Upcoming Soulslike Black Myth: Wukong looks to be all about magical monkey mischief

Black Myth: Wukong - Sun Wukong chugs a flask whilst facing down a massive enemy
(Image credit: Game Science)

Store pages for action-RPG Black Myth: Wukong have just gone live on Steam and the Epic Games Store, along with some more information about what we can expect from the game.

The game was first revealed in 2020, before developer Game Science went mostly quiet. In January, Game First announced a summer 2024 release window for Black Myth: Wukong, and now we've got an official description from the developer.

Black Myth: Wukong is based on Journey to the West, one of the most famous Chinese literary works, which itself is an account of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang's pilgrimage across Asia entangled with Chinese mythology.

From the previous trailers for the game, we've seen just how amazing it looks in Unreal Engine 5 and the GIFs included on its Steam page are no different. What really stands out to me is the description of combat for playable character Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King.

Game Science says we'll have an arsenal of "spells, transformations, and magic vessels" to use, all of which are "iconic combat elements in Chinese mythology". What's more, player experimentation is encouraged as you can combine different spells, abilities, and weapons to find your own combat style.

This is all excellent news to my ears as the Monkey King is an extremely powerful and skilled fighter in Journey to the West, and I'm eager to see this translate into gameplay. Hopefully some of Game Science's personality comes through in Black Myth: Wukong, as the developer has become well-known for its monkeying around and humorous mid-development glitches.

While you wait for Black Myth: Wukong, here's our list of upcoming games in 2023 and beyond for the best new titles to play.

Freelance contributor

I'm a freelance writer and started my career in summer 2022. After studying Physics and Music at university and a short stint in software development, I made the jump to games journalism on Eurogamer's work experience programme. Since then, I've also written for Rock Paper Shotgun and Esports Illustrated. I'll give any game a go so long as it's not online, and you'll find me playing a range of things, from Elden Ring to Butterfly Soup. I have a soft spot for indies aiming to diversify representation in the industry.

Read more
Black Myth Wukong
After being labeled a Dark Souls copy, Black Myth: Wukong is now getting its own imitators on the Nintendo store
Phantom Blade 0
The success of Black Myth: Wukong reportedly led to a surge in investment in games like the stylish action RPG Phantom Blade Zero
Snow falls as guards in armor and red highlights wait in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Black Myth: Wukong empowered fellow soulslike devs to become China's first "elite" devs on par with Naughty Dog or Capcom: "The market has been validated"
Phantom Blade Zero - Big in 2025
Phantom Blade Zero is a "kung fu punk" action RPG that wants to follow in the footsteps of Black Myth Wukong: "there's a lot of pressure on us, but I think in a good way"
Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth Wukong guides and how-tos for aspiring warriors
Black Myth Wukong
How long is Black Myth Wukong?
Latest in Action Rpg
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Skyrim
It took Skyrim players nearly 15 years to discover ingenious loot hack that completely changes the game and, uh, requires you to desecrate a couple corpses
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree final boss Radahn stares into the camera, holding a sword in each hand.
After 423 hours and over 15,000 total deaths, Elden Ring player finally beats Shadow of the Erdtree without the upgrades FromSoftware urged everyone to use: "Never give up"
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Monster Hunter Wilds' Gemma actor requests "tips for beginners" from fans of Capcom's action RPG as it's the "first MH game that I've ever played"
Monster Hunter Wilds characters share a meal
Oh no, Monster Hunter Wilds is so good that I'm already counting the days until its inevitable Master Rank expansion
Diablo 4 season 8 boss
Diablo 4 season 8 is revamping the boss ladder system with new mechanics and bosses, including one of the best from Diablo 3
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2