UPDATE 2pm UK: Between first publishing this story a few of hours ago and now, Black Myth: Wukong's player numbers have continued to climb.

Now, over two million players have taken to Steam to give the game a whirl. Its concurrent player peak as it stands is currently 2,125,077.

As a result, Black Myth: Wukong is now the second most played game of all time in terms of concurrent player numbers on Steam, having bopped both Counter-Strike 2 and Palworld down a place.

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Black Myth: Wukong is nothing if not ambitious. As many of its early trailers and tech demos implied, this was a game punching above its weight. It wasn't just a lavish retelling of the epic Chinese novel Journey to the West, a work that games have rarely engaged with outside of Asia (Ninja Theory's Enslaved: Odyssey to the West notwithstanding), but it also seemed to be demonstrating a level of technical mastery and visual pizzazz we hadn't quite seen before. It immediately put developer Game Science on the map, even if it wasn't always for the most savoury of reasons.

But now, after spending upwards of 40 hours retracing the steps of its titular simian hero as the silent but deadly Destined One, Black Myth emerges as a game that frustrates more than it delights. Its plentiful supply of grand, sweeping boss battles set the heart alight at regular intervals, its mythological menagerie bristling with the same kind of malicious energy and intent as their FromSoft equivalents. They are the tentpoles that hold this game aloft, their sharp claws, vicious fangs and powerful hoofs often tearing up the screen in exquisite and sumptuous detail. Indeed, they're the kind of bosses that will probably go down as some of the most dramatic of this generation, with its glistening dragons that rage across icy lakes and rippling pools, muscular tigers that sup in temples of blood, and giant bears, wolves, rats and spiders that command the elements to devastating effect.

But outside of those pulse-racing encounters, Black Myth is an altogether more mind-numbing experience, its thrilling highs undone by baggy world design, an uneven difficulty curve and disjointed storytelling. Ostensibly, this is a quest about reviving the legendary Sun Wukong, who scattered himself to the wind in the form of six relics after being defeated in battle centuries earlier. As the Destined One, you'll travel through forests, sand, ice, ash and more to bring them back to your mountain home, winding your way through its alternately narrow and wide linear environments until you reach the big bad in possession of it.

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Ever since its reveal in 2020, Black Myth: Wukong has been an alluring project. Developer Game Science has been surprisingly open in comparison to other AAA studios and the game's apparent ambitions have been reinforced with each and every press release: a hero-focused action game retelling the story of Journey to the West, and a graphical tour de force using the latest Unreal Engine features. In fact, on PC Wukong uses the Nvidia branch of UE5 to enable full ray tracing, promising an even more impressive presentation. With the full game in hand, it's time to see if Game Science has fulfilled the graphical promise of that first trailer, how the RT features work on PC, and what optimised settings can be used to deliver a smooth experience on a range of hardware. Enough monkey business then, let's get right into it.

From the moment the game starts up, it's clear that Game Science has delivered a level of graphical fidelity that surpasses that of the initial trailer. The dazzling intro to the game dazzles, with titanic mythical beings looming over you and an entire area replete with unique volumetric rendering that's unfortunately rare in the modern age.

With each and every dash, staff swipe and bit of movement, the main character and his nemesis distort and move the physical volume of fog that they find themselves in. Beyond Housemarque's Returnal and some legacy PhysX titles, real physicalised particles like this are rare, and Game Science made sure to use this GPU-intensive effect effectively to add a mystical flourish to game moments and character entrances.

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This week's launch of Black Myth: Wukong has brought further controversy to the game with the leak of a document sent to influencers requesting they do not include "politics", "feminist propaganda", or references to Covid-19 in their coverage.

Over the weekend, a document from the marketing team at co-publisher Hero Games leaked, which was sent to influencers and streamers ahead of coverage and contains a list of do's and don'ts.

While the do's simply reads "enjoy the game", the don'ts includes a number of caveats. "Do not insult other influencers or players" and "do not use any offensive language/humour" are both understandable, but other requests are far more political.

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This week's DF Direct 'drops' a little early owing to a somewhat busy and congested week for us, and our usual two-hour-long chat show begins with a look at the Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool - and the fact that (when we filmed, at least), the developer had not shown any video footage of the PlayStation 5 version in action. Reviewers were told not to expect PS5 code pre-launch. However, yesterday, a short snippet of gameplay captured from the console did appear online, so we scrambled to take a look at it and append some thoughts about it to our show.

Let's talk about the footage itself, hailing from PlayStation China (though we picked it up from the developer's feed, which linked to IGN China instead). First of all, there are clear issues with the quality of the footage. The appearance of developer IP addresses in the top-right may suggest that the PS5's system level video recording system was used, which was then re-processed by YouTube's systems, creating a very muddy picture, heavy on compression artefacts. Even so, we can see that the game is targeting 60fps, albeit with some heavy hits to frame-rate when screen-filling effects present on-screen. Black Myth: Wukong as presented here doesn't have any screen-tearing.

Beyond that, it is difficult to tell you much more about the game when we have no context on how the clip was captured and what settings (assuming the console version has settings) it was using. To be honest, the murkiness of the footage has left me with more questions than answers - especially after carrying out performance analysis on the clip. It's not easy to gauge frame-rate from lossy video, but we've done it in the past with streaming services and the technique is pretty straightforward and boils down to manually scrolling through the clip frame by frame and marking up duplicates. In the process, we got to see how the game looks from one frame to the next and there's some evidence here to suggest that AMD FSR 3 frame generation is being used in this footage.

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Hello! You might be seeing a few Black Myth: Wukong reviews going live at the moment, and so we wanted to let you know where ours was.

In brief: we need a bit more time with this one. It's a big ol' game, and we haven't had very long with it, meaning we've not had enough time to make significant enough progress for a full review.

There are a couple of other factors worth bearing in mind. There are some quite tight embargo restrictions for what we could talk about in an early review for this one - though that's increasingly the norm these days really - and also, we've been informed there is no PlayStation 5 code available for the game at all until on or after launch. That doesn't necessarily mean anything should be read into there - code for one platform is often available before another - but it is just one more small reason for us to sit tight a little longer.

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The fantasy world in Black Myth: Wukong is filled with merciless and treacherous foes including more than 80 bosses that players will encounter throughout the journey. Most boss encounters are faced simply by pushing along the main path but there are several hidden bosses as well that can offer useful skills and abilities.

One such hidden boss that players can encounter early in the game is Guangzhi, the first Yaoguai Chief who offers the first Transformation ability. This guide will help you find Guangzhi and provide essential tips to defeat him in Black Myth: Wukong.

Guangzhi: Yaoguai Chief Location in Black Myth: Wukong

Guangzhi is the first Yaoguai Chief boss that players can encounter in the Forest of Wolves area. As players reach the ‘Outside the Forest’ Keeper’s Shrine, the game will primarily turn them into a bee to get past several foes including another side boss, Wandering Wight who offers the first Spirit Skill. However, players can return to this area whenever they want and find Guangzhi in a hidden spot.

From the Outside of the Forest Keeper’s Shrine, follow the steps below to reach Guangzhi.

• Head inside the forest and take the first path on the left beside a couple of foes.
• Continue following the path to come across a chest on the next fork.
• Go past the chest to the bridge ahead.
• Follow the path ahead to enter an open area with Guangzhi.

Upon finding Guangzhi, a brief cutscene will play and the fight will initiate.

Tips & Tricks for Guangzhi Fight – Black Myth: Wukong

Guangzhi uses a staff with a dual ignited blade at its ends which deals Fire Damage on each hit. Getting hit by the attacks of Guangzhi will build up the fire on the character which inflicts him with Burnt State and deal damage over time. However, you can remove the Burnt State instantly by using the Body Cooling Powder.

Moreover, follow the tips below to easily defeat Guangzhi.

• Avoid the initial combo of Guangzhi by dodging behind and then dodging in front to get behind him.
• Unleash your light attack combo on Guangzhi, and as he is about to do one of his attacks, use the Immobilize spell to stop him. Continue punishing Guangzhi and then back away once the spell is broken.
• If you see Guangzhi going in a charged stance, dodge on either the right or left side to avoid the incoming charged attack and then dodge again instantly to avoid a follow-up charged attack.
• After dodging the attack, you can punish the boss a bit.
• If you see Guangzhi spin backward, be ready to dodge as he will throw the staff in your direction.
• After dodging the attack, push on to the boss and punish him with your low attack combo. Moreover, use the Immobilize spell again if charged to deal extensive damage.
• In the late fight, Guangzhi will use the staff for a ground slam attack. Dodge the ground slams until he gets back on the ground to punish him.

Repeat the steps to deplete Guangzhi’s HP and defeat him.

Rewards for Defeating Guangzhi in Black Myth: Wukong

Defeating Guangzhi will reward you with 500+ Will and 1x Stone Spirit, and mainly with Red Tides (Spell), the first transformation ability of the game.

Similar to using spells, you can use the Red Tides spell to transform into Guangzhi and use his ignited staff weapon. The transformation will last until you run out of Stamina/Might.

The post Black Myth Wukong: Guangzhi: Yaoguai Chief Location & Fight – Guide appeared first on Nintendo Smash: Video Games News, Reviews & Guides.

Black Myth: Wukong has over 80 bosses that players encounter throughout the journey and each boss is designed uniquely requiring players to learn and counter their attacks. Alongside the main boss encounters in the main journey pathway, players can also encounter side bosses hidden around the areas.

One of the initial side-bosses in the main journey is Wandering Wight found inside the Forest of Wolves. Although the encounter isn’t that difficult, the confusing thing is the absorption of its dropped Spirits. This guide will provide you with information on how to get the guidance to absorb Wandering Wight’s Spirits.

Wandering Wight Encounter in Black Myth: Wukong

Wandering Wight is a side boss in Black Myth: Wukong and the game will primarily tell you to fly by it in a bee form. As players reach the ‘Outside the Forest’ Keeper’s Shrine in the Forest of Wolves area, a cutscene will transform them into a bee. Now, you can obviously transform back to the primary state or come back to this location to encounter the Wandering Wight.

‘Cannot Absorb Spirits Without Guidance’, Solution

Upon encountering Wandering Wight and defeating it, it will drop purple Spirits on the ground. It will have a prompt to ‘take’ the Spirits, but it will not let you without ‘guidance’. Now, to get the guidance, you have to progress further into the main story and reach the Snake Trail Keeper’s Shrine in the Bamboo Grove area by defeating ‘Lingxuzi’.

Once there, head up the staircase and go to the right to initiate a cutscene. In the cutscene, an NPC will take your Gourd (Healing Flask) and bless it with Guidance. With the guidance blessing on your side, you can now absorb the spirits (of any enemy/boss that drops them).

After getting the guidance, the next step is to absorb the spirits you left behind. However, the Spirits will not be there so don’t waste your time traveling back to the Forest of Wolves. Instead, interact with the Keeper’s Shrine and you will see the ‘Retrieve Spirits’ option. Select the Retrieve Spirits option and then hold the respective key to retrieve all of the missed spirits.

How to Upgrade the Spirits in Black Myth: Wukong

Moreover, as you acquire a Spirit Skill, you can upgrade it at the Keeper’s Shrine. Interact with the Keeper’s Shrine and navigate to the Self-Advance option to see the ‘Cultivate Spirits’ option. Select the Cultivate Spirits option and it will show you the cost of Will required to upgrade the acquired Spirit Skill. Hold the respective key to upgrade the Spirit Skill.

The post Black Myth: Wukong – How to Absorb Wandering Wight’s Dropped Spirits appeared first on Nintendo Smash: Video Games News, Reviews & Guides.

Black Myth: Wukong is an action-adventure RPG inspired by the Journey to the West novel. You take the role of a destined one to retrieve the lost relics and achieve your destiny. However, the fantasy world holds merciless and treacherous enemies that will try to hold you back throughout the journey.

Most players might consider Black Myth: Wukong as Soulslike due to a few similar elements but it offers a unique experience with various gameplay mechanics. Beginners should grasp certain mechanics early in the game to make the journey more soothing for themselves.

This guide will go over the major tips and tricks for early playthrough in Black Myth: Wukong.

Best Tips & Tricks for Beginners – Black Myth: Wukong

After the opening sequence of Black Myth: Wukong, you will start as an ordinary monkey warrior only with a Staff, primary weapon. The general progression in the game’s world is pretty straightforward as it offers a linear pathway most of the time. As you progress through the game’s main quest, you will learn and unlock more abilities and spells to assist you greatly in more tough challenges ahead.

Moreover, if you focus on the tips and tricks described below, you can develop a stronger character allowing you to take on the encounters with less stress.

1. Enhance Health & Stamina and Lower Cost of Stamina

The earliest crucial tip that we would like to share with you is to enhance your character’s maximum HP and Stamina. It is done by spending your Sparks (Skill Points) in the Survival Skill Tree under the Foundation tab of Self-Advance. Get the Robust Constitution and Rampant Vigor to increase the maximum HP and Stamina of the character.

NOTE: There are other ways to enhance the maximum HP and Stamina in the game which will you discover as you progress through the story.

Alongside increasing the crucial stats of the character, the next tip is to lower the cost of stamina by dodging and running. It can be done by spending Sparks in the Stamina Skill Tree also under the Foundation tab. The first two skills in the Stamina Skill Tree will offer the reduction in Stamina cost upon sprinting and dodging. Get both of these as soon as possible because you will be dodging a lot during encounters.

Running out of Stamina will leave your character open for any incoming attacks.

2. Enhance Immobilize Power

Not far into the first chapter of the story, you will be handed a spell called Immobilize used for stopping the enemies. The enemies will stop in their attacks instantly for a short period allowing you to deal damage to them. However, you can improve this useful spell by spending the Sparks in the Immobilize Skill Tree under the Mysticism tab.

Various skills will enhance the period of the spell and damage taken by the foes while immobilized. Make the use of Immobilize spell frequently in your encounters to get a breather and the advantage of dealing extensive damage to foes.

3. Unlock More Staff Stances

Black Myth: Wukong offers multiple staff stances that make the combat experience more versatile. However, you start with only one Staff Stance, Smash Stance, and as you level up in the game, you will be introduced to other stances that not only diversify the combat experience but also grant you certain movement advantages for avoiding specific attacks.

For instance, the AOE attacks can be challenging to avoid in the early game but as you unlock the Pillar Stance (Level 5), it will be much easier for you to avoid them. Moreover, the Staff Stances also have their own Skill Trees in the Self-Advance menu where you can spend Sparks to enhance your favorite combat style.

4. Don’t Forget to Respec

With a variety of multiple Skill Trees spread across various mechanics, it is normal for you to grab a skill that isn’t quite necessary for you at the moment. In such cases, you can respec your skills at any Keeper’s Shrine. Interact with the shrine and navigate to the Self-Advance to find the respec option. Moreover, it will not cost you anything for resetting your skills.

5. Craft Armor for Benefits

While progressing through the different areas of the world, you will come across a variety of materials. Initially, you might confuse them for consumables but the materials are used for crafting armor pieces. Armor pieces can offer various benefits along with defense stats. Although several bosses will drop a certain armor piece upon defeat that you can wear, it is also crucial to see which armor you can craft at the Keeper’s Shrine.

6. Sell Pieces of Gold & Find Green Mist to Earn More Will

Will is the primary currency in Black Myth: Wukong which is used for purchasing items from various vendors across the world and crafting armor at the Keeper’s Shrine. You will usually get Will by defeating the enemies you encounter, but you can also earn Will by selling Pieces of Gold or picking up Green Mists.

The Pieces of Gold are usually found inside the chests scattered throughout the world and you can sell them at any vendor or at the Keeper’s Shrine. While exploring and traversing through the world, you will find Green Mists on alternative paths around the main path. Pick them up to gain a decent amount of Will.

7. Defeat Wandering Wight & Guangzhi Early

As you start progressing through the earlier areas of the game, you will witness a cutscene at the Forest of Wolves where you will be transformed into a bee to pass through multiple enemies. This certain area holds two important side bosses, each one for unlocking a unique ability.

If you come back to this path as a monkey, you will encounter the Wandering Wight, a giant enemy. Defeat this enemy to witness the dropped purple Spirits. You can pick up these Spirits to unlock a Spirit Skill that will allow you to headbutt the enemies and stun them.

NOTE: In order to absorb the spirits, you must first reach Snake Trail Keeper’s Shrine in the Bamboo Grove area. There, you will meet with an NPC who will grant your gourd with Guidance, allowing you to absorb any dropped spirits by enemies/bosses.

Moreover, if you venture to the left of this area, you will discover a path leading to an open area where you will encounter Guangzhi, the first Yaoguai Chief. Defeat this monkey boss to get yourself the first transformation ability.

Bonus Tip

Apart from these crucial tips and tricks mentioned above, another great tip is to use the Gourd (Healing Flask) necessarily instead of fully. The Gourd has a limited use (4 initially) and can only be replenished by resting at the Keeper’s Shrine.

The post Black Myth: Wukong – Best Tips & Tricks for Beginners appeared first on Nintendo Smash: Video Games News, Reviews & Guides.

One of the most anticipated action RPGs of 2024, Black Myth: Wukong released earlier today, and it surely didn’t hold back from achieving big numbers. In less than two hours of its launch, it surpassed over 1.2 million players alone on Steam, not counting the players on PlayStation 5, and broke the records of all-time player records of Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring are among the most played games on Steam with 1,054,388 players for Cyberpunk 2077 and 953,426 for Elden Ring. It didn’t even take a full cycle of the day for Black Myth: Wukong to break the records. At the launch time, most of the world was asleep, and currently, at the time of writing this article, 1,507,795 players are playing the game.

Surely, the numbers are expected to increase throughout the day and it is possible that it might even surpass the bigger all-time player records such as Counter-Strike 2 with 1.8 million and Palworld with 2.1 million players.

Black Myth: Wukong is now available on PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam and Epic Games) with the Xbox Series X|S version slated for a later release.

The post Black Myth: Wukong Launch Surpassed Cyberpunk 2077’s All-Time Player Records on Steam appeared first on Nintendo Smash: Video Games News, Reviews & Guides.

Black Myth: Wukong was released today, and already it has set new records on Steam.

At the time of writing, the game is being played by 2.13 million concurrent users making it the best performing single-player game of all time by this metric.

It more than doubles the record Cyberpunk 2077 set when it launched in 2020, when it reached one million concurrent users within two hours of its debut. It has even passed the peak of another 2024 hit, Palworld, which VG247 reports topped out at 2.1 million concurrent users.

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You encounter several bosses in the first hour or two of Black Myth: Wukong. While the game makes it seem like all these bosses are meant to be defeated as soon as you meet them, there’s one you should hold off on killing until you progress a little further.

Why You Shouldn’t Beat Wandering Wight Early in Black Myth: Wukong

As you traverse the Forest of Wolves, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble across the Wandering Wight. This boss is a large blue troll-like creature with a large head and a permanent, tranquil smile that belies just how hard he can hit. You likely encountered him after passing the second Keeper’s Shrine in Black Myth: Wukong.

While you actually need to get past Wandering Wight to find the next area of the game, you don’t need to beat him to get past him, though it’s completely possible to do so. The reason you should skip the fight with the Wandering Wight is because it drops a spirit after you beat it. This spirit can’t be absorbed until you unlock the Blessed Gourd, which doesn’t occur until after you beat a couple more bosses in Black Myth: Wukong. Talk about suffering from success.

What To Do After Meeting the Wandering Wight

If you find Wandering Wight, simply run past it and head down the narrow path on the other end of its clearing. This will lead you down some wooden scaffolding and into the next area, where you will battle a boss named Lingxuzi.

After defeating Lingxuzi, you can progress through a temple and enter the second area of Black Wind Mountain, which is the first major region of the game. The second area is called Bamboo Grove, and you need to reach a specific location in Bamboo Grove called the Snake Trail. At the Snake Trail, you need to ascend the stairs and reach a man who is standing on the side of a path.

The man is the Gourd Master, and they can give you the Blessed Gourd upgrade, which allows you to absorb spirits. With the Blessed Gourd, you can now head back the way you came and defeat Wandering Wight. Once Wandering Wight is defeated, it will drop a spirit that you can now absorb. Absorbing spirits offers a variety of bonuses, including passive boosts to your character.

If you’re someone who has already defeated Wandering Wight and couldn’t absorb its spirit, fear not. Once you acquire the Blessed Gourd, you can head to a Keeper’s Shrine and collect the spirit from there. Of course, it’s much easier if you wait to get the Blessed Gourd and then go back to to smack it down.

Black Myth: Wukong is available to play now.

Black Myth: Wukong launched earlier today, adapting the classic story of Journey to the West to a soulslike action game in the style of Lies of P, Elden Ring, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and Lords of the Fallen. The game, created by Chinese studio Game Science, has been highly anticipated in the years since it was first announced, and that anticipation has paid off with an absolutely enormous player base. Still, the gargantuan player count that it attracted on PC recently decreased by a huge amount, demonstrating the impact of time zones and audience demographics on Steam's charts.

Our Black Myth: Wukong review hails the game as "a generous Soulsy adventure hybrid that works within its limitations and delivers a beautiful challenge to be unpicked with a magical toolbox". Reviewer Edders went so far as to find the world more engaging than that of Elden Ring - proper defying-the-gods level rhetoric. Players seem to agree. The game launched last night, and has already accrued a concurrent player peak of 1.44 million - Steam's fourth highest ever, exceeded only by Counter-Strike, Palworld and PUBG. By that metric, it's the platform's most popular strictly single player game of all the time.

All that goodwill has been spoiled, however, by a Steam code handout message to streamers and other "content creators" before launch which includes some reactionary, non-binding requests - no mention of "trigger words" like "Covid-19", no talk of "politics" or "feminist propaganda", and no mention of "China's game industry policies, opinions, news, etc".

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Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG that leans a bit into the Souls camp and a bit into the adventure camp. And either way, it's a spectacular journey that works for mostly everyone: those after challenging fights against Chinese mythological creatures, and those after the same thing, but with a little less challenge than your typical Soulslikes. What separates Black Myth from the crowd, though, is its slick presentation and a sense of generosity. You're to witness the most lavish, cinematic worlds and its creatures. And you're to enjoy battering everything with your staff as a highly athletic monkey with copious spells at his furry follicles and fingertips. It's been a while since I've played anything quite as impressive as this.

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Unlike Ed, I wasn’t deemed important or youthfully handsome enough to get Black Myth: Wukong review code, leaving my only hopes of conducting some hardwarey performance investigation with the recently released benchmarking tool. The one that, by the admission of developers Game Science themselves, "may not fully represent the actual gaming experience and final performance at the time of the game's release". Monkey nuts.

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Are you a prospective buyer of Black Myth Wukong and would like to see if your PC qualifies for uninterrupted monkeying around? Wowee, would you look at that! There's a BMW (no, not the German multinational manufacturer of vehicles) benchmarking tool out now that lets you preview how the game would run on your hardware.

Read more

Our Black Myth: Wukong review hails the game as "a generous Soulsy adventure hybrid that works within its limitations and delivers a beautiful challenge to be unpicked with a magical toolbox". Reviewer Edders went so far as to find the world more engaging than that of Elden Ring - proper defying-the-gods level rhetoric. Players seem to agree. The game launched last night, and has already accrued a concurrent player peak of 1.44 million - Steam's fourth highest ever, exceeded only by Counter-Strike, Palworld and PUBG. By that metric, it's the platform's most popular strictly single player game of all the time.

All that goodwill has been spoiled, however, by a Steam code handout message to streamers and other "content creators" before launch which includes some reactionary, non-binding requests - no mention of "trigger words" like "Covid-19", no talk of "politics" or "feminist propaganda", and no mention of "China's game industry policies, opinions, news, etc".

Read more

Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG that leans a bit into the Souls camp and a bit into the adventure camp. And either way, it's a spectacular journey that works for mostly everyone: those after challenging fights against Chinese mythological creatures, and those after the same thing, but with a little less challenge than your typical Soulslikes. What separates Black Myth from the crowd, though, is its slick presentation and a sense of generosity. You're to witness the most lavish, cinematic worlds and its creatures. And you're to enjoy battering everything with your staff as a highly athletic monkey with copious spells at his furry follicles and fingertips. It's been a while since I've played anything quite as impressive as this.

Read more

Unlike Ed, I wasn’t deemed important or youthfully handsome enough to get Black Myth: Wukong review code, leaving my only hopes of conducting some hardwarey performance investigation with the recently released benchmarking tool. The one that, by the admission of developers Game Science themselves, "may not fully represent the actual gaming experience and final performance at the time of the game's release". Monkey nuts.

Read more

Are you a prospective buyer of Black Myth Wukong and would like to see if your PC qualifies for uninterrupted monkeying around? Wowee, would you look at that! There's a BMW (no, not the German multinational manufacturer of vehicles) benchmarking tool out now that lets you preview how the game would run on your hardware.

Read more

PC Benchmark pro očekávaný AAA titul Black Myth Wukong je nyní k dispozici ke stažení ve službě Steam.

Black Myth Wukong, vyvinutý čínským studiem Game Science, je zcela nová IP hra se zaměřením na mechanismy akčních RPG. Hra vychází z čínského románu Journey to The West (Cesta na západ) a budete v ní ovládat „Osudem určeného“, který bude putovat po mýtické zemi a bojovat s velmi unikátními nepřáteli.

Hra se minulý týden dostala do stav GOLD a byla následována působivým trailerem, který nám dává ochutnat úžasnou vizuální stránku, kterou tato hra nabídne. Po technické stránce bude Black Myth Wukong velmi náročný na základě systémových požadavků, které vyžadují až RTX 4070 a RX 7800 XT pro Ultra kvalitu bez ray tracingu. Pro dosažení maximální kvality RT budete potřebovat výkonnější GPU, například GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER nebo vyšší. Požadavky na CPU jsou nominální s vývojáři doporučenými 6 a 8jádrovými čipy od AMD a Intelu (9. generace / Ryzen 5000).

Pokud jde o nastavení grafiky, Black Myth Wukong má základní panel konfigurace zobrazení, který umožňuje měnit rozlišení, režim zobrazení, poměr stran, framerate-cap, V-Sync a Motion Blur. Nastavení grafiky nabízí podrobnější přizpůsobení, které má úplně nahoře možnost použít „Doporučené nastavení grafiky“, za níž následují možnosti konfigurace Super rozlišení.

Hra podporuje všechny tři technologie Super Resolution od společností NVIDIA, AMD a Intel včetně DLSS, FSR a XeSS. K dispozici je také čtvrtá možnost „TSR“ (Temporal Super Resolution). Generování snímků lze použít s DLSS, FSR a TSR, ale zdá se, že karty NVIDIA v současné době nepodporují FSR Frame-Gen DLSS Frame-Gen funguje dobře.

Kvalitu Super rozlišení lze nastavit pomocí posuvníku. Posuvník 100 % znamená, že vzorkování je aplikováno na nativní rozlišení, což je v podstatě DLAA/FSR AA/XeSS AA, zatímco posunutím posuvníku dolů se zobrazí předvolba odpovídající procentuálnímu podílu (Kvalita/Vyvážený/Výkon/Ultra výkon). Možnosti Ray Tracing se vztahují pouze na grafické procesory NVIDIA a jsou uvedeny jako „NVIDIA Full Ray Tracing“, protože karty NVIDIA je budou schopny spustit nejlépe. Nastavení RT „Very High“ umožňuje sledování cest, což má smysl u grafických procesorů NVIDIA vzhledem k jejich lepším hardwarovým možnostem RT.

Pokud je tato možnost povolena, můžete si vybrat z možností Nízká, Střední a Velmi vysoká. Zbytek jsou standardní nastavení kvality, kde je uvedeno „Cinematic“ pro nejlepší kvalitu. Uživatelé mohou ručně upravit různá nastavení, například vzdálenost pohledu, antialiasing, efekty následného zpracování, stíny, textury, vizuální efekty, vlasy, vegetaci, globální osvětlení a odrazy.

Nástroj také obsahuje proces předkompilování shaderů, který trvá přibližně 1-2 minuty. Vzhledem k tomu, že se jedná o titul pro Unreal Engine 5, můžeme očekávat, že u mnoha uživatelů Intelu dojde během tohoto procesu k pádům, a proto je nejlepší použít profily „Intel Baseline“ nebo prostě čipy podtaktovat či podvoltovat ručně a nechat proces dokončit. Doba načítání je malá, protože se kompilují pouze prostředky benchmarku, a ne celá hra.

Článek Black Myth Wukong PC Benchmark Tool je nyní k dispozici: Obsahuje Ray Tracing a podporu DLSS/FSR/XeSS se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Taking on the massive bosses that you’ll come across on your journey through Black Myth: Wukong is no small task. You’re going to need to be strong and swift to beat them all, as well as have tough armor to keep yourself safe. 

To upgrade your armor though, one of the materials you’re going to need Silk. If you don’t know where to look, this can be an elusive material. Luckily, we’re here to show you how you can get Silk and how to use it. 

Where to find Silk in Black Myth: Wukong

The main way for you to get Silk is by defeating enemies. However, since Silk is a rare drop, you’re not likely to pick up a lot of it in the early game. When you reach Chapter Two, you’ll have much better luck. This is because the enemies drop rarer materials. 

You can also find Silk by opening chests and pots. Occasionally these will contain Silk when they’re opened, however this is not guaranteed at any location. Open up any of these chests or pots you come across since it’s worth picking up the materials inside.

There is a special location you can pick up Silk from in Chapter One, and that’s the merchant at the Keeper’s Shrine in the Secret Ancient Guanyin Temple — Grand Chamber. When you arrive at the Keeper’s Shrine, select the store and there will be two Silk available for you to purchase. 

How to farm Silk in Black Myth: Wukong

The best location for farming Silk is anywhere in Chapter Two. Enemies regularly drop Silk upon defeat during the second chapter. To farm it, simply continue killing any enemies you come across.

Killing as many enemies as you can in Chapter Two ensures that you have a solid supply of Silk for the later chapters, where you’ll need to upgrade your armor. 

How to use Silk to upgrade armor in Black Myth: Wukong

To upgrade your armor, you’ll need to have Yin Tiger unlocked in the Painted Realm. This area isn’t available until Chapter Three, and you’ll need to complete the right quests to get to him. 

To unlock the Painted Realm, find Xu Dog during Chapter Two near the Village Entrance of Sandgate Village. Talk to him and defeat the Lang-li-Guh-Baw boss for him. You’ll find him later in the story in the Cellar of the Crouching Tiger Temple.

The next NPC you need to find to unlock the Painted Realm is Chen Loong, which can be done after you defeat the boss Kang-Jin Star. You can find him under the turtle’s head on the beach. Defeat him and give him the special pill you can purchase from Xu Dog. 

You can now travel to the Painted Realm, where talking with Yin Tiger will upgrade your armor for you. Several armors require Silk for upgrades, where you can finally put your Silk to good use. Just like upgrading your Gourd, upgrading your armor will make you stronger and able to survive.

The post How to get Silk and upgrade your armor in Black Myth: Wukong appeared first on Destructoid.

Black Myth: Wukong is oftentimes compared to Soulslikes because of its difficulty and grand bosses, but are there settings to change that? If you want to get into the game but are scared of it potentially being really difficult, here’s what you need to know.

Can you change difficulty settings in Black Myth: Wukong?

Unfortunately, Black Myth: Wukong does not have difficulty setting options at this time. While the game might not be as difficult as Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Elden Ring, it’ll still pose quite the challenge. 

The only way you can really alleviate the game’s difficulty is to farm up levels, or Sparks. Use them to further enhance your character’s abilities and you should hopefully turn the tide in battle against the dozens of bosses you’ll face ahead.

Also, you can skip a handful of bosses if you want, but it’s recommended that you don’t because they drop new items that can help you later down the line. They’ll also drop crafting materials for better gear and give you huge XP boosts upon beating them.

You can also upgrade your abilities like your spells and transformations so that you can deal more damage or have more use out of them, so use all you can if some of these battles are too tough.

Can you summon NPCs or other players in Black Myth: Wukong?

If you were hoping that you could summon an NPC to take the aggro off of you in boss battles, you can’t do that. You’re mostly alone in this game.

With that said, you also can not summon other players via any sort of co-op or multiplayer session. It’s up to you to take on the game with the tools you have.

Since Black Myth: Wukong is solely a single-player game, it can deter many who need a partner or a leg up against these tough bosses. No way are they in the same realm as actual Soulslikes, but they can still be a headache for many.

The post Does Black Myth: Wukong have difficulty settings? appeared first on Destructoid.

While Black Myth: Wukong may not be a traditional Souls-like, it shares enough challenging elements—such as its demanding difficulty level—that choosing your early stats and talents wisely is crucial for a smoother experience.

If you need a little guidance on which stats to take starting out, here's everything you need to know about early game stats and talents in Black Myth Wukong.

Best Early Game Talents in Black Myth: Wukong

There are many interesting abilities and talents you can invest in early in Black Myth: Wukong, and you might be interested in doing so because of that. However, Black Myth: Wukong is a fairly difficult game and it really doesn't pull its punches the further you progress. To that end, the most important stats you should take are the ones that boost your survivability and ability to evade enemy attacks. Health, stamina, and evasion are what your early points should be focused upon, not damage.

With your first six points, I highly recommend investing in the Robust Constitution talent under the Foundation-Survivial tree. That talent boosts your health by a decent margin and will allow you more room for error. More room for error means more options to adapt.

After that, I recommend going for Deft Evasion in the Foundation-Stamina tree. This talent considerably improves your ability to avoid enemy attacks, allowing you to cancel your early Light attack combo into a seamless dodge. This is important because, later on, you won't be able to just sit there and Light attack enemies to death.

Under the same tree, you should invest at least one point into Simian Agility, Endurance, and Everlasting Vigor. These talents enhance your mobility, but the primary reason to invest in them is that they are prerequisites for unlocking Composure. This talent allows you to continue your Light attack combo string even if you dodge during it. You can be far more aggressive when attacking because you no longer need to be concerned about breaking your attack chain.

The last early-game Talent you should consider taking is Exhilaration, under the Staff Stances tree. This talent improves your Health recovery when consuming a Focus Point, which makes it a great way to heal without using a charge of your Gourd. This doubles as a benefit, as taking at least three points in this tree earns you a second Focus Point.

While many of these Talents are not the most interesting and are largely passive, it's important to get the survivability concerns out of the way so that you can actively take the more 'fun' Talents and stats without concern of dying all the time. Hopefully, this helps your adventure in Black Myth: Wukong.

The post Best early game stats in Black Myth: Wukong appeared first on Destructoid.

About two weeks before its worldwide launch, Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong has completed development. The developer announced the same on Twitter while reaffirming the hack-and-slash title would “release as scheduled.”

“Right now, our entire team is working hard on the final stages of experiencing, testing, and deploying the game,” it said. However, it will release a new trailer on August 8th, 10 AM Beijing time (August 7th, 7 PM PT). It also asked players to refrain from leaking information or posting spoilers for “unreleased content.”

“We sincerely hope that all the mysteries and surprises of Black Myth: Wukong remain intact until the moment you embark on your journey. Your anticipation and trust given in the past four years are always remembered.”

Black Myth: Wukong launches on August 20th for PS5 and PC. Based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West, the title focuses on the Destined One, who battles many challenges. Though it has some Souls-lite mechanics, the protagonist can also transform into different enemies and bosses to unleash their moves. Check out our feature for things you should know before buying.

Unfortunately, the Xbox Series X/S version won’t be released on the same day. It was delayed for more polish, but rumors indicate that Game Science has some exclusivity agreement with PlayStation. Head here for more details.

Dear Destined Ones,
Thank you for your patience! We’re thrilled to announce that the full development of #BlackMythWukong is complete, and the game will be released as scheduled.😉
Right now, our entire team is working hard on the final stages of experiencing, testing, and… pic.twitter.com/KOpj6F6xtJ

— Black Myth: Wukong (@BlackMythGame) August 6, 2024

According to a recent report from Gameplaycassi, the two upcoming action RPGs Black Myth: Wukong and Phantom Blade Zero which were featured in the recent PlayStation ChinaJoy 2024 event caused some worries about being PlayStation exclusives. The developers responded to this by saying they do not currently have console exclusivity deals. According to the report, Journalists present at the ChinaJoy exhibition were able to communicate with representatives of developers Game Science and S-GAME about exclusivity, and they noted PlayStation provides comprehensive support in promoting the games in China and abroad. Additionally, PlayStation are reportedly helping with marketing for Phantom Blade Zero by supplying demo stations at events.

However, their partnership does not force any publishing requirements, and the developers independently decided on publishing on PC and PlayStation 5 as the platforms are the most promising for release. A Phantom Blade Zero developer who wished to be anonymous was asked why his studio doesn’t want to release an action game on Xbox, to which he responded by stating that the platform is not popular in Asia, it is difficult to develop for and that “nobody needs this platform”. It’s worth noting these claims have no official backing and should be taken with a grain of salt. Phantom Blade Zero will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC. A release date has yet to be announced. Black Myth: Wukong will launch for August 20, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Black Myth: Wukong details via the developer:

Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. The story is based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. 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. In Black Myth: Wukong, players 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.”

Key Features

Explore a Land of Vast Wonders – A world unseen, where new sights rise with every stride. Enter a fascinating realm filled with the wonders and discoveries of ancient Chinese mythology! As the Destined One, you shall venture through breathtaking landscapes in the classic tale of Journey to the West, creating a new epic of uncharted adventures.
Confront Mighty Foes, Old and New – Heroic Monkey, might and fame, adversaries rise, to test his name. One of the major highlights of Journey to the West is its diverse cast of adversaries, each with unique strengths. As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles that know no surrender.

Temper Your Mastery of Varied Spells – Spells unbound, knowledge’s flight, infinite abilities take their height. Spells, transformations, and magic vessels in all manifestations, complementary yet adversarial, have long been iconic combat elements in Chinese mythology. As the Destined One, aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning formula that best suits your combat style.

Discover Heartfelt Tales Behind Every Facade – Within beings of every kind lies the story of a life. Beneath the ferocity and craftiness of your foes lies an engaging tapestry of their origins, personalities, and motivations waiting to be revealed. As the Destined One, you will uncover the stories behind a variety of characters, delving beyond your battles with them, to taste the love and hate, greed and fury they once had and still carry with them.

Stay tuned at Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more gaming news.

The post Phantom Blade Zero Developer on Xbox: “No One Needs This Platform” appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Popularita hry Black Myth: Wukong od Game Science od posledního traileru na Summer Game Fest prudce vzrostla a na Steamu se dostala na první místo v seznamu přání.

I když se zdá, že je na dobré cestě ke spuštění pro PS5 a PC, vývojář oznámil zpoždění verze Xbox Series X/S. Časté dotazy k předobjednávkám odhalily, že „momentálně se hra optimalizuje, aby splňovalo naše standardy kvality“.

To vedlo některé k přesvědčení, že důvodem je Xbox Series S s poměrně slabším hardwarem. I když to Game Science nespecifikovala, nebylo by to poprvé, kdy konzole způsobila zpoždění – viz Baldur’s Gate 3. Jez Corden z Windows Central však oznámil, že na Xbox Games Showcase slyšel „šeptání a spekulace“, že Game Science a PlayStation uzavřely „nějakou formu“ smlouvy o exkluzivitě pro tento titul.

Kdy byla dohoda uzavřena a zda je to důvodem zpoždění, není známo a žádná ze stran dohodu oficiálně nepotvrdila. Corden se zeptal vývojáře a Microsoftu, zda Xbox Series S zdržuje vydání, na což první nereagoval. Ten však tyto fámy zdánlivě naznačil a uvedl, že „nemůže komentovat dohody uzavřené našimi partnery s jinými držiteli platforem“.

„Jsme nadšeni z uvedení Black Myth: Wukong na Xbox Series X|S a spolupracujeme s Game Science na uvedení hry na naše platformy. Nemůžeme komentovat dohody, které uzavřeli naši partneři s ostatními držiteli platforem, ale i nadále se soustředíme na to, aby se Xbox stal nejlepší platformou pro hráče a v centru toho jsou skvělé hry.“

Black Myth: Wukong vychází 20. srpna. Ačkoli to nebude mít mikrotransakce, Game Science naznačila možnost „nepay-to-win nákupy ve hře“ a DLC po spuštění. Mezitím zůstaňte naladěni na aktualizace.

Článek Black Myth: Wukong má údajně smlouvu o exkluzivitě pro PlayStation se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Considering E3 is dead, an awful lot of it happened over the weekend and quite honestly, it feels like this weekend contained some of the best video game 'showcases' in quite a long time.

Summer Game(s) Fest kicked everything off with a bang, but that was followed up by a surprisingly brilliant Xbox Showcase, a heartwarming Wholesome Direct and a bloodsoaked Blumhouse Games Showcase. But who's got time to comb through all of those on a Monday morning when they should be working? Not I, that's for sure. Which is why I very much enjoyed checking out Jim Trinca's, definitive list video of all the best reveals and featured games from this year's 'I Can't Believe It's Not E3' (other opinions are available).

You can watch Jim's video on the player at the top of the page but if you can't see that or would rather watch it on YouTube, you can find it just below these words!

Read more

Summer Game Fest 2024's opening livestream has come to a close after bringing us trailers for upcoming games, updates for released titles and a couple of surprises too! No fear if you missed the showcase though as below you'll find everything announced during Summer Game Fest 2024.

Before we get started though - no, there was no new GTA 6 trailer. Sorry, nothing I can do about that. With that out of the way, let's take a look at what did make an appearance.

Summer Game Fest began with Lego Horizon Adventures showing off how you can play as Aloy from the Horizon series and transform the robotic wastelands into a Lego paradise. It will arrive on PC, PlayStation 5 and even Nintendo Switch during "holiday" 2024.

Read more

Black Myth Wukong won't be available on Xbox at launch.

The Soulslike game from Chinese developer Game Science is now available to pre-order ahead of its release on 20th August this year, as announced at tonight's Summer Game Fest with a fresh trailer (see below).

However, an FAQ for pre-orders states this release date is only for PS5 and PC as the Xbox version needs more time for optimisation.

Read more

Hra Black Myth: Wukong od společnosti Game Science bude uvedena na trh letos v srpnu a v současné době jsou k dispozici předobjednávky. Zatímco hráči na PS5 a PC se do hry mohou vrhnout hned při uvedení na trh, hráči na Xboxu řady X/S si musí počkat déle.

V novém FAQ k předobjednávkám vývojáři uvedli, že v současné době „optimalizují“ verzi pro Xbox.

„V současné době optimalizujeme verzi pro Xbox Series X/S, aby splňovala naše standardy kvality, takže nebude vydána současně s ostatními platformami. Omlouváme se za zpoždění a snažíme se minimalizovat čekání uživatelů Xboxu. Datum vydání oznámíme, jakmile bude splňovat naše standardy kvality.“

Společnost Game Science rovněž uvedla, že při uvedení na trh nebudou k dispozici mikrotransakce a bude se řídit „klasickým modelem jednorázového nákupu s jednorázovou platbou“. V budoucnu by však mohla vydat DLC a „nákupy ve hře, za které se neplatí„. První z nich zřejmě poukazuje na další příběhový obsah, zatímco druhým by mohla být kosmetika, například nové oblečení.

Black Myth: Wukong vychází 20. dubna. Hra by měla trvat nejméně 15 hodin a obsahovat více než 100 typů nepřátel. Průzkum je podobný titulům typu Souls, oblasti mají několik cest k prozkoumání, zatímco v boji hráči využívají tři různé postoje. Důležitá je také magie, která zahrnuje schopnost Sun Wukonga odemknout různé zvířecí formy, do nichž se může měnit.

Článek Black Myth: Wukong’s Xbox Series X/S verze se odkládá, DLC teasováno se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Na internet dnes unikly systémové požadavky hry The Black Myth Wukong pro PC, které potvrzují, že rozlišení 4K bude vyžadovat 32 GB RAM.

Jak na X/Twitteru sdíleli Lunatic Ignus a @ZFeetyou30399, hra bude vyžadovat CPU Core i5-8400 nebo Ryzen 5 1600, GPU GeForce GTX 1060 nebo RX 580 pro nízké rozlišení 1080p a Core i7-9700 nebo Ryzen 5 5500, RTX 4070 nebo RX 7800 XT pro rozlišení 4K, bez ray tracingu. Se zapnutým ray tracingem doporučuje Game Science procesor Core i5-9400 nebo Ryzen 5 1600, grafický procesor RTX 3060 pro nízké rozlišení 1080p, procesor Intel Core i7-9700 nebo AMD Ryzen 5 5500, grafický procesor RTX 4060 pro vysoké rozlišení 1080p a procesor Intel Core i7-9700 nebo AMD Ryzen 5 5500 a RTX 4080 Super pro rozlišení 4K. Zajímavé je, že vývojář neuvádí žádnou možnost GPU AMD pro ray tracing. Jak bylo uvedeno výše, pro rozlišení 4K se zapnutým i vypnutým ray tracingem bude rovněž zapotřebí 32 GB RAM.

Black Myth Wukong má našlápnuto stát se jednou z nejzajímavějších akčních RPG her, které letos vyjdou. Hra má kořeny v čínské mytologii a nabídne jedinečné pojetí populárního příběhu Cesta na Západ, v němž se hráči v roli Osudového vydají odhalit zastřenou pravdu pod závojem slavné legendy z minulosti a v soulsovském stylu se utkají s nejrůznějšími nepřáteli.

Hra Black Myth Wukong vychází 20. srpna na PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X a Xbox Series S.

Článek Unikly systémové požadavky PC verze Black Myth Wukong; RTX 4080 Super, 32 GB RAM vyžadováno pro rozlišení 4K s RTX se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Black Myth: Wukong vypadá s každým dalším představením stále slibněji a s blížícím se uvedením na trh koncem tohoto roku vzrušení kolem něj stále roste. Vývojářské studio Game Science nyní na nedávné akci WeGame vydalo další nový trailer na akční RPG podobající se hře Souls, který nabízí další slibný pohled na hru.

Zdá se, že se zaměřuje především na představení některých z mnoha bossů, proti kterým se v Black Myth: Wukong postavíme. V celém traileru lze spatřit řadu různých oblud, které předvádějí boj, design a útoky nepřátel a mnoho dalšího. Mezitím prostředí hry inspirované Cestou na západ také nadále vypadá slibně. Níže se podívejte na trailer s laskavým svolením IGN.

Black Myth: Wukong vychází 20. srpna pro PS5, Xbox Series X/S a PC. Na PC bude hra uvedena s podporou Path Tracing a DLSS 3.5. Více informací o tom si můžete přečíst prostřednictvím tohoto odkazu.

Článek Black Myth: Wukong dostává nový trailer před srpnovým vydáním se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Source

Game Science has released an official WeGame Event gameplay trailer for its upcoming third-person action game, Black Myth: WuKong. This short but sweet trailer packs one and a half minutes of brand new gameplay footage from it. Black Myth: WuKong is a third-person game that is based on Journey to the West, and will focus … Continue reading Unreal Engine 5-powered Black Myth: WuKong gets an official WeGame Event trailer →

The post Unreal Engine 5-powered Black Myth: WuKong gets an official WeGame Event trailer appeared first on DSOGaming.