The terms “remake” and “game-as-a-service” send shivers down the spines of almost every gamer. Modern gaming has become a fine-tuned machine, taking as few risks as possible if it means a higher revenue. That leads to games feeling stale, with only a few gems here and there to remind us of why we love gaming in the first place. As rare as exclusively single-player titles are, games like God of War cling to their roots, establishing themselves as massive experiences designed with a solo player in mind. Still, even such classics can feel faded now, mimicking the glories of their past entries. That’s why Black Myth: Wukong shattered the current gaming sphere, including God of War.
Black Myth: Wukong Offers New Faces And New Mythology
The legend of Sun Wukong is something most people have heard or seen before – even those in the West. Classics like Dragon Ball brought the mythology of Journey to the West to a global audience, with Black Myth aiming to translate this marvellous adventure for the digital era.
Though Wukong and his exploits are well-established, they still feel fresh compared to the Nordic setting of God of War Ragnarök. The reason is simple: we’ve grown accustomed to Nordic mythology being a landmark in modern media.
That’s hardly God of War‘s fault, I know, but the reality is that we’re all used to hearing about Odin and Thor and the rest of the Aesir through movies like Thor or shows like Vikings. On the other hand, Chinese mythology remains vastly unexplored, making Black Myth: Wukong feel like a journey of discovery on a completely unmatched scale. Perhaps the visuals might be to blame.
Better Graphics Thanks To Unreal Engine 5
No discussion of Black Myth: Wukong would be complete without mentioning the game’s outstanding visuals. The developers at Game Science squeezed every last drop of power out of Epic’s Unreal Engine 5, delivering an almost lifelike experience. Granted, you’ll need a beefy PC to run this game, even at medium settings, but the payoff is more than worth it.
God of War Ragnarök was also a trailblazing visual masterpiece at its time, but it had the downside of being merely a linear upgrade over the previous God of War title. While the game looks great – and it will certainly look even better on PC – things like the lack of full ray tracing and no Unreal Nanite and Lumen effects result in a game that looks a generation behind compared to Black Myth: Wukong.
All of this might sound like a subjective opinion that doesn’t reflect the game’s overall quality, but some gamers purchase titles based on their graphics only. For that group, Black Myth: Wukong is clearly in the lead.
Nailed It On The First Try
Game Science is a relatively new studio. Black Myth: Wukong is the first non-mobile game they’ve developed, and it shows. The game’s ambitious setting usually comes with a considerable performance cost, resulting in a rather pretty slideshow, but perhaps not the best action game you could find.
Still, for a developer that’s still dipping their toes into the genre, Black Myth: Wukong shows what the studio is capable of. On the other hand, God of War Ragnarök is far from being Santa Monica Studio’s finest game, with classics such as God of War II and III still considered the cornerstones of the franchise.
Black Myth: Wukong isn’t perfect – not by a longshot. The game’s outrageous performance issues and some of the direction during cutscenes are telltale signs of a studio with a lot of ambition that spread itself thin in many aspects. All of that said, for a first entry in what’s sure to be an epic saga, Black Myth: Wukong sets the stage phenomenally well, and it trumps God of War Ragnarök.
Whether you’re a Wukong fan or a Kratos follower, one thing is for sure: the time of epic AAA character action games is here to stay. On that note, I think it’s about time Capcom resurrects the Asura’s Wrath series. Minus the DLC, of course.
Tell us, do you think Black Myth: Wukong is a better game than God of War Ragnarök?
Black Myth: Wukong |
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Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past. |
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| Release Date: August 20, 2024 |
| Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S |
| Developer: Game Science |
| Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Action role-playing |
