I’m battling an anthropomorphic tiger. He resides, of course, in the Crouching Tiger temple, the steps leading up to it littered with bloody bodies. As I arrive inside, he laps at a large pool of dark water – no not water, it’s blood.
Black Myth WukongDeveloper: Game SciencePublisher: Game ScienceAvailability: Out 2024 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The blood drips from his face, a face formed of the most gloriously realistic wet fur texture. He taunts my silly little monkey protagonist – no, not The Tarnished but the Destined One – and battle commences.
Black Myth: Wukong is yet another action RPG inspired by FromSoftware’s Souls games, this time from Chinese developer Game Science. It’s hotly anticipated, with each annual trailer building hype further. The game is playable on this year’s Gamescom show floor and from just a short demo, it might be the best non-From Soulslike.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the Souls series are its bosses, the true test of your skills and – more importantly – patience. Sensibly, this Black Myth: Wukong demo focuses on a handful of boss encounters to provide a sense of these one on one battles, all selectable on a menu without overworld continuity.
The first is the giant and poisonous Elite Centipede Guai, which acted as something of a tutorial. I begin in near darkness in an underground cavern littered with skeletons and then from a mound of skulls it bursts free, a terrifying form of spindly, skeletal legs curling above me. It spits poison, swipes with claws, and rolls around the arena requiring well-timed dodges.