Olivia Dai ’26, Arts & Entertainment Section Editor

Wukong facing the four Heavenly Kings. (Courtesy of GameTyrant)

Released in mid-August by Game Science and reaching a record breaking number of 37 million active players on Steam, Black Myth: Wukong is arguably the most successful game of 2024. Additionally, according to Al Jazeera, the game sold more than 10 million copies within the first three days. Its popularity is no joke, as it has even been nominated for 2024’s Game of the Year award. The game is especially popular with its Chinese audience; one company, Sichuan Muziyang Technology, even gave its employees a day off from work to play it.

In terms of graphics, the game has used visual and technical advancements in rendering to create an ultra-realistic look. The game uses cutting edge technology like Unreal Engine to generate cinematic visuals with natural lighting. The visual effects team has traveled to Chinese provinces like Shaanxi and Sichuan to take large-scale scans of temples and towers. The resulting effect for those playing the game, is an environment steeped with pagodas, incense altars, and intricately carved Buddhist temples. 

For the story itself, the game is based off of Sun Wukong’s journey from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. The 16th-century novel follows the monk Xuanzang and his four disciples — Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing — on a journey to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. In the game, Wukong is reimagined as an anti-hero that struggles with his morals and past mistakes. The protagonist,  “The Destined One,” is a monkey subservient to Wukong, who travels across China to recover six relics that revive the Monkey King. Throughout the journey, he encounters many supernatural beings: gods of the Chinese pantheon, and yaoguai — malevolent ghosts with supernatural abilities. When the player fights against one of these beings, the monkey battles a flaming Black Bear Guai on top of a burning temple. Boss fights like these are a thrilling homage for fans of Journey to the West. For those unfamiliar with the story, it’s a welcome introduction to Chinese culture through its portrayal of various mythological characters and connection to classical Chinese literature.

 The high production value and quality of the game attracts gamers worldwide and introduces Chinese culture to a global audience. Unfortunately, for NA students like me, who only have Macbooks, this game is only available on Windows computers. The game could inspire more developers to explore Eastern myths in future adaptations, bridging cultural gaps through storytelling. Already, the game has appeared on popular review channels like IGN, who praise its graphics and gameplay. Overall Black Myth: Wukong sets a new standard for Eastern culture to be more accessible to people around the world.