@@DarkAttackYT In that case, may i interest you in the likes of - Soulstice (not a Soulslike, more a game in the vein of Darksiders, DMC and Bayonetta but from 2022) - Clash: Artifacts of Chaos - Genokids - Enenra Daemon Core - Gori: Cuddly Carnage ? I know many more games, indie or just-a-bit-above-what-people-expect-of-Indies that i try to spread the word on as much as possible. The proverbial little guys need all the help they can get, both for their own sakes and for people that may be interested in them but don't know of them yet.
EVER! These companies keep forgetting who their audience is… the 9-5 job average Joe. Love service games are too much to keep up with, especially when there is 12 of them.
They were dead to me till black myth Wukong. I wouldn’t buy any souls like without pvp. I grew up to single player games like gta, pop, FF, DBZ etc etc. been 10 years since I legit bought single player games except for few exceptions like uncharted or AC. Wukong changed my mind now, am on NG3 not yet bored. So it’s clear games just need to be better r
@@siddharthdinesh3818 the witcher, rdr2, ghost of tsushima, cyberpunk, the last of us, god of war, horizon series, metal gear solid, breath of the wild, you've never played any of these games?
@@prajwalkrishnabhat5539 GOT, GOW, RDR2 & 1. I played the mainstream games. Except gow all had multiplayer. Edit: even played metal gear solid but I don’t remember, it was on psp which was ages ago.
Hi Jake, long time Chinese gameranx viewer here. I grew up in mainland China playing so many tencent games (free to play pay to win). There were some single player games from China the western world enjoyed like sword and fairy but nothing like Black Myth. Many players in China half jokingly talking about this is the best way to “export Chinese culture” to the western world. Journey to the West 1986 meant so much for so many people in Asia, and I think choosing Wukong as the base for the setting is genius and I’m so glad it all worked out.
It's kind of not a joke, it is a deliberate strategy. In 2018, during the Chinese IP Expo, they released 2018 Chinese cultural IP industry development report(2018中国文化ip产业发展报告). Journey to the West is specifically identified as example of high value cultural IP, due to it being highly identifiable. It's why in the 2010s, there were at least 5 Journey to the West derived movies that were in production at the same time. The same report also lamented that cultural IP games were the only type of game that was garnering interest at a time of stagnation. This isn't incidental. This is very much studied and calculated
@@eatcrab9565 Well, China has always lacked in soft power. Smaller countries like Japan and Korea managed to become recognized worldwide as culture exporters with anime, gaming, k-pop, etc. I think it was a matter of time for them to realize how important this soft power is, and hopefully they will continue this trend.
@@DeathsInverse There's a lot of loopholes. It is easy for non-Chinese developers to sell their games to players in China (via Steam which is not blocked), but it is a LOT harder for local developers to get a permit to publish a game. Also as for online multiplayer games, a server has to be setup in Mainland China for people to play it or else it would be shit ton of lag. Companies like Tencent are prone to strike a deal with these foreign multiplayer game companies to set up servers, localize their game etc and make a profit out of it. That also requires a permit, but it is easier for a big company like Tencent to get their hands on one. (But still there are some hiccups, like the Rainbow Six Siege localization that took years and is still in the progress) Correct me if I'm wrong.
If you like that, you may find something interesting in games like No Straight Roads, Hi-Fi Rush, Psychonauts 2 (that one's a sequel to a PS2 game), Soulstice (that one has inspirations from more recent games like Bayonetta and DMC5, while writing and tone feels more like Darksiders), Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (Zeno Clash prequel), Genokids, Enenra Daemon Core and the recent Gori: Cuddly Carnage. I could name many more lesser-known games from fairly recent years or yet to come out, from Blud and Cookie Cutter to Judero and Lost in Random. Try to spread the word and help them out wherever i can.
@@Demonic-Clown You're most welcome! I'm glad that these have caught the attention of people :D I could mention many more too, though not exclusively action games. Puzzle platformers like Ruffy & the Riverside, a racing game/RPG named Resistor, point-and-clicks like Near-Mage and Loco Motive, and whatever the fleb The Dungeon Experience (by the dev of Paradigm) is going to be. Thank you in turn for your comment! If you have looked in any of the titles so far, may i ask: Have any of them caught your attention? *forgot to add Mightreya in the 3D action game list as well, a game by the dev of the quite celebrated Assault Spy. Would want to add in Immortal: And the Death that Follows too alongside Decline's Drops, but one is a 2D Hindu mythology beat-em-up and the other a hand-drawn 2D action platformer. And there's Kings of Hell too, a cartoony though spicy 3D beat-em-up...
@@killval849 It is, and so are games like it. Hope that other games in my comment have been of interest to you! Probably mainly Genokids and Hi-Fi Rush. Perhaps RKGK/Rakugaki too. I try my best to spread word on cool games like these wherever possible.
I’m not going to lie, once I saw the good word of mouth and 2 million player numbers, I wasted no time buying black myth wukong. I split it with a friend and we’ve both been playing. It wasn’t really even on my radar at first, but this is clearly a special moment in gaming and I want to be there for it. And it’s getting the good press for a reason, it’s an incredible experience
I actually just beat it today. Gotta say, it was very fun game. There were a few bosses that were brick walls, but most of the time it wasn't too difficult. Most bosses took 1-4 runs before I got their patterns down. As for seeing more Chinese games on the market, I'm for it. More games made by more cultures will always be a win in my book. Tales of Kenzera is from Africa and talks about their culture and stories. Black Myth, China. Even something like RDR and its depiction of the American Westward expansion are all interesting for their own reasons. If we can get more games telling stories specific to each culture, it's nothing but a win in my eyes.
Such an impressive first AAA game for sure. Didnt do much for me personally, but its hard to argue its polish and passion. Also just great seeing different cultures adapting their stories into games, more of that is always welcome.
It seems no video games journalists want to talk about it, but the reason it exploded is because of the digital storefront restrictions in China from the CCP and NPPA. They're literally not allowed to buy games like xyberpunk, The last of Us, Battlefield, even Resident Evil Village. Over 80% of the game sales were in China. This is actually a pretty average action RPG 🤷♂️ But in China you're not allowed to buy almost any game. So that's why this is selling so well. 😂@@JakeBaldino
@@realpatriot1769 Source for what? Look up the nppa, do some googling. I hate that people have access to the internet and there's still too lazy to get info. Lol
Who woulda thought….a fun, beautiful, story driven, single player game, full of rich lore and culture, challenging but not too challenging. It deserves all the success…despite some “gaming journalists” best efforts to make it fail.
As a South African who has studied some Chinese history, I highly recommend diving deeper into it! The Chinese were remarkable throughout history and were often far ahead of other cultures in terms of technology. For example, the crossbow was invented in China about 1,000 years before it appeared in Europe. While I personally struggle with the sound of Chinese, the culture, the people, and the history are absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend reading more about it. Another fun fact: China developed intricate patterns for various furniture and statues using a sophisticated technique known as lost-wax casting. This process involved creating a detailed wax model, coating it with clay, and then casting it in bronze, resulting in beautifully intricate designs! I would love to see Nuwa in a future game :) the creator of man.
My understanding is Tencent only has a minority stake in this game. The developers were mostly comprised of former Tencent employees that are fed up with making these mobile phone games that involve micro-transactions.
I think Wukong is a solid 8/10 and I'm enjoying it. I just love how distinct this game's style is by using animals and other Chinese mythology to really stand out on it's own. It makes me want more developers from other countries and backgrounds develop games based off their culture/history to make their own distinct identities in the gaming space.
Even for Chinese it's so refreshing. The monsters and yaoguai in Chinese mythology have never gotten a modern representation before this game. For a Chinese seeing the yaoguai in this game is like "hey that's exactly how they should look like!"
Tbh, yaoguais have always been depicted as animals or other supernatural things in chinese mythology, so it's not a Gamescience thing but a cultural thing. What caught chinese people off guard was the redesign of all those yaoguais that appeared in the novel and other creatures from ShanHai Jing.
Game is amazing. Absolutely loving everything about it. I will say, its a little sad to see so many streamers/content creators play this game and not know too much about the novel. The story is truly amazing and a fun adventure to enthrall yourself in. The way this game weaves a new story yet pays great homage to the original story, just makes the whole experience that much better. People will definitely get more interested with this release. Great video as always.
I haven’t played it but from the videos I’ve seen it does look like it crops up a lot, and that would get annoying. It’s a common criticism across all reviews so seems fair to me, even if it never bothered you. I would imagine that would break immersion, detract from the freedom of Exploration for many people etc. A great game can still have flaws- ER and BOTW have loads.
@@makasete30It’s also a common theme across the same reviews that they don’t talk about how big the game’s areas are. So, until you actually play the game, might want to take videos like this with a grain of salt.
The invisible wall criticism seems to be there bcos it's the biggest issue ppl can find with the game. It's possible that they had to add more invisible walls than expected due to reducing the game's size. It was originally supposed to be 13 chapters, but due to budget restrictions they went down to 6, although that shouldn't be an issue anymore. Looking forward to the two expansion DLCs!
How incredible that a game with good mechanics, a good story with classic references and high-level visual art, turns out to be such a success. There must be something behind of all this.😂
It's not just the action game. U have similar ones like Elden Ring except the lore there is from a guy that never finished a book. (Ie game of thrones lol) And Wukong is a game based on Journey to the West. Heavily in Buddhism.
@@fubolibs4218not sure why there was shade thrown at Elden Ring. That guy didn’t finish the Song of ice and fire series because he’s been busy with numerous other projects, and has always had trouble closing out his books as he has readily admitted. He’ll never finish that series. However, he’s a superb writer and has written some very popular books and that’s why he was was asked to help with the lore. The lore in Elden Ring is also excellent and that’s why there continue to be video essays made and another reason Elden Ring is one of the most critically acclaimed games by both players and reviewers.
@@fubolibs4218 The lore of Elden Ring has not really much to do with the LOTR dude. He just wrote some outline for the backstory. 99% lore and story is written in house. He was mainly a marketing gimmick, and people give him way too much credit because of that.
@@fubolibs4218 So you want him to Rush the 2nd one after him getting flack for rushing the first one? And you are using that argument to throw shade on a different stand alone 'game' he was involved in? How much more baseless can someone get?!
Just want to point out many Chinese supporting studios have been involved in major western triple A production like art,asset and animation for a long time. It’s only a matter of time for them to realise they could just internalize the resources to do it themselves. Besides you like the game or not, it’s a massive game with some of the highest production value in the industry. The team behind it is only between 30-130 people over four years. I think you can really see the efficiency boost compared to many western studios.
As a developer myself I agree that bigger teams do not always allow for better quality. There's a point where too many people just makes communication a nightmare and the designers and developers aren't on the same page. Small, dedicated teams with smaller budgets and reasonable time frames will always make more consistent products. I know people who have worked for a few different game studios and so many suffer from bloated budgets and unrealistic expectations of the employees.
I think it’s more that they wanted the prestige and respect that comes with an AAA single player game. Chinese developers have cornered the market in gacha mobile games with microtransactions because sales there dwarf those of console and PC, and that’s where the money is. It’s also a lot easier to produce those games with fewer risks. Now they have the money they want more respect in the industry, and the cultural influence that comes with success in the gaming market which Japan and the West have enjoyed for decades. These were some of the reasons mentioned by South Korean developer Shift UP for why they produced Stellar Blade. And I imagine it’s the same for Chinese developers.
@@makasete30 There's a bit of that. However, in regards to Game Science, their main reason for doing something like Black Myth: Wukong was bcos they were tired of doing mobile games.
I love these types of videos and THANK YOU for not adding an intro, just jumping right in is the best. Wukong is amazing and im glad its getting recognition it deserves, no micro transactions/season pass/battle pass just a classic straight for single player action adventure. Love the culture and design of the game. Its not perfect (invincible walls and no map sucks) but its a solid game and my goty so far
With a metacritc score of 81- that would be quite something! That score is far too low for the high praise it’s received from players. Unfortunately, it’s selected reviewers who vote for GoTY and their votes count more than the players. It deserves some official recognition at the very least.
As a Chinese myself it does feel heartwarming to see this 500 year old story is finally getting recognized world wide. When I was 5 I used to watch the TV show of journey to the west, and in this game they actually used the original theme song from the show. It is so nostalgic playing this game
they are really easy in my opinion. And I noticed the more you lose, the stupider they become. While they have predictable pattern, they actually will omit damaging combos if you lose enough.
you sure you don’t have sone sort of input lag? i had prob with my tv in the past playing arkham city, kept dying till i figured out was the tv lagged my inputs
@@crh18 lmao nah, i'm just a pepega slow learner, getting jebaited by the same delayed attacks 100 times in a row. already 100% the game and at NG3 now
Amazing game it has flaws but it's a masterpiece. currently in NG+ going for Platinum. Convinced my friend from the UK to pick it up (I'm dutch) but he got stuck in Chapter 1. He shared his skill tree with me seeing as I already finished the game. so I guided him through it what to pick and what to focus on. Now he's flying through bosses and loving. He even called me the Monkey King. So I'm happy 🙉
Veel geluk en plezier met jullie apenstreken in het Land der Draken! Dit soort verhalen van samenwerking en gezamenlijk plezier is hartverwarmend om te lezen. Net zoals het vuur van de Yakshakoning, maar die verwarmt op een meer letterlijke manier...
Sure! He was struggling with the snake boss and the spirit with the big head. So the longer fights. He put points in health and stamina which are minuscule upgrades I never even touched them till NG+ since you get enough of those through Mind Cores and exploring. So I told him to get composure in the stamina tree, to continue the light combo after a dodge. the last hit of that staggers bosses. put 3 points in exhilaration (which gives HP back on spending focus points) which helps with longer fights and resolute counterflow to counter attacks. by then he had one point left which he slotted in the immobilize spell which i thought was fine early on. Edit: hope it helped. The tree with pole stances is a very good one to put points into (left side) faster charges etc. I worked on that first. Anything that gains focus is also a big YES. since it's where alot of your damage comes from and more health return.
The hype of this game has me watching journey to the west recap videos on youtube and the stuff they get up to is pretty entertaining and you can see how much modern day anime has taken ideas from journey to the west
What impresses me with the game is that it caters to players who just want to play it and those who are interested in the lore. To anyone who just want to play, the gameplay is solid, its easy to get used to, sound design is intuitive, the graphics and settings are gorgeous and you can breeze through the game without a lick of understanding what the lore is and it is still very good. To those who are interested in the lore, there are smack ton of references, artwork, character/item descriptions, short animations, environmental storytelling, and the story narrative itself. Of course, you need to be somewhat good to further explore the lore or know certain lore to fully appreciate the game, but it doesn't forcefully pull you to one side to enjoy them. Really reminds me of FromSoftware games like Dark Souls where you can totally separate gameplay and lore and still be enjoyable on their own.
the fact it makes me interested to learn about journey to the west especially bajie, by just playing the game is crazy i only know about journey to the west and monkey king by name only never interested to know about their story deeply man this game is amazing, ch4 animation caught me off guard it got me teary eyes 😂
There is no gaming ban in China, there are gaming restrictions for minors, there is a ban on gaming consoles that can affect the first screen（TV） in the home (which has been lifted, but with strict limitations on game content to protect minors), there is no gaming ban.
I understand why there is that leaked letter for pre-release media review. It seems the west can never only talk about game, they have to talk about politics.
i thought the game would be an unpolished and dull game like the rest of Chinese game production before, but oh boy! How I was wrong, this game is truly a beautiful gem, it oozes of passion and talents of the people who made it. Love every second of it.
Growing up from all sorts of depiction of Journey to the west ( most notably the tv series ) , i never felt so relatable to a video game , every character introduces spark a little nostalgia in me of the old tv series i watch and it warm my heart seeing how much exposure wu kong get . Love it
If China starts building up their game studios and translating the games to english then it is just a win win for gamers. I am super excited for this to do well so they open and invest in more studios there. This has no micro transactions while the western games are like perfectly designed casinos. Imagine that.
lets not pretend asian games are not usually absolutely loaded with microtransactions. there are exceptions but that applies to western made games too.
@@makasete30 surprisingly well I beat a freaking souls like boss on it lol however be wary suddenly disconnected WiFi maybe my house signal not too good but I see most people enjoying it
I thought that too but by the time I beat the game I found myself feeling like no map was part of the charm. It would make things a lot easier yes but thinking about I get a little nostalgic about the moments in the game where I was learning the lay of the land and trying to remember where things were lol. Idk I think by the end I liked no map.
The OG journey in ancient China has no map. Plus in the theme song (from the 1986 drama, also used in this game), the main line repeated over and over again is 'Dare to ask where is the road? Road is beneath your footsteps.' So yeah, gotta explore the world on your own.
I disagree with having a map for a game that isn't open-world. Not having a map there, made me pay more attention to the environment. In open-world games, I usually rely on the map to focus on getting to the goal and instead pay less attention to the environment.
Read the journal entries as you play through the game…they are insanely well written. Like, every single one reads like a children’s story written by some Ivy League Ph.D. Gave the game insane amounts of context as to what was happening from the jump with little room for questions. Realized it was what Sekiro was flirting with atmospherically here and there, but that game is like a microdose of Hinduism whereas this is like a full-on bender. Got immersed in the idea of a “pilgrimage” and started on seeing just how much of an enlightened god I could make my character All-foundation from the jump, by the end now I’ve killed bosses with crits that’ve wiped them from half-health. The power bender gets real-now looking to see the viability of a continued NG+ streak as I’m in chapter 6. Only really ever do that in a Fromsoft game (Team Ninja does them best)-wondering if this studio has anything interesting there
👊🏿🙏🏿 good games will always win. If companies make quality and stop chasing the live service cash cows they will see those efforts rewarded. Coz for as much money there is in the live service multiplayer space there's so many of us who still just enjoy a good comfy single player game. Whether its a hard game/easy game, regardless the genre etc
Black Myth is my GOTY for sure. I played the space marine leak, and even if they polish it up I'll still give GOTY to Wukong and I actually prefer shooters so wukong is a big deal.
When 2024 is filled with very few games month over month, the one game that is done almost perfectly SHOULD blow up like it did. Mid 2024 has left gamers starving.
It seems no video games journalists want to talk about it, but the reason it exploded is because of the digital storefront restrictions in China from the CCP and NPPA. They're literally not allowed to buy games like xyberpunk, The last of Us, Battlefield, even Resident Evil Village. Over 80% of the game sales were in China. This is actually a pretty average action RPG 🤷♂️ But in China you're not allowed to buy almost any game. So that's why this is selling so well. 😂
@@TheLuckyShepherd i don’t think you really know the gaming scene in China and I recommend you to refrain from speaking on matters you have no good understanding of
@@urthsfount5611 Westoids think they're experts but in reality they don't know jack about anything really. Just talking about the smallest knowledge about things as though they're experts.
Another great show, Jake -thanks. In the UK I grew up in the 80s with the dubbed-Japanese TV show 'Monkey'. Just a wonderful experience and seems like people in the US missed out on it as I've never heard anyone on youtube mention it. Worth a Watch!
Lots of people are buying their own rigs in China and SEA to play the game, instead of playing online at Internet cafes. There are SEA players envious that their own country hasn’t entered the international gaming industry. Investors (Tencent particularly) will definitely invest in more triple a single player games going forward.
I'm so sad that Thailand isn't there yet :(. I was talking to my friends what we could do along the lines of Wukong- and they all shook their heads and said we couldn't. And even if we did, it'd be Ramakien...a freaking Indian story...
@@caocao4731 My take, wait a few years. With advances in AI and hardware, AAA quality games now could be made with a relatively small team and smaller budget. If you are serious, just sketch out a theme you want to make, keep playing good games to learn from them and then start small with an indie title to test. Thailand is famous for making good movies in the SEA region, it is not impossible for you to make similarly good games too. Just dream, plan and implement properly.
By the way, Jake you are one of the few nice video journalists out there… even when you do not like something, you are candid… thanks for that! There is so much hate around in the world that is refreshing to see someone disagreeing or not liking something without destroying it! You rock, man!
I also like to add the fact that they did short animated movies at the end of every chapter. They just kept getting better and better. No spoilers, but the end of Chapter 4 was heart wrenching. An emotional rollercoaster that was. I think this was a huge success because it simply lived up to its hype, it looked like or even better than when the game was marketed. Many people were confused on the game's success, and say they don't get it. And that's fine because they never will even after our fanboyism explanations😄 Great video, Jake, love seeing your uploads. It's like having a friend to talk video games with.
If you are curious about the source material, the Journey to the West tv show made in 1986 is a good place to start as a lot of Chinese people grew up watching that show, it is also probably the closest thing to a 1-to-1 retelling of the original novel. As a Chinese, it has a special place in my heart.
@@Ash2X It's not a deliberate business strategy. It is just what it is. That is : A lot of Chinese like the game, which naturally pushed up the player count. And thus in turn aroused the interest of the players outside of China. But in any case, that doesn't change the fact that it definitely IS a very good game.
@@ChinaSongsCollection It has massive Marketing behind it. It even spreads through every kind of social media. You can't look on any post on X without seeing the commercial. Almost every post from any account over 1000 subs about it has Chinese "users" praising it. Usual count of Chinese users you see in their posts? 0. But since I am playing it right now it kinda worked. Even if the game itself is "just good" because of its obvious flaws,its not as bad as Metacritic suggests on the PS5 Version, which almost no one dared to review at all. Maybe because of certain restrictions, which are well known by now.
Apparently there's a massive tourism explosion in China right now especially in Shangxi, Hangzhou (where GameScience is), Xi'An Provinces with tourists from foreign countries hitting up the spots that were 3D scanned into the game, to pay homage to the game and story. Their 144-hour VISA free travel made it a lot easier.
the little details are what got me. The game is solid, but the little details around all the lore, the secret areas, even with just a superficial understanding of the journey to the west you can tell there is so much passion in here. And also less propaganda in games is a good thing
Hey Jake, just wanna say you are the goat. Been watching you for years between this channel and GameRanx! Thanks for always keeping us entertained. That is all
they said the same thing for movies and so fat nothing outside china and the same will be for games 99% of all chinese games are trashy mobile games one good one every 5 years does very little tencnet makes more a day from mible than this game will make during its entire life
*@johansvensson833* _"... they said the same thing about movies..."_ Don't know about games. But for movies and TV dramas, China does make a ton of excellent movies and TV dramas. Unfortunately it's not easy to get people in the West to embrace Chinese movies because of all the nasty propaganda against ANYTHING Chinese. But for some reason for games, it seems that a lot of gamers in the West are willing to ignore (and even fight back) against western media's attacks. If for any reason, the average gamers in the West are willing to continue to ignore the inevitable attacks that will come for the next Chinese big budget game, there IS actually a chance that Chinese games will be able to do what movies can't do. We shall see.
I saw somewhere that Chinese employers/companies were encouraging and offering their employees leave to play black myth wukong. Some were even gifting copies of the game....thats pretty cool. Where do I find a job like that? haha.
china has always been a major source revenue of video games some even dare say that majority of gamers in this world are from china, so i can see why black myth wukong become so successful with 89% of the players are from there, it's a major gaming market
Glad you toy he'd in Journey to the West, Jake. I downloaded the audiobook 2 weeks before the game dropped. After 12 hours (!) of narration, I was deeply endeared to the characters and feel totally invested in Black Myth. Would advise it for all gamers and it's great to feel more culturally enriched
When I first saw the reveal trailer 4 years ago, it grabbed my attention but I thought it would be 7or8/ 10 at best. Now that I am playing, it is definitely a 10/10 for me. Very reminiscent of God of War 2018.
I appreciate that Jake is always positive and doesn't just shit on games, but cultural aspect in the West is like an elephant in the room that needed adressing. People started voting with their wallets, games like Black Myth: Wukong and Stellar Blade feel 'fresh', cause they were released purely as pieces of entertainment, no politics. Video game companies not telling you who they vote for, not going through a checklist of things they have to insert into the game so that not a single soul gets offended is the complete opposite of what people are used to seeing in a Western video game, where promotional material is always used to tell us how their game is 'modern'. Another aspect is how legacy media pandering to all the big publishers, propping up review scores of their games as much as they can, ignoring any backlash online, ignoring bugs. There's so many things recently - Concord, Dustborn, Acolyte, double standard of the legacy media when it comes to reporting stories, twisting narratives, constant attacks on players/fans and calling them all -isms possible, controversies with consultancy firms, there is only so much money that Western companies are ready to lose before they start taking notes from games like Black Myth.
The most interesting aspect of the discussion is that when it first released it looked too good to be true and then it came out and looked just as good if not better. There is just no „Drama“ around the game, like gameplay trailers that are then downgraded, bad performance or terrible bugs, which plague the AAA gaming landscape.
Not going to lie Black Myth Wukong is something I like more than typical souls-likes and soulsborne, not because it's inherently better. But rather the combat just feels unique in a souls type game. Something like Sekiro but a lot more flexible if that makes sense.
@@caiogeliel Getting close to the end of Chapter 2. I'm fine, now. I've gotten in this weird rhythm where I'll have a bit of trouble on a bigger boss (like Red Loong), walk away, go to bed or something and then come back and destroy them on the first attempt.
He is the first friendly introduction for what is to come for bosses. I learned not to become button smashy when it comes to bosses, you gotta observe and adapt to their attacks. It feels very satisfying once you get the hang of it
There's also nothing wrong with farming a bit for extra talent points, since you level up rather quickly. There are 342 levels in the game, which is a reference to Sun Wukong once tricking the King of Hell to show him the Book of Life and Death, in which he saw that his lifespan was 342 years before removing his name from the book to gain another form of immortality.
Tencent only has a 5% stake in game science, they also didn't interfere with the development of Wukong. There are so many misinformation about China, there is no gaming ban, the restrictive terms are not enforced, not even within China. The government and the people love gaming culture, they just limit it for the minors.
The game is a success because it doesn't try to manipulate the audience into some fake morals by people out of touch from reality, or push political propaganda which gamers are tired of. It respects its audience, not attempting to lecture them. AND - is also a good game overall. Same reasons why Stellar Blade was a success.
Part of it is accessibility. I have bad memories playing Sekiro, so I was extremely hesitant in playing Black Myth. But the flashy combat and the relatively fair checkpoint system made me give it a chance. I have now beaten the secret ending in Wukong
Funny how the most popular games that wins GOTY awards are Eastern games like Japanese FromSoft's Sekiro and Elden Ring. Guess we're gonna add Chinese Black Myth Wukong to that list pretty soon. Western devs shouldn't even bother at this point 😅
Sadly due of cultural differences most of the west devs are not given enough creative control in AAA space. Western (and SEA-ian) Indie(Doujin) scene though, is becoming formidable.
@@sach360it’s called a trend my guy. When Eastern games win GOTY 2 out of the last 5 and what should be 3 out of the last 6 (if Wukong wins, and it should, but probably won’t due to bias) then it’s pretty telling they are starting to dominate. It’s like Euro basketball players winning MVP every year now. Just cause overall it’s small, doesn’t mean a trend isn’t forming.
Journey to the West is one of the four grand classic Chinese novels, one other such work is Romance of the Three Kingdoms which most western gamers are now familiar with. It can be difficult to get sales data on the novel because not only is it available for free online, it has been translated into many languages and just about anyone can publish and sell it. But I think we can safely assume that BM:W has undoubtedly piqued a lot of interests around the gaming world, and likely more people are now getting their eyes on the novel, one way or another.
The story line of this game is unmatched. i've never played a game where i couldn't wait for the next cutscenes like when i played wukong. the graphic details and variety of bosses are the bonuses
Its very good game. As you mentioned Jake, it has some issues, but it's extremely fun, I had to get the platinum in it. If they ever do a sequel, I really hope they can improve their world design, to be similar such as God of War or Sekiro/Bloodborne.
@@cirescythe The world design needs to be much better in Wukong, without so many invisible walls and better exploration, which God of War and FromSoft titles do much better, and the Wukong devs need to take inspiration from those world designs.
@@WillingSpade Hey! I played it on balanced mode, so it held strong at a 40fps. There is a really good Digital Foundry video about the games performance, I recommend you check that out. But in any case, the game can be quite beatiful, but sometimes not really, if that makes sense 😅 really recommend the game though, its extremely fun!
I think the invisible walls are okay, never really bothered me or have to encounter. Its supposed to be a journey and just explore along the journey. And the restrictions is mostly just in chapter 1 i thinks its because its a tutorial phase. It gets more open world after that.
7:28 why should be anyone talking about feminist propaganda when reviewing this game? Or Covid? Like why? Whatis it about this game that makes you want to talk about feminisim or Covid? That was just a knee jerk reaction to when Screenrant and IGN intentionally tried to sabotage this game reputation by making up claims of misogyny and sexism. And it wasn't mistranslation it was intentional, the US empire can't have a Chinese game be successful.
I don't know anything about the book, but I really like the codex entries for all the enemies and characters you meet. So many cool short stories and snippets of the larger world.
I’m about to pick this up… how are the graphics? I remember when it was announced it was mind blowing… I love that the gameplay is amazing everybody is praising the gameplay so far
I'm really underwhelmed by the gameplay. It's very linear and there is a distinct lack of exploration and interactivity. Amazing graphics though. Incoherent for me (someone without knowledge of the original story and Chinese culture).
@@fercuscuelalopez9454 I don't recommend it. I think it would be fine on Game Pass, but I'm possibly in the minority of players who are not into straight up action games. It's like GoW, but with a silient protagonist who doesn't really interact with other characters. Maybe watch a Twitch stream of it?
Soni never read journey to the west in its entirety but this game has made me go back to it. The way the game (especicially the secret ending finale) weeves in the original story is insane and done so well. This game is a master piece in my opinion. Eapecically since this os thos studios forst big game. They deserve GOTY. This, space marines 2, and hopefully shadow of the erdtree def deserve to be in the running. Cant wait to see what else comes down the line for us until 2025
Kudos for mentioning those weird restrictions for streamers. For a second I thought you would elegantly skirt around that, but nope. No chickening out. Got some balls on ya! ;D
One thing I noticed is, in the google trends, the search times of the key words 'wukong' and 'the Journey to the West' significantly increased after the game launch.
Very happy to hear someone talk about the actual merits of this game based on its gameplay, as opposed to just harping on the culture war it seems to be roped up into.
Seeing the success of this game and seeing maybe a half hour of gameplay, the whole feeling and atmosphere piqued my interest. I actually ordered the Journey to the West book so I can read it before I play
This is a professional video game player...he does this for his job....this game is insanely difficult and it begins immediately...I wish I knew this before I spent the money and it's too bad because Jake and gameranx usually gives an excellent idea of what these games are "before you buy"
If you are stuck in the blue baby, imo the first walk in the game you can just skip it and come back later. He’s in my opinion the hardest boss in chapter 1
the game is nowhere near as hard as elden ring or any other souls game, that's simple fact. While it IS challenging its also fair. Nothing Jake said about the game is untrue. Your lack of skill doesn't make him a liar 🤦
A single player game gets 3,000,000 all time peak players while a dead-service game doesn't even get past the 700 all time peak. Let that sink in.
Love to see an old fashioned single player video game winning
@@JakeBaldino More single player games NEVER hurts.
@@DarkAttackYT In that case, may i interest you in the likes of
- Soulstice (not a Soulslike, more a game in the vein of Darksiders, DMC and Bayonetta but from 2022)
- Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
- Genokids
- Enenra Daemon Core
- Gori: Cuddly Carnage
?
I know many more games, indie or just-a-bit-above-what-people-expect-of-Indies that i try to spread the word on as much as possible.
The proverbial little guys need all the help they can get, both for their own sakes and for people that may be interested in them but don't know of them yet.
Agreed
@@jurtheorc8117 Good suggestions but I'll only check the ones that interest me the most.
Single player games will NEVER die
EVER! These companies keep forgetting who their audience is… the 9-5 job average Joe. Love service games are too much to keep up with, especially when there is 12 of them.
They were dead to me till black myth Wukong. I wouldn’t buy any souls like without pvp. I grew up to single player games like gta, pop, FF, DBZ etc etc. been 10 years since I legit bought single player games except for few exceptions like uncharted or AC.
Wukong changed my mind now, am on NG3 not yet bored. So it’s clear games just need to be better r
Who thought otherwise? Lol
@@siddharthdinesh3818 the witcher, rdr2, ghost of tsushima, cyberpunk, the last of us, god of war, horizon series, metal gear solid, breath of the wild, you've never played any of these games?
@@prajwalkrishnabhat5539 GOT, GOW, RDR2 & 1. I played the mainstream games. Except gow all had multiplayer.
Edit: even played metal gear solid but I don’t remember, it was on psp which was ages ago.
Hi Jake, long time Chinese gameranx viewer here. I grew up in mainland China playing so many tencent games (free to play pay to win). There were some single player games from China the western world enjoyed like sword and fairy but nothing like Black Myth. Many players in China half jokingly talking about this is the best way to “export Chinese culture” to the western world. Journey to the West 1986 meant so much for so many people in Asia, and I think choosing Wukong as the base for the setting is genius and I’m so glad it all worked out.
Is it true that a lot of games aren't allowed to be released there? I saw someone else say that in a post but I haven't seen concrete evidence.
It's kind of not a joke, it is a deliberate strategy. In 2018, during the Chinese IP Expo, they released 2018 Chinese cultural IP industry development report(2018中国文化ip产业发展报告). Journey to the West is specifically identified as example of high value cultural IP, due to it being highly identifiable. It's why in the 2010s, there were at least 5 Journey to the West derived movies that were in production at the same time. The same report also lamented that cultural IP games were the only type of game that was garnering interest at a time of stagnation.
This isn't incidental. This is very much studied and calculated
@@eatcrab9565 Well, China has always lacked in soft power. Smaller countries like Japan and Korea managed to become recognized worldwide as culture exporters with anime, gaming, k-pop, etc. I think it was a matter of time for them to realize how important this soft power is, and hopefully they will continue this trend.
U are joking right? Everything is made in china bro @@Ghost_PM11
@@DeathsInverse There's a lot of loopholes. It is easy for non-Chinese developers to sell their games to players in China (via Steam which is not blocked), but it is a LOT harder for local developers to get a permit to publish a game. Also as for online multiplayer games, a server has to be setup in Mainland China for people to play it or else it would be shit ton of lag. Companies like Tencent are prone to strike a deal with these foreign multiplayer game companies to set up servers, localize their game etc and make a profit out of it. That also requires a permit, but it is easier for a big company like Tencent to get their hands on one. (But still there are some hiccups, like the Rainbow Six Siege localization that took years and is still in the progress) Correct me if I'm wrong.
To me, it feels like one of those classic PS2 era action games.
And I’m here for it.
If you like that, you may find something interesting in games like No Straight Roads, Hi-Fi Rush, Psychonauts 2 (that one's a sequel to a PS2 game), Soulstice (that one has inspirations from more recent games like Bayonetta and DMC5, while writing and tone feels more like Darksiders), Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (Zeno Clash prequel), Genokids, Enenra Daemon Core and the recent Gori: Cuddly Carnage.
I could name many more lesser-known games from fairly recent years or yet to come out, from Blud and Cookie Cutter to Judero and Lost in Random. Try to spread the word and help them out wherever i can.
@@jurtheorc8117Yo thanks for the awesome recommendations! A lot of titles I've never seen before
@@jurtheorc8117 hifi rush is sick
@@Demonic-Clown You're most welcome! I'm glad that these have caught the attention of people :D
I could mention many more too, though not exclusively action games. Puzzle platformers like Ruffy & the Riverside, a racing game/RPG named Resistor, point-and-clicks like Near-Mage and Loco Motive, and whatever the fleb The Dungeon Experience (by the dev of Paradigm) is going to be.
Thank you in turn for your comment! If you have looked in any of the titles so far, may i ask: Have any of them caught your attention?
*forgot to add Mightreya in the 3D action game list as well, a game by the dev of the quite celebrated Assault Spy. Would want to add in Immortal: And the Death that Follows too alongside Decline's Drops, but one is a 2D Hindu mythology beat-em-up and the other a hand-drawn 2D action platformer.
And there's Kings of Hell too, a cartoony though spicy 3D beat-em-up...
@@killval849 It is, and so are games like it. Hope that other games in my comment have been of interest to you! Probably mainly Genokids and Hi-Fi Rush.
Perhaps RKGK/Rakugaki too.
I try my best to spread word on cool games like these wherever possible.
I’m not going to lie, once I saw the good word of mouth and 2 million player numbers, I wasted no time buying black myth wukong. I split it with a friend and we’ve both been playing. It wasn’t really even on my radar at first, but this is clearly a special moment in gaming and I want to be there for it. And it’s getting the good press for a reason, it’s an incredible experience
How do u split it with a friend?
@@Sicnesses23pretty sure he means they went half on the game and are game sharing
Its actually getting a shitboat of bad press, which makes it all funnier because it shows how much the community decides, not the medias
@@slit0016 correct!
@@Sicnesses23steam family sharing and then you play at different times
I actually just beat it today. Gotta say, it was very fun game. There were a few bosses that were brick walls, but most of the time it wasn't too difficult. Most bosses took 1-4 runs before I got their patterns down. As for seeing more Chinese games on the market, I'm for it. More games made by more cultures will always be a win in my book. Tales of Kenzera is from Africa and talks about their culture and stories. Black Myth, China. Even something like RDR and its depiction of the American Westward expansion are all interesting for their own reasons. If we can get more games telling stories specific to each culture, it's nothing but a win in my eyes.
Such an impressive first AAA game for sure. Didnt do much for me personally, but its hard to argue its polish and passion. Also just great seeing different cultures adapting their stories into games, more of that is always welcome.
I agree! 👍
It seems no video games journalists want to talk about it, but the reason it exploded is because of the digital storefront restrictions in China from the CCP and NPPA. They're literally not allowed to buy games like xyberpunk, The last of Us, Battlefield, even Resident Evil Village. Over 80% of the game sales were in China. This is actually a pretty average action RPG 🤷♂️ But in China you're not allowed to buy almost any game. So that's why this is selling so well. 😂@@JakeBaldino
@@TheLuckyShepherd source?
@@realpatriot1769The source is "Chinese Communist Party" what do you think that means?
@@realpatriot1769
Source for what? Look up the nppa, do some googling. I hate that people have access to the internet and there's still too lazy to get info. Lol
Who woulda thought….a fun, beautiful, story driven, single player game, full of rich lore and culture, challenging but not too challenging. It deserves all the success…despite some “gaming journalists” best efforts to make it fail.
Which ones? Point me the way so I can block the hell out of them
@@victorfroes6650 IGN & Screenrant, for example
As a South African who has studied some Chinese history, I highly recommend diving deeper into it! The Chinese were remarkable throughout history and were often far ahead of other cultures in terms of technology. For example, the crossbow was invented in China about 1,000 years before it appeared in Europe. While I personally struggle with the sound of Chinese, the culture, the people, and the history are absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend reading more about it.
Another fun fact: China developed intricate patterns for various furniture and statues using a sophisticated technique known as lost-wax casting. This process involved creating a detailed wax model, coating it with clay, and then casting it in bronze, resulting in beautifully intricate designs!
I would love to see Nuwa in a future game :) the creator of man.
👍👍👍😊
Awe fellow SAffa represent!
Awehhh boet this monke game is poes kiff
Sick profile picture, another SA citizen here 👋
老兄，你是懂中国的。至少懂了不少。😀
My understanding is Tencent only has a minority stake in this game. The developers were mostly comprised of former Tencent employees that are fed up with making these mobile phone games that involve micro-transactions.
Your right.
As far as I know TenCent only owned 5%, so yea you are right
The leader of the team leave tencent bec the higher up add micro transactions to his game without his consent lmao
Yes, I think they own about 5%.
你說的沒錯。遊戲科學創辦人在接受專訪時有提到這些。
I think Wukong is a solid 8/10 and I'm enjoying it. I just love how distinct this game's style is by using animals and other Chinese mythology to really stand out on it's own. It makes me want more developers from other countries and backgrounds develop games based off their culture/history to make their own distinct identities in the gaming space.
It's just journey to the west. a retelling of it in the form of a video game, again, for like the nth time.
Wrong black myth wukong did borrow element from JttW yes but the story as a whole is a sequel to JttW@@zztzgza
Even for Chinese it's so refreshing. The monsters and yaoguai in Chinese mythology have never gotten a modern representation before this game. For a Chinese seeing the yaoguai in this game is like "hey that's exactly how they should look like!"
Tbh, yaoguais have always been depicted as animals or other supernatural things in chinese mythology, so it's not a Gamescience thing but a cultural thing.
What caught chinese people off guard was the redesign of all those yaoguais that appeared in the novel and other creatures from ShanHai Jing.
@@zztzgza The game actually occurs after the journey to the west
Game is amazing. Absolutely loving everything about it.
I will say, its a little sad to see so many streamers/content creators play this game and not know too much about the novel. The story is truly amazing and a fun adventure to enthrall yourself in. The way this game weaves a new story yet pays great homage to the original story, just makes the whole experience that much better. People will definitely get more interested with this release. Great video as always.
The game exceeded my expectations.
Especially when it comes to exploration. The invisible wall criticism is overstated.
I haven’t played it but from the videos I’ve seen it does look like it crops up a lot, and that would get annoying. It’s a common criticism across all reviews so seems fair to me, even if it never bothered you.
I would imagine that would break immersion, detract from the freedom of Exploration for many people etc.
A great game can still have flaws- ER and BOTW have loads.
@@makasete30It’s also a common theme across the same reviews that they don’t talk about how big the game’s areas are. So, until you actually play the game, might want to take videos like this with a grain of salt.
I agree. Its obvious these “reviewers” never got past chapter 2. The exploration really opens up in later chapters and was a highlight to me.
@@makasete30u get the cloud from the beginning
The invisible wall criticism seems to be there bcos it's the biggest issue ppl can find with the game. It's possible that they had to add more invisible walls than expected due to reducing the game's size. It was originally supposed to be 13 chapters, but due to budget restrictions they went down to 6, although that shouldn't be an issue anymore.
Looking forward to the two expansion DLCs!
How incredible that a game with good mechanics, a good story with classic references and high-level visual art, turns out to be such a success. There must be something behind of all this.😂
It's not just the action game. U have similar ones like Elden Ring except the lore there is from a guy that never finished a book. (Ie game of thrones lol) And Wukong is a game based on Journey to the West. Heavily in Buddhism.
@@fubolibs4218not sure why there was shade thrown at Elden Ring.
That guy didn’t finish the Song of ice and fire series because he’s been busy with numerous other projects, and has always had trouble closing out his books as he has readily admitted. He’ll never finish that series.
However, he’s a superb writer and has written some very popular books and that’s why he was was asked to help with the lore.
The lore in Elden Ring is also excellent and that’s why there continue to be video essays made and another reason Elden Ring is one of the most critically acclaimed games by both players and reviewers.
@@fubolibs4218 The lore of Elden Ring has not really much to do with the LOTR dude. He just wrote some outline for the backstory. 99% lore and story is written in house.
He was mainly a marketing gimmick, and people give him way too much credit because of that.
@@fubolibs4218 So you want him to Rush the 2nd one after him getting flack for rushing the first one? And you are using that argument to throw shade on a different stand alone 'game' he was involved in? How much more baseless can someone get?!
@@YuriMomoiro This comment is hilarious, like why are you mentioning LOTR? That has nothing to do with Elden Ring, and no one mentioned it at all
Just want to point out many Chinese supporting studios have been involved in major western triple A production like art,asset and animation for a long time. It’s only a matter of time for them to realise they could just internalize the resources to do it themselves. Besides you like the game or not, it’s a massive game with some of the highest production value in the industry. The team behind it is only between 30-130 people over four years. I think you can really see the efficiency boost compared to many western studios.
As a developer myself I agree that bigger teams do not always allow for better quality. There's a point where too many people just makes communication a nightmare and the designers and developers aren't on the same page. Small, dedicated teams with smaller budgets and reasonable time frames will always make more consistent products.
I know people who have worked for a few different game studios and so many suffer from bloated budgets and unrealistic expectations of the employees.
I think it’s more that they wanted the prestige and respect that comes with an AAA single player game.
Chinese developers have cornered the market in gacha mobile games with microtransactions because sales there dwarf those of console and PC, and that’s where the money is. It’s also a lot easier to produce those games with fewer risks.
Now they have the money they want more respect in the industry, and the cultural influence that comes with success in the gaming market which Japan and the West have enjoyed for decades.
These were some of the reasons mentioned by South Korean developer Shift UP for why they produced Stellar Blade. And I imagine it’s the same for Chinese developers.
Dude just say american . No such thing as western .
@@makasete30 There's a bit of that. However, in regards to Game Science, their main reason for doing something like Black Myth: Wukong was bcos they were tired of doing mobile games.
@@ZakiHaider-y9o well worst offender is Ubisoft who has over 10000 employees but produces outlaw.
Such a fantastic game. It is so similar, but it’s also remarkably fresh.
I love these types of videos and THANK YOU for not adding an intro, just jumping right in is the best.
Wukong is amazing and im glad its getting recognition it deserves, no micro transactions/season pass/battle pass just a classic straight for single player action adventure. Love the culture and design of the game. Its not perfect (invincible walls and no map sucks) but its a solid game and my goty so far
GAME OF THE YEAR
lets wait for stalker 2 :D
That would be final fantasy rebirth... Or Warhammer 40 000: Space Marine 2.
@@Pateramalinano way you said stalker 2 when Warhammer is also coming out this year...
@@Pateramalinacut off date is Nov 17th for goty better luck next year
With a metacritc score of 81- that would be quite something!
That score is far too low for the high praise it’s received from players.
Unfortunately, it’s selected reviewers who vote for GoTY and their votes count more than the players.
It deserves some official recognition at the very least.
I love this game, over 100hrs third walkthrough
As a Chinese myself it does feel heartwarming to see this 500 year old story is finally getting recognized world wide. When I was 5 I used to watch the TV show of journey to the west, and in this game they actually used the original theme song from the show. It is so nostalgic playing this game
"Doesn't immediately brutalized you"
The two wolves, and drunk monkey in chapter 1 aren't convinced, after watching me respawn like 50 times.
🤣
they are really easy in my opinion. And I noticed the more you lose, the stupider they become. While they have predictable pattern, they actually will omit damaging combos if you lose enough.
you sure you don’t have sone sort of input lag? i had prob with my tv in the past playing arkham city, kept dying till i figured out was the tv lagged my inputs
@@crh18 lmao nah, i'm just a pepega slow learner, getting jebaited by the same delayed attacks 100 times in a row.
already 100% the game and at NG3 now
That damn Tiger had me dodging way too early so much.
Rolled credits last night....what a effing game. Hot damn.
Two more endings to find..
Amazing game it has flaws but it's a masterpiece. currently in NG+ going for Platinum.
Convinced my friend from the UK to pick it up (I'm dutch) but he got stuck in Chapter 1.
He shared his skill tree with me seeing as I already finished the game. so I guided him through it what to pick and what to focus on. Now he's flying through bosses and loving. He even called me the Monkey King. So I'm happy 🙉
Veel geluk en plezier met jullie apenstreken in het Land der Draken! Dit soort verhalen van samenwerking en gezamenlijk plezier is hartverwarmend om te lezen.
Net zoals het vuur van de Yakshakoning, maar die verwarmt op een meer letterlijke manier...
Dankjewel, dat doen wij zeker!
can you share what I should focus on as well?
Sure! He was struggling with the snake boss and the spirit with the big head. So the longer fights.
He put points in health and stamina which are minuscule upgrades I never even touched them till NG+ since you get enough of those through Mind Cores and exploring.
So I told him to get composure in the stamina tree, to continue the light combo after a dodge. the last hit of that staggers bosses. put 3 points in exhilaration (which gives HP back on spending focus points) which helps with longer fights and resolute counterflow to counter attacks. by then he had one point left which he slotted in the immobilize spell which i thought was fine early on.
Edit: hope it helped. The tree with pole stances is a very good one to put points into (left side) faster charges etc. I worked on that first. Anything that gains focus is also a big YES. since it's where alot of your damage comes from and more health return.
@@stephan7379 thanks for the reply! i'll apply this to my build!
Such an incredible game! The storytelling, art design, and combat are amazing
The hype of this game has me watching journey to the west recap videos on youtube and the stuff they get up to is pretty entertaining and you can see how much modern day anime has taken ideas from journey to the west
What impresses me with the game is that it caters to players who just want to play it and those who are interested in the lore. To anyone who just want to play, the gameplay is solid, its easy to get used to, sound design is intuitive, the graphics and settings are gorgeous and you can breeze through the game without a lick of understanding what the lore is and it is still very good. To those who are interested in the lore, there are smack ton of references, artwork, character/item descriptions, short animations, environmental storytelling, and the story narrative itself. Of course, you need to be somewhat good to further explore the lore or know certain lore to fully appreciate the game, but it doesn't forcefully pull you to one side to enjoy them. Really reminds me of FromSoftware games like Dark Souls where you can totally separate gameplay and lore and still be enjoyable on their own.
the fact it makes me interested to learn about journey to the west especially bajie, by just playing the game is crazy
i only know about journey to the west and monkey king by name only never interested to know about their story deeply
man this game is amazing, ch4 animation caught me off guard it got me teary eyes 😂
💯 💯
Each boss has their own back story and it being a sequel to journey to the west makes it feel like a Chinese GOW
There is no gaming ban in China, there are gaming restrictions for minors, there is a ban on gaming consoles that can affect the first screen（TV） in the home (which has been lifted, but with strict limitations on game content to protect minors), there is no gaming ban.
I understand why there is that leaked letter for pre-release media review. It seems the west can never only talk about game, they have to talk about politics.
i thought the game would be an unpolished and dull game like the rest of Chinese game production before, but oh boy! How I was wrong, this game is truly a beautiful gem, it oozes of passion and talents of the people who made it. Love every second of it.
Growing up from all sorts of depiction of Journey to the west ( most notably the tv series ) , i never felt so relatable to a video game , every character introduces spark a little nostalgia in me of the old tv series i watch and it warm my heart seeing how much exposure wu kong get . Love it
If China starts building up their game studios and translating the games to english then it is just a win win for gamers. I am super excited for this to do well so they open and invest in more studios there. This has no micro transactions while the western games are like perfectly designed casinos. Imagine that.
China definitely pumps out gacha games though, think any country with games is going to have micro transaction issues, cause greed is global
China is scary.
@@truant6910yh pretty much all Chinese games are shit filled with gacha, this is like the first good high budget game.
lets not pretend asian games are not usually absolutely loaded with microtransactions. there are exceptions but that applies to western made games too.
Well, Genshin Impact is also developed by a Chinese Studio, guess how many layer of micro transaction that game has
Just completed chapter 1 today killed the black bear on my ps portal this game makes you feel bad ass
How does it run on PS portal?
@@makasete30 surprisingly well I beat a freaking souls like boss on it lol however be wary suddenly disconnected WiFi maybe my house signal not too good but I see most people enjoying it
I'm hooked. I just wish they was a map. I don't need a mini map, just a world/level map
I agree.
There's a mod for that...
I thought that too but by the time I beat the game I found myself feeling like no map was part of the charm. It would make things a lot easier yes but thinking about I get a little nostalgic about the moments in the game where I was learning the lay of the land and trying to remember where things were lol. Idk I think by the end I liked no map.
The OG journey in ancient China has no map. Plus in the theme song (from the 1986 drama, also used in this game), the main line repeated over and over again is 'Dare to ask where is the road? Road is beneath your footsteps.' So yeah, gotta explore the world on your own.
I disagree with having a map for a game that isn't open-world. Not having a map there, made me pay more attention to the environment. In open-world games, I usually rely on the map to focus on getting to the goal and instead pay less attention to the environment.
I stopped playing videos games in 2021. But Wukong looked so cool, it had me buy a new PS5 to just play it. It’s been such a blast
Read the journal entries as you play through the game…they are insanely well written. Like, every single one reads like a children’s story written by some Ivy League Ph.D. Gave the game insane amounts of context as to what was happening from the jump with little room for questions.
Realized it was what Sekiro was flirting with atmospherically here and there, but that game is like a microdose of Hinduism whereas this is like a full-on bender. Got immersed in the idea of a “pilgrimage” and started on seeing just how much of an enlightened god I could make my character
All-foundation from the jump, by the end now I’ve killed bosses with crits that’ve wiped them from half-health. The power bender gets real-now looking to see the viability of a continued NG+ streak as I’m in chapter 6. Only really ever do that in a Fromsoft game (Team Ninja does them best)-wondering if this studio has anything interesting there
I'm so disappointed how you never mentioned how game journalists and IGN tried their hardest to absolutely sabotage this game.
👊🏿🙏🏿 good games will always win. If companies make quality and stop chasing the live service cash cows they will see those efforts rewarded. Coz for as much money there is in the live service multiplayer space there's so many of us who still just enjoy a good comfy single player game. Whether its a hard game/easy game, regardless the genre etc
The addictive nature of the game surprised me. Endlessly adjusting my character for boss encounters and loving the story(huge Monkey King fan)
So far this is my GOTY. Have to wait for final judgement after space marine 2 and stalker 2 comes out.
Stalker is next year I think
Black Myth is my GOTY for sure. I played the space marine leak, and even if they polish it up I'll still give GOTY to Wukong and I actually prefer shooters so wukong is a big deal.
FF7 Rebirth is mine so far, but I haven’t played BMW. Really looking forward to it.
Yeah stalker got delayed unfortunately...
This is GotY hands down, Space Marine won't even be in the running even though it'll be a great game
When 2024 is filled with very few games month over month, the one game that is done almost perfectly SHOULD blow up like it did. Mid 2024 has left gamers starving.
as somebody who’s relatively disconnected from gaming news with life and stuff, this game came outta nowhere
It seems no video games journalists want to talk about it, but the reason it exploded is because of the digital storefront restrictions in China from the CCP and NPPA. They're literally not allowed to buy games like xyberpunk, The last of Us, Battlefield, even Resident Evil Village. Over 80% of the game sales were in China. This is actually a pretty average action RPG 🤷♂️ But in China you're not allowed to buy almost any game. So that's why this is selling so well. 😂
I remember seeing the trailer a couple years ago and then it went quiet for a good bit
@@TheLuckyShepherd i don’t think you really know the gaming scene in China and I recommend you to refrain from speaking on matters you have no good understanding of
@@TheLuckyShepherdbut it's 9.5/10 if you view it as a piece of art, given that the you've read the journey to the west.
@@urthsfount5611 Westoids think they're experts but in reality they don't know jack about anything really. Just talking about the smallest knowledge about things as though they're experts.
As a diehard dragon ball fan and the influence journey to the west has on the franchise I feel obligated play this.
To
Same
The story is complex but even better when you understand the chapters.
Another great show, Jake -thanks. In the UK I grew up in the 80s with the dubbed-Japanese TV show 'Monkey'. Just a wonderful experience and seems like people in the US missed out on it as I've never heard anyone on youtube mention it. Worth a Watch!
Lots of people are buying their own rigs in China and SEA to play the game, instead of playing online at Internet cafes. There are SEA players envious that their own country hasn’t entered the international gaming industry. Investors (Tencent particularly) will definitely invest in more triple a single player games going forward.
The best SEA can do for the moment is in the indie scene.
@@acedias12 true. It also doesn’t help that gaming in general is pretty looked down upon there.
I'm so sad that Thailand isn't there yet :(.
I was talking to my friends what we could do along the lines of Wukong- and they all shook their heads and said we couldn't.
And even if we did, it'd be Ramakien...a freaking Indian story...
@@caocao4731 My take, wait a few years. With advances in AI and hardware, AAA quality games now could be made with a relatively small team and smaller budget. If you are serious, just sketch out a theme you want to make, keep playing good games to learn from them and then start small with an indie title to test. Thailand is famous for making good movies in the SEA region, it is not impossible for you to make similarly good games too. Just dream, plan and implement properly.
By the way, Jake you are one of the few nice video journalists out there… even when you do not like something, you are candid… thanks for that! There is so much hate around in the world that is refreshing to see someone disagreeing or not liking something without destroying it! You rock, man!
If star wars outlaws is a 7 by ign. This deserves a 10.
At least 8.5
no it is an ok dmc clone nothing else and it did get 8
@@johansvensson833 I don't get it why clone, the mechanic is so different
@@johansvensson833 agreed . That's not real number. Real number is close to 8 million global sales
Thanks for correcting me .
Nah, the regular enemies are boring and it's really buggy at launch. It's an 8/10.
Surprised that I haven't been subscribed this entire time - I've been watching you for like two years now
Simple: it's about a game that lives up to it's hype :)) we don't get such things more often in today's AAA scope.
100% false. Baulders Gate 3, Dragons Dogma 2, Elden Ring, GoW and on and on. Stop trying to be edgy.
I also like to add the fact that they did short animated movies at the end of every chapter. They just kept getting better and better.
No spoilers, but the end of Chapter 4 was heart wrenching. An emotional rollercoaster that was.
I think this was a huge success because it simply lived up to its hype, it looked like or even better than when the game was marketed.
Many people were confused on the game's success, and say they don't get it. And that's fine because they never will even after our fanboyism explanations😄
Great video, Jake, love seeing your uploads. It's like having a friend to talk video games with.
Third one left me traumatized. And the 6th one was incredible
If you are curious about the source material, the Journey to the West tv show made in 1986 is a good place to start as a lot of Chinese people grew up watching that show, it is also probably the closest thing to a 1-to-1 retelling of the original novel. As a Chinese, it has a special place in my heart.
It’s worth noting that even without the Chinese player base, the game’s sale is still a success for a AAA single player game.
2 million unit outside of China is a dream number for any small studio. 😂
@@kreimsnta yes but the issue is that some think it will change the game industry but it will not
... Which are only there because of the the hype of the large player count. Who are mostly Chinese.
Its a clever Buissnes strategy.
@@Ash2X It's not a deliberate business strategy.
It is just what it is. That is :
A lot of Chinese like the game, which naturally pushed up the player count. And thus in turn aroused the interest of the players outside of China.
But in any case, that doesn't change the fact that it definitely IS a very good game.
@@ChinaSongsCollection It has massive Marketing behind it.
It even spreads through every kind of social media. You can't look on any post on X without seeing the commercial. Almost every post from any account over 1000 subs about it has Chinese "users" praising it.
Usual count of Chinese users you see in their posts? 0.
But since I am playing it right now it kinda worked. Even if the game itself is "just good" because of its obvious flaws,its not as bad as Metacritic suggests on the PS5 Version, which almost no one dared to review at all.
Maybe because of certain restrictions, which are well known by now.
Jake talking about how it doesn’t get hard until chapter 3 when the Wandering Weight took me a whole ass day 🥲
Honestly for a mobile games developer they have smashed out the park, this puts Ubisoft to shame
you missed spelled ubishit.
still makes more money than thios company ever will
@@johansvensson833 that's them over there, officer
The allegories in-between chapters legitimately hit too
Bro says it’s nice to get around and take time till chapter 3, meanwhile me getting beaten 20 times with Tiger Vanguard
He either has memory loss or got extremely lucky fighting Yellow Wind Sage cause no one in their right mind says that boss is “easy” in any way
Yellow wind sage was easy for me (beat him on 4th attempt), but I also had the item.
Apparently there's a massive tourism explosion in China right now especially in Shangxi, Hangzhou (where GameScience is), Xi'An Provinces with tourists from foreign countries hitting up the spots that were 3D scanned into the game, to pay homage to the game and story. Their 144-hour VISA free travel made it a lot easier.
the little details are what got me. The game is solid, but the little details around all the lore, the secret areas, even with just a superficial understanding of the journey to the west you can tell there is so much passion in here.
And also less propaganda in games is a good thing
Hey Jake, just wanna say you are the goat. Been watching you for years between this channel and GameRanx! Thanks for always keeping us entertained. That is all
China is a sleeping giant in gaming
Seems like it!
they said the same thing for movies and so fat nothing outside china and the same will be for games 99% of all chinese games are trashy mobile games one good one every 5 years does very little tencnet makes more a day from mible than this game will make during its entire life
*@johansvensson833* _"... they said the same thing about movies..."_
Don't know about games. But for movies and TV dramas, China does make a ton of excellent movies and TV dramas.
Unfortunately it's not easy to get people in the West to embrace Chinese movies because of all the nasty propaganda against ANYTHING Chinese.
But for some reason for games, it seems that a lot of gamers in the West are willing to ignore (and even fight back) against western media's attacks.
If for any reason, the average gamers in the West are willing to continue to ignore the inevitable attacks that will come for the next Chinese big budget game, there IS actually a chance that Chinese games will be able to do what movies can't do.
We shall see.
I saw somewhere that Chinese employers/companies were encouraging and offering their employees leave to play black myth wukong. Some were even gifting copies of the game....thats pretty cool. Where do I find a job like that? haha.
Right?! Haha
What gets me is the richness of the story. So many of the mini-bosses have a story of their own, levels are massive and full of hidden features.
china has always been a major source revenue of video games some even dare say that majority of gamers in this world are from china, so i can see why black myth wukong become so successful with 89% of the players are from there, it's a major gaming market
Who told u that ?
6 million sales are global
@@ZakiHaider-y9oit’s in the video
@@ZakiHaider-y9o that is not even close to real numbers it has sold less than 2 million outside of china 2/3 of all sales on ps5 is also china
@@johansvensson833 It sold more than 2 million copies outside of China in the first 3 days. It’s much higher than that now.
@@johansvensson833 agreed . That's not real number. Real number is close to 8 million global sales
Thanks for correcting me .
Glad you toy he'd in Journey to the West, Jake. I downloaded the audiobook 2 weeks before the game dropped.
After 12 hours (!) of narration, I was deeply endeared to the characters and feel totally invested in Black Myth. Would advise it for all gamers and it's great to feel more culturally enriched
When I first saw the reveal trailer 4 years ago, it grabbed my attention but I thought it would be 7or8/ 10 at best. Now that I am playing, it is definitely a 10/10 for me. Very reminiscent of God of War 2018.
i was stuck on pagoda realm and kept falling of that log w that archer and bat LMAO
I appreciate that Jake is always positive and doesn't just shit on games, but cultural aspect in the West is like an elephant in the room that needed adressing. People started voting with their wallets, games like Black Myth: Wukong and Stellar Blade feel 'fresh', cause they were released purely as pieces of entertainment, no politics. Video game companies not telling you who they vote for, not going through a checklist of things they have to insert into the game so that not a single soul gets offended is the complete opposite of what people are used to seeing in a Western video game, where promotional material is always used to tell us how their game is 'modern'. Another aspect is how legacy media pandering to all the big publishers, propping up review scores of their games as much as they can, ignoring any backlash online, ignoring bugs. There's so many things recently - Concord, Dustborn, Acolyte, double standard of the legacy media when it comes to reporting stories, twisting narratives, constant attacks on players/fans and calling them all -isms possible, controversies with consultancy firms, there is only so much money that Western companies are ready to lose before they start taking notes from games like Black Myth.
Glad to see a comment like this. Exactly what I wanted to point out, but more succinct. Well said!
The most interesting aspect of the discussion is that when it first released it looked too good to be true and then it came out and looked just as good if not better. There is just no „Drama“ around the game, like gameplay trailers that are then downgraded, bad performance or terrible bugs, which plague the AAA gaming landscape.
Not going to lie Black Myth Wukong is something I like more than typical souls-likes and soulsborne, not because it's inherently better. But rather the combat just feels unique in a souls type game. Something like Sekiro but a lot more flexible if that makes sense.
It's not a souls like.
@@BabyKale-b it has more than enough of the similar characteristics/mechanics. Don't be a gatekeeping fromsoft weirdo.
@@BabyKale-b Indeed it’s a Souls-lite
@@bwhere45I’m not a fromsoftware gatekeeper, and despite the blatant similarities, the game is not a soulslike at all.
@@BabyKale-b it kinda is tho, it has soulslike elements and the major bosses WILL kick your ass, especially the true ending secret boss.
I don't know. Spending 3 hours getting my ass ripped off trying to beat Wandering Wight gave me a twinge of buyer's remorse for a bit there.
get good
@@caiogeliel Getting close to the end of Chapter 2. I'm fine, now. I've gotten in this weird rhythm where I'll have a bit of trouble on a bigger boss (like Red Loong), walk away, go to bed or something and then come back and destroy them on the first attempt.
@@Downhuman74 that’s good, man! try to use everything that the game gives you and it should be fine, the most trouble will be dying a couple of times
He is the first friendly introduction for what is to come for bosses. I learned not to become button smashy when it comes to bosses, you gotta observe and adapt to their attacks. It feels very satisfying once you get the hang of it
There's also nothing wrong with farming a bit for extra talent points, since you level up rather quickly. There are 342 levels in the game, which is a reference to Sun Wukong once tricking the King of Hell to show him the Book of Life and Death, in which he saw that his lifespan was 342 years before removing his name from the book to gain another form of immortality.
Me watching this video while playing Black Myth: Wukong and dying five times in a row to a boss!
the english dub on the characters is actually good
Tencent only has a 5% stake in game science, they also didn't interfere with the development of Wukong.
There are so many misinformation about China, there is no gaming ban, the restrictive terms are not enforced, not even within China. The government and the people love gaming culture, they just limit it for the minors.
The game is a success because it doesn't try to manipulate the audience into some fake morals by people out of touch from reality, or push political propaganda which gamers are tired of. It respects its audience, not attempting to lecture them. AND - is also a good game overall. Same reasons why Stellar Blade was a success.
Part of it is accessibility. I have bad memories playing Sekiro, so I was extremely hesitant in playing Black Myth. But the flashy combat and the relatively fair checkpoint system made me give it a chance. I have now beaten the secret ending in Wukong
Funny how the most popular games that wins GOTY awards are Eastern games like Japanese FromSoft's Sekiro and Elden Ring. Guess we're gonna add Chinese Black Myth Wukong to that list pretty soon.
Western devs shouldn't even bother at this point 😅
Sadly due of cultural differences most of the west devs are not given enough creative control in AAA space. Western (and SEA-ian) Indie(Doujin) scene though, is becoming formidable.
You're just cherry picking examples. Over the past 10 years only 3 Game of the Year have been Eastern games.
@@sach360it’s called a trend my guy. When Eastern games win GOTY 2 out of the last 5 and what should be 3 out of the last 6 (if Wukong wins, and it should, but probably won’t due to bias) then it’s pretty telling they are starting to dominate. It’s like Euro basketball players winning MVP every year now. Just cause overall it’s small, doesn’t mean a trend isn’t forming.
I was waiting for your opinion on this topic. Was not disappointed to what you had to say. I do recomenned the original novel to everyone.
People always trynna nitpick little things when it’s a good game, they just look for anything to hate 😂
Journey to the West is one of the four grand classic Chinese novels, one other such work is Romance of the Three Kingdoms which most western gamers are now familiar with. It can be difficult to get sales data on the novel because not only is it available for free online, it has been translated into many languages and just about anyone can publish and sell it. But I think we can safely assume that BM:W has undoubtedly piqued a lot of interests around the gaming world, and likely more people are now getting their eyes on the novel, one way or another.
easily gonna be goty
The story line of this game is unmatched. i've never played a game where i couldn't wait for the next cutscenes like when i played wukong. the graphic details and variety of bosses are the bonuses
Its very good game. As you mentioned Jake, it has some issues, but it's extremely fun, I had to get the platinum in it. If they ever do a sequel, I really hope they can improve their world design, to be similar such as God of War or Sekiro/Bloodborne.
Please no. I prefer it over both of those games.
@@cirescythe The world design needs to be much better in Wukong, without so many invisible walls and better exploration, which God of War and FromSoft titles do much better, and the Wukong devs need to take inspiration from those world designs.
How was your experience on ps5? Like graphically and more importantly, frame rate haha I have it on pc but I wanna get it for my lil bro on ps5
@@WillingSpade Hey! I played it on balanced mode, so it held strong at a 40fps. There is a really good Digital Foundry video about the games performance, I recommend you check that out. But in any case, the game can be quite beatiful, but sometimes not really, if that makes sense 😅 really recommend the game though, its extremely fun!
I think the invisible walls are okay, never really bothered me or have to encounter. Its supposed to be a journey and just explore along the journey. And the restrictions is mostly just in chapter 1 i thinks its because its a tutorial phase. It gets more open world after that.
They could have charged $70 for this game but THEY DIDNT. Massive respect
Unlike Nintendo with TotK. Such a scummy move by them.
7:28 why should be anyone talking about feminist propaganda when reviewing this game? Or Covid? Like why? Whatis it about this game that makes you want to talk about feminisim or Covid? That was just a knee jerk reaction to when Screenrant and IGN intentionally tried to sabotage this game reputation by making up claims of misogyny and sexism. And it wasn't mistranslation it was intentional, the US empire can't have a Chinese game be successful.
Because IGN take post one of dev and translate this post which was full of misygone but i reality it was poorly translate chines phraseology
I don't know anything about the book, but I really like the codex entries for all the enemies and characters you meet. So many cool short stories and snippets of the larger world.
Yeah, I'm only familiar with bits and pieces of "Journey to the West" so the codex entries are very helpful in filling missing story contexts.
I’m about to pick this up… how are the graphics? I remember when it was announced it was mind blowing… I love that the gameplay is amazing everybody is praising the gameplay so far
@fercuscuelalopez9454 graphics are the same as when it was announced at first
I'm really underwhelmed by the gameplay. It's very linear and there is a distinct lack of exploration and interactivity. Amazing graphics though. Incoherent for me (someone without knowledge of the original story and Chinese culture).
@@dannypassion Oh… you mean it’s outdated now? Or is it still good enough?
@@PaxRufrax Oh ok… Is it kinda like a GoW… maybe? Im asking because i ran out of new games to play… nothing excites me lately
@@fercuscuelalopez9454 I don't recommend it. I think it would be fine on Game Pass, but I'm possibly in the minority of players who are not into straight up action games. It's like GoW, but with a silient protagonist who doesn't really interact with other characters. Maybe watch a Twitch stream of it?
One of the best games of the gen. Games media has been very strange with this game. Thanks for the honest take Jake.
becuse it below everythng it is nothing more than a dmc clone
@@johansvensson833 Sounds like you haven't played it.
NO POLITICAL MESSAGES OR AGENDAS!!! Just a fun time and good story is why this rose above and beyond!
Actually it had a political message . More like moral message . To be better
Soni never read journey to the west in its entirety but this game has made me go back to it. The way the game (especicially the secret ending finale) weeves in the original story is insane and done so well. This game is a master piece in my opinion. Eapecically since this os thos studios forst big game. They deserve GOTY.
This, space marines 2, and hopefully shadow of the erdtree def deserve to be in the running. Cant wait to see what else comes down the line for us until 2025
Kudos for mentioning those weird restrictions for streamers. For a second I thought you would elegantly skirt around that, but nope. No chickening out. Got some balls on ya! ;D
Intelligent people will always stand up
It’s not weird restrictions at all, focus on the game when playing it. No need to discuss covid or politics etc. it’s so simple.
Visually, it’s very cool. I keep dying. But I’ll keep trying.
I hate dark souls but I love wukong
The game is not a souls like
@@marquisepixley684 yes it is.
@@KirbyOnCronic no, wukong is way easier
Like food and music, video games have become that third pillar that unites and connects the world - we have to believe that is a good thing ❤.
I feel like people just don't get its a good action game of one of the most famous and influenitial pieces of chinese literature.
It’s been well over a decade since I’ve thought to myself “wow, don’t think ima beat this one”
8:42 Biiiiiiiig stretch, good boy
One thing I noticed is, in the google trends, the search times of the key words 'wukong' and 'the Journey to the West' significantly increased after the game launch.
Very happy to hear someone talk about the actual merits of this game based on its gameplay, as opposed to just harping on the culture war it seems to be roped up into.
Seeing the success of this game and seeing maybe a half hour of gameplay, the whole feeling and atmosphere piqued my interest. I actually ordered the Journey to the West book so I can read it before I play
This is a professional video game player...he does this for his job....this game is insanely difficult and it begins immediately...I wish I knew this before I spent the money and it's too bad because Jake and gameranx usually gives an excellent idea of what these games are "before you buy"
If you are stuck in the blue baby, imo the first walk in the game you can just skip it and come back later. He’s in my opinion the hardest boss in chapter 1
the game is nowhere near as hard as elden ring or any other souls game, that's simple fact. While it IS challenging its also fair. Nothing Jake said about the game is untrue. Your lack of skill doesn't make him a liar 🤦