. The creator borrowed a lots from other adaptations of Journey to the West. In the game it stated he has feeling for a woman "Demon female" on White Tiger Ridge, in the book and original TV series he was never wanted or experienced romantic love, but in at least 2 other adaptations, Wu Kong was portrayed to have romantic relationship toward her but have to severed due to the mission of protecting Suan Zhang plus it's forbidden for Buddhism practitioner to have romantic relationship. Even tho the game lore was strayed from the original source I think I like it more since it added depth to Wu Kong Character and make him more human, more relatable.
Interesting, thank you for sharing!
In chinese culture, you don't normally call someone by their sir name.
So in Zhu Bajie case, you should call him Bajie
surname*
I would like to add that the second animation (the stop motion one) is actually vital to Wukong's story. The hidden meaning of that story is actually to show the celestial court's pov. Just like the man who killed the fox due to the fear born from a dream, the Heaven feared and mistrusts Wukong and his kind. Remember the voice at the end saying everyone has an inherent role in the world and nobody should break the order of things, well the order is decided by the celestial court. Wukong represents a force that disturbs their precious "order", and they fear he might bite back at them again, therefore, they killed him.
Also in the final boss level, Old Monkey said something about Wukong “forsaking his love” for the White Bone Spirit. If there’s a sequel for this game I want more lore on that story as well.
Narrator forgot to mentioned that Jin Chan Zi is the previous life of Wu Kong's master.
Thanks for the note!
Just finished the game, perfect time to binge this! Thank you!
That’s great to hear! Hope you enjoy it! 😊❤️
Amazing vid!!! You really helped me understanding whats going on in the cinemaic intro. I wasnt sure up until now if this story took place after Yourney to the West or if it was some kind of alternate story in which Sun Wukong never finished his quest with the Tang Monk. It is clear now to me this happens AFTER the events on Journey to the West. There is only one thing I do not entirely agree with regarding Act 1:
Elder Jinchi requested the Kasaya from Tang Monk and Great Sage (Sun Wukong). They were the visiting monks. This can be seen in the Journal entry for Elder Jinchi. He puts on an excuse saying he "cannot see it clearly" and request the Tang Monk to leave the Kasaya one night with him. Sun Wukong says at the end "Let him take it for a look. If anything goes wrong, I'll handle it". This makes me thing Sun Wukong set a trap that eventually caused the fire.
If you put that entry toguether with the dialog shown after the Guangmou fight:
"Guangmou? Guangzhi? I remember now. The evil monks abetter Elder Jinchi to burn the Great Sage and Tang Monk alive. That's these two, I thought they were already turned to ashes by that fire. who would have thought they had turned into yaoguais?
The conclussion is that Guangmou and Guangzhi convinced Elder Jinchi to steal the Kasaya from Tang Monk and Sun Wukong. Elder Jinchi wasnt able to control the Kasaya's fire power or Sun Wukong set a trap (most likely). The Black Wind King/Bear only tried to protect Elder Jinchi from the flames (Guanyin asked Black Wind King to look out for him). You can see Sun Wukong looking at the fire at the end of the cinematic so this kinda confirms to me this was a trap, probably to test ElderJinchi's good will/honesty . Elder Jinchi failed the "test" (possibly trying to tap into the Kasaya's power. So flames went out of control, and in the end, everything burned. Elder Jinchi, Guangmou and Guangzhi were turned into yaoguais after the fire and Black Wind King/Bear was left to guard the mountain after the scene with Guanyin.
Actually, one correction. I think Guangmou and Guangzhi convinced Elder Jinchi to murder/burn Tang Monk and Sun Wukong so they can keep the Kasaya.
As a person who read JTTW, you’re pretty spot on! But in the novel (idk about the game) Jinchi and his monks just set fire to the area Wukong and his master were sleeping in. However Wukong borrowed some fire repelling magic from a godly friend and deflected the firs onto the rest of the monastery. At that time the Black Beat Demon, who was not in Guanyin’s service, that’s only after he is defeated by Wukong, comes down to help put out the fire, but his own greed for the Kasaya leads him to steal it and abandon the monks to their own problem.
@@limkailuen3022 Thaaaaaank you soooo much! That was the piece I was missing!!! I have not read JTTW so it makes sense I was missing those details. I guess the game gives for granted that you know some things (I've only seen some movies and such). Nevretheless, I think the game does a great job in giving clues that you can put toguether in order to see "see the bigger picture", one of the things I believe shares with SoulsLike games. Reading the object descriptions and the amazing journal entries give you a much better understanding. Thanks for explaing what happened during the fire :)
@Deltasquad-boss What i can tell from reading the novel he gained immortality multiple times in the novel.
•He learned the secret of eternal life from a Sage, Master Sabudi, it was a breathing method.
• He Went to underworld, then erased his name and all other Monkeys from the book of dead.
•Ate a garden of eternal peaches, each peach stated to grant another layer of immortality and he ate multiple.
•Drank immortal wine.
•Took pills of immortality, a full stock of it.
•Eating Laozi's immortal elixir.
He got 5 types of immortality in those 7 layers.
•Eternal Life ( never aging )
•Resilient immortality (can survive fatal wounds like getting his heart ripped out of head cut off).
•Immortality via regeneration ( can heal from anything)
•Has an extra life for each one of his transformations so he can just resurrect himself ( he was allowed to pick between the spell 72 heavenly transformations or Earthly transformations, he picked Earthly also remember that 72 transformations is just the name of the spell he can transform into more.
•He is deathless as in death no longer applies to him because he removed himself from the book of life and death because he got pissed that he died even tho he gained the first of hus layer being “Eternal life” which is just never aging fought everyone in hell and forced them to write him out🤷♂️😭.
I might have missed something but this is all i know from the novel and my research on him.
Great video! This is the best English explanation I have watched on RUclips.
Wow, thanks for such an amazing compliment! I appreciate you 😊❤️
Wukong did not give up his buddahold because he found the celestial rules too constraining, he challenged the celestial court because he found out their immortality came from the exploitation of the people and yaoguais, for example in chapter 4, the whole place is a lab for the celestial court to test their medicine for immortality, these spiders' only purpose is to be made into medicine for the celestial court. That's why sunwukong only gains his sixth sense(his mind) if you complete all the hidden quests and fight erlang, in this case, the sixth sense is a symbol of learning the "truth". But if you don't complete the hidden sidequests, you'll wear the golden hoop again, which means you haven't learned the truth, and have become the lapdog of the celestial court.
Come to think of it... Only when you defeat Erlang and read all the backstory can you really understand what Wukong says in the intro. That immortality is a word that has ruined countless people. Considering how the Celestials make their pills... Maybe he found out and they killed him for it, too.
The Celestial Court is also basically just very, very racist. They believe in the absolute hierarchy of buddha, deity, man, yaoguai, and beast, with all beings destined to have a fixed nature and a place in the universe. This is almost identical to some ideas that have been taught about race. It's very interesting how Game Science wrote a chapter about certain people being kept in a prison camp, tortured and experimented on...
8:16 ok correction, it wasn’t just any travelling monk’s robe, it was Tong’s(wukong’s master), and wukong was the one covered Tong in a fire repelling barrier and spread the fire to burn the whole temple
Nice one. You really gave me more insight into the story.
I'm glad! 😊
Love your great video. It's like going thru a wonderful movie + explanation.
Thank you so much, that means a lot! 😊❤️🍪
Liked and subscribed I need more RUclipsrs like you
Thank you for such a sweet comment, that means a lot!! 😊❤️
Great video! One nitpick and that is that Zhu Bajie is more commonly called Bajie and not Zhu @39:32
Good stuff! Love your story telling! Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. It means so much!! ❤️🍪
really good video, hoping you got more stories like these
Thank you!! More to come 😊❤️
Wukong died by plan of himself. That's why when the chosen one first meet erlang he said he can't kill wukong no one can except himself. Wukong choose to kill himself Because he found it's wrong to be with the buhda side. Buhda has no justice every since. They capture strong monster to make pill that help them to go immortal. So wukong planned kill himself But leave the spirit to come back. The spirit is the chosen one. Even it's no more completely himself anymore. But the spirit will lead to justice and freedom like always.
He thought to become a buhda will help all of his kind and friends to get a better life but not. He become a powerful tool of gods. And They are doing even worse business on human and even the monsters. On chapter 2 everyone become like a rat is because of the No-head buhda.
Some Buddhas seem to be helping us... Maitreya, the little boy in chapter 3, helps guide the Destined One to the truth. He's with the fortune-teller Yuan Shoucheng at the end, and seems to be interested in finding out what happens if the reborn Wukong escapes the cycle of destiny.
The Old Monkey also seems to be a Buddha in disguise. He has the floating ribbon of an enlightened one. But they don't say who he is... Some have speculated that he might be Sanzang, based on how he talks to Bajie.
Love this video! I have learnt a lot. Thank you!
Aww thanks, so glad to hear it helped ❤️
Thanks for such a detailed explanation 👍🏼👍🏼
Glad it was helpful! I appreciate you 😊❤️
I love how you explain this in just 50minutes
Thank you, that means a lot! 😊❤️
Interesting. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching! 😊
Easy sub. I loved it. I’m buying the game tomorrow! Keep up the great work friend!
Aw you are too nice! Thank you and so happy to have you aboard, friend 😊❤️🍪
This game adapts as a purgatory punishment for wukong to remove his sins thats all
Hence you see why he has to fight zhu bajie, etc his own friend , he does spare alot of demons in the story after tansanzhang told him to
Great video. you missed the side quest story how Erlang has aided Wukong by sending his boies to test/assist the destined one in each chapter. Some joked team Wukong/Erlang;
Some joked Erlang is the guy you can trust to take care of your family after you are gone and not to worry about being NTR.
This video is amazing! Thank you so much for your hard work. It's going to make the rest of my playthrough so much more enjoyable now that I understand what's going on 😅. Subbed and will be checking out many more of your explained videos.
Aw thank you so much, I appreciate you! And welcome aboard, friend ❤️🍪
I have a slight understanding of the story "journey to the west" before this week... but now its becoming one of my favorite stories with all the lore deep dives ive seen lately. Probably gonna read the actual book soon too. Wild cause this is how i got into "a song of ice and fire" and "the witcher" books and stories. Atm those are my top 3 😂
Same here! This deep lore reminds me of the Witcher (I’ve covered the books btw ☺️), so I am all about it
I subscribed, love yr Channel ❤
Aw thank you, welcome aboard! 😊❤️🍪
@@storieswithcookie🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️🫂
Thank you for this. Grateful 🙏🏾
Thank YOU for watching 😊
That dodge did way more damage than that punch ever thought about👀
22:27 The monk talking to the turtle in this cinematic is actually Tang San Se before life, and yes Tang San Se has many lives before as a monk which highlights the concept of reincarnation and karma in Buddhism.
In this cutscene, the turtle and the monk are both Buhhda disciples, the turtle wants to prove to the monk that grief is undeniable as it is human nature however the monk asks what is the point of proving that because it is not human nature that we are grief but it is outer impact of our life that makes us becoming grief in this case the turtle is the one that make the villagers become more and more grief. Stories like this make Journey to the West a great novel and also the Black Myth Wukong game of the year.
Like a saying in Vietnamese and Chinese culture: "At first, humans were naturally born deemed to be good"
Nice video！To be honest, as a native Chinese player, I even can't quite understand the whole story of the game. This is because it is a completely new story happened after the novel Journey to the West. Many characters or boss in the game are quite different from traditional novels. So there are many hidden clues in the game, and we are still exploring the secrets behind the superficial plot. let's enjoy it together :）
Thank you very much! It’s a fun new twist that’s for sure!
Your theory on the game’s theme against speed running is actually sound. I personally am not a fan of the speed running craze. I find it pointless in games with deep and meaningful story to be enjoyed. The whole purpose of speed run is to show vanity, validity and hubris.
If not for winning, why set yourself a goal that is a means to an end.
thanks for the vid cookie!
😊❤️🍪
Wow. You've summed it up to perfection. Thank you.
You are far too nice, thank you!! 😊❤️
Amazing breakdown and video thank you!
Aw thank you 😊❤️🍪
by far you are the only English speaking channel that reads the story of the game right.
Yay thank you 😊
A lot of people who don’t pay attention will not understand
damn, this ending is deep as it progress how we play the game. truly an extradinory game!
Agreed! 😊
wait until you find out that the entire back story of wu kong is actually just an introduction to the novel. The main content of the novel is the journey of wu kong and his master to get the scriptures. There are a total of 81 tribulations in that journey, each tribulation has different content and many plot twists.
8:15 Master Jinchi Killed himself by smashing his head towards Temple Pillar.
He smashes (His attack) just like you see in game.
.
16:55 - Kang-Jin Star .... She IS a dragon (Female dragon) but transformed into a human form.
The first ending, the destined one replace wukong in his duty - bounding by the the shackle. because he now have wukong power, a boundless power that can corrupt lesser mind and he dont have the experience and lesson that calmed wukong chaotic nature he must be bound by the headband in fear of someday he might do bad things - that why the six relic put it on him and he accepted it - while wukong trapped in a stone, awaiting to be bourn once more without the headband but loosing everything he has learn on his journey and might make the same mistake. Repeating his same path.
The black mist that came out of erlang shen third eye is the memory of wukong on the jorney to the west, his life story, his emotion, his everything. ( the original voice from the film also). Only when the chosen monkey have that memory that he truely be Sun wukong - not in name - but also wisdom to control that boundless power. Wukong and the chosen monkey became one, not quite wukong, not quite the chosen one, but both and he awaken - full power and with wisdom to use it, not to repeat the same mistake of the young Wukong. He is reborned, without the shackle on his head, without the shackle in his heart because of the pass miss deed he have done.
The headband is not only a shackle on his head, it is also a symbol of the shackle in his heart that he cant forget and forgive himself - that why the old monkey criticised him on the way we came to the boss fight. With the memory he acceptef it and be free from both. No shackle can bound him, the onlything bounding the monkey king is himself, no matter how many time he reincarnates, the cycle stay the same if only his power passed down, not his wisdom
The story behind Black Myth Wukong is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and echoes the classic Journey to the West. Immersive Translate helped me appreciate these cultural nuances and the lore much better.
Noticed the journey didn’t go side quest. There are duality meaning for every chapter. Hope that you could rediscover the journey with all side quest.
great.. the DLC can be this.. must beat game.. must have this ending to unlock the DLC.. just like elden ring needing you to fulfil certain things
Great video. Love the story.
Thanks so much! 😊❤️
That Black! Myth! Wukong.
Very nice script and storytelling. Keep it up
Thank you, that means a lot!! ❤️❤️
In cutscene of bull king, Bull didnt kill WuKong during the journey to the west, actually multiple gods together beheaded bull king, with the help of WuKong. They killed bull's younger brother too.
I knew this game will be a good game with better story, I've been waiting for it's release since 2019
I'm just surprised ccp didn't banned this game due to their story is about rebeling authority lmao
and that shows the ccp you knew is the one from pure Western propaganda
CPC uses it an example to go against American dominance, even Mao uses Wukong as the example to go against Soviet and imperialist USA too. 😂😂😂
The visiting Monk in Chapter 1 ending, is Tang Sanzhang, and he came with Wukong and the group. The Elder is jealous of Tang Shanzang golden Kasaya . And schemed with other monk to kill Tang Shanzang and group. But Wukong out wit them, by protecting his master and group with fire protection, so the fire instead burn Elder Jinchi and his companion. In Black Myth Wukong turn out, they became demon
Dedicated to all players who want to learn about the backstory."
Actually, there are many interpretation videos on the Chinese internet.
In the story of Zhu Bajie, my personal interpretation is:
Zhu Bajie:
Zhu Bajie fell for a leading figure among the Chang'e (this is mentioned in Zhu Bajie's game story, "A group of Chang'e fairies in plain clothes entered the scene from the back," and "Among them, a fairy in a white dress and white hair, danced gracefully.") (Chang'e is a general term for the maids of Taiyin Zhenjun). During his pursuit (perhaps courtship), Zhu Bajie encountered the Purple Spider. Later, he accidentally witnessed the white-haired Chang'e meeting privately with the Jade Emperor (or the Jade Emperor's son). As a result, Zhu Bajie was punished by the Jade Emperor's guards and banished to the mortal world, where he was reincarnated as a pig.
In the animation, when Zhu Bajie woke up, he met Gao Cuilan (not the Purple Spider) at Gao Laozhuang, where she was seeking a husband and eventually chose Zhu Bajie.
Later, when the four went on their journey to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West, they passed through the Spider Cave, where Zhu Bajie reunited with the Purple Spider but did not dare to recognize her (as the gods in heaven were constantly watching over them during their journey). Similarly, after defeating the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, he still couldn't acknowledge her. In the end, they had a daughter together, and during the journey, Sun Wukong asked Zhu Bajie to kill the remaining spiders, but Zhu Bajie spared the Purple Spider’s life (according to speculation based on the story). Throughout this plot, Zhu Bajie dared not acknowledge the Purple Spider, fearing that the heavenly court would punish her and their daughter (the story of Bull Demon King and Spider Sister Four in Chapter 5 is a good example of this).
(Speculation) As a side note, during the Bull Demon King's storyline, Zhu Bajie killed the Bull Demon King's old lover, the Jade-Faced Fox, and arrogantly proclaimed it. To explain, the Jade-Faced Fox was a spy for the heavenly court, and Zhu Bajie was also helping the Bull Demon King. Sun Wukong was also speaking ill of the Bull Demon King to make things appear proper for the heavenly court, but in secret, he whispered in the Bull Demon King's ear, "Acknowledging our master is the only way out." After hearing about the Jade-Faced Fox, the Bull Demon King decided to rebel against the heavenly court on his own.
Easter egg: Some online have analyzed the last lyrics of the animation, "We meet in the next life," with the male voice saying, "Please don't look back," and the female voice singing, "Please remember to glance back."
Now, let's talk about Sun Wukong and Sister Four, with some interesting analysis:
In the predecessor to Black Myth called , the White Bone Spirit was Sun Wukong's wife. (Before the 100-chapter version of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong always had a wife, and each new version was a reinterpretation based on the original.)
In an old Chinese animation, Sun Wukong and the Purple Fairy, one of the Seven Fairies, had mutual feelings for each other. When Sun Wukong’s leg was trapped by golden shackles, the Purple Fairy stole a diamond from the Queen Mother of Heaven and gave it to Sun Wukong, freeing him. In the end, they helped each other but never dared to confess their feelings.
Similarly, in Stephen Chow's movie A Chinese Odyssey, Sun Wukong and Zixia Fairy also had mutual affection but could not be together in the end.
(Speculation) After repeatedly helping Sun Wukong, the Queen Mother banished the Purple Fairy to the mortal world, where she became the White Bone Spirit. After many trials, Sun Wukong was made to forget the Purple Fairy by the heavenly court. During the chapter of "The Three Fights with the White Bone Spirit," she tried multiple times to recognize Sun Wukong, but in the end, the forgotten Sun Wukong killed her.
(Speculation) In the game, Sister Four is the reincarnation of the White Bone Spirit. She helped the fated protagonist multiple times despite the opposition of the heavenly court. In one chapter, Sister Four gave the protagonist some treasures, possibly the dowry she once intended for Sun Wukong. There is also the character Qinlang Xian (one of the masterminds behind the Spider Cave, but also a henchman for the heavenly court). Sister Four was controlled by the heavenly court, sealed with purple talismans. In the end, she was captured by the heavenly court and said to Sun Wukong, "Leave quickly," not wanting him to get involved. If you continue forward and tear off the talisman, the heavenly court will capture her. (Hurry up and release the DLC; I want to storm the heavenly court!)
Bull Demon King:
The Bull Demon King was once one of Sun Wukong's good brothers. Sun Wukong, a great demon, had six good brothers before embarking on the journey to retrieve the scriptures, and the seven of them were known as the "Seven Great Saints," namely:
Bull Demon King, Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven,
Demon King Jiao, Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea,
Roc Demon King, Great Sage Who Confounds Heaven,
Lion Camel King, Great Sage Who Moves Mountains,
Macaque King, Great Sage Who Commands the Winds,
Baboon King, Great Sage Who Drives Gods,
Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
They once rebelled against the heavenly court but were eventually defeated.
Red Boy, the son of the Bull Demon King, set up his own territory, with the sole desire to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh. As a mischievous child, he transformed into a boy to deceive the four disciples and eventually captured Tang Sanzang. Yes, just like the little fox in the game. Many Chinese players knew immediately it was Red Boy.
Sun Wukong, as the sworn brother of the Bull Demon King, tried to use their relationship to get his master back, but Red Boy didn't believe him and obstructed the journey. They fought, and Sun Wukong eventually asked Guanyin to subdue Red Boy (perhaps also to help the Bull Demon King).
After Sun Wukong brought Red Boy into Buddhism, the Daoist faction (the heavenly court) was unhappy and revealed Red Boy's true identity to the Bull Demon King (Red Boy was not the Bull Demon King's biological son; the heavenly court had made Iron Fan drink water, and she gave birth to a Yaksha).
The Bull Demon King became deeply disappointed and eventually left home, encountering the Jade-Faced Fox, whom he later married into.
Sun Wukong needed the fan of the Bull Demon King's wife to get through the Flaming Mountains (only the Banana Fan could extinguish the flames). The couple had separated, but Sun Wukong barged in. Iron Fan Princess, still resentful over the Red Boy incident, refused to give it. Sun Wukong then transformed into the Bull Demon King and tricked the fan away. When the Bull Demon King found out, he turned into Zhu Bajie and stole the fan back. Zhu Bajie slaughtered the Jade-Faced Fox's entire household (the Jade-Faced Fox was a spy for the heavenly court, sent to seduce the Bull Demon King, which Zhu Bajie likely figured out, as he hadn't done anything like this earlier in the story).
However, the Bull Demon King didn't know the full story. First, they harmed his son, then insulted his wife, and finally killed his concubine. Unable to endure the humiliation, he rebelled against the heavenly court. The heavenly court then came to behead the Bull Demon King (though demon kings don't die from beheading, at least the Bull Demon King wouldn't). Iron Fan Princess couldn't bear to see it and offered the Banana Fan, choosing to submit to Buddhism along with the Bull Demon King, bearing the humiliation.
Later, when Sun Wukong's descendants were slaughtered and he once again stormed the heavenly court, the Bull Demon King, driven by family revenge or other motives, joined Erlang Shen in killing Sun Wukong. In Sun Wukong's dying words, the Bull Demon King finally understood. Everything Sun Wukong had done to his son and wife was to show the heavens, aiming to protect the Bull Demon King. In the end, Sun Wukong concealed everything, allowing the Bull Demon King to take the credit, but the Bull Demon King felt immense guilt.
Eventually, the heavenly court revealed Red Boy's identity, and together with Sun Wukong's body, the Yaksha clan (who were wiped out by Buddhism, leaving Red Boy as the last survivor). Red Boy, now aware of his identity and mission, asked the Bull Demon King for Sun Wukong's body, intending to wage war against Buddhism (Buddhism had wiped out the Yaksha clan but had taken in Red Boy, a case of psychological torment).
This is my interpretation. For every thousand people, there is a different Hamlet. Journey to the West is a myth that can be interpreted in many ways.
written in Chinese, created by AI translation. If there are any inaccuracies (whether in the plot or translation), please forgive me. - The English translation may differ.
I think the part where wukong dies is after the fight in the opening scene where erlang assaulted the bull king as he was wukongs sworn brother and he was awarded wukongs body hence why he has a relic which he kept in his stomach and did not absorbed as wukong told him.
This just looks amazing.
Couldn’t agree more, it’s visually epic!
Every plot twist in this game:
“but wait! Actually, _______ is _______ in disguise!”
Seriously, I felt so bamboozled throughout 😅 It’s a convenient ability for sure
that was a great explaination...... thanks
So glad it was helpful! Thank you for the sweet comment 😊
Well explained !!! ❤
Thank you!! 😊❤️
In buddhism, the 3 venoms of humanity is greed, anger, ignorance (贪噌痴)。The story also emphasize the Monk, Sanzhang to tame his 3 apprentices Wukong (anger), Wuneng aka Bajie (greed), Wujing aka Shazeng (ignorance). After the journey, they managed to be better self after 81 challenges along the journey. Meanwhile, the story also teasing officers in Ming Dynasty obsessed with power and many problems indirectly spill to peoples of lower tier.
Erlang hate the heaven cause they torture his family so im not suprise that he working with wukong to destroy the heavenly kingdom
Yeah, his family being slaughter and his mother being captured would make anyone hold a grudge to say the least
I grew up watching Journey to the west but never knew Wukong had a lover
I was surprised to hear it stated in the game as well 😊