Black Myth: Wukong

Yeah.

Is this the crazy graphics Chinese game that's been under development for a while?

Yeah totally. I really wish publishers would realise that actual gameplay will always be better than a CGI trailer or something produced by a teen with ADHD.

Anyway it's looking really good. It's UE5 right?

I wonder if the staff will also turn into a breadbin?

GOTY

It looks impressive, but the animations still don't have enough "weight". I bet in some still shots it will be hard to distinguish it from a photographed set, but as soon as something is moving, you can tell immediately that it's "just a game".

Still very impressive if you compare it with for example the first Dark Souls. But if you compare it with games from the previous generation, the difference is much smaller than it used to be. We have reached some kind of saturation in this department.

looks good but hearing it's a boss rush game has put me off quite a bit. Boss fights are my least favourite part of these games so I fully expect to get caught up in shiny and buy it on release day.

Hmmm. Limited exploration and loads of bosses is basically the opposite of what tickles my pickle. It does look very nice though.

Yeah I had heard it was quite a linear boss rush of sorts. Not sure about that tbh.

I think the biggest elephant in the room is that all reviews are pc code there is no ps5/xbox code available. Which is...odd.

Supposedly runs really well on the Deck though, so the consoles should manage.

So far I’ve watched 3 reviews. Summaries are all aligned:

Pros:
Fantastic combat, loads of hidden secrets and treasures, well paced and though some bosses will require a few attempts they are generally surrounded by more generous progression so you never feel stuck. Enemies are well sign-posted and never surprising. Level design is “wide linear” with plenty of opportunities to venture off the golden path. Gorgeous looking, excellent sound design. More in common with Platinum Games than FromSoft. Compared to ‘Lies of P’ in terms of being a new and very accomplished Action RPG.

Cons:
Some technical issues (IGN is the only place reporting crashes and technical hangs of the 3 though). No map at all, making exploration cumbersome (but still worthwhile).

All review footage from the first 2 chapters of the game.

Wide linear sounds alright. Lies of P was similar and I would say most From games are too, to varying extents. As long as it still has exploration and some secrets to find then that is ok.

Edit - RPS have given a very glowing review - www.rockpapershotgun.com/black-myth-wukong-review. I really can't buy another game now until I finish some more of my backlog, but this is tempting.

Final paragraph from the RPS review:

"Black Myth: Wukong is a triumph. A surprising triumph in the sense that I can't quite believe it's as good as its drip feed of screens and trailers looked over the last few years. It's a generous Soulsy adventure hybrid that works within its limitations and delivers a beautiful challenge to be unpicked with a magical toolbox. Arguably, I'd say Black Myth's world sucked me in more than Elden Ring and Lies Of P, probably more so than anything I've played in ages! This is Game Science bursting onto the scene and saying: "You've got competition". And hey, I'm listening. You should be, too."

I think I’m in too.