Black Myth: Wukong’s Epic Chinese Mythology, Explained
If you want to understand this blockbuster new game, your best option is to read the 2,300-paged tome Journey to the West.
Despite its massive sales, Black Myth: Wukong has confused a lot of gamers with its opaque storyline. You can see them in Steam forums, asking if anyone understands what’s happening in the story, only to come to a consensus that few do. And while the game and its gauntlet of cinematic boss fights don’t need much explanation to be enjoyed, Black Myth: Wukong is still more fun with a little cultural context.
The easiest way to understand Black Myth: Wukong is to read the 2,300-paged tome Journey to the West, but that’s a long read — and your library copy might be out on loan. (The banned performing arts show Shen Yun adapted Journey to the West as one of its recurring dances, featuring a more playful monkey as the protagonist. You might be more familiar with Dragon Ball, which is also inspired by the novel.)
Anyway, here’s the basics of Wukong’s saga. And don’t worry, there’s no major spoilers here for Black Myth.
Wukong faces another monster.
The game follows a monkey king — the eponymous Wukong — on his voyages following the events of Journey to the West. The original tale is filled with demons and temptations as the famous, unlikely trio of a pig, an ogre, and the monkey must help a Buddhist monk along his trip to India.
Black Myth picks up after the conclusion of that journey. At the start of the game, Wukong (or some version of him) fights Erlang Shen, a Chinese folk god with a third eye. When he’s just about to win, the monkey king is forced into a stone where he’s about to be sealed. To escape his fate, Wukong manages to break his power into six relics. These artifacts get scattered across China, and players must control Wukong to uncover them in locations based on real-life temples.
At the start ofthe game, Wukong (or some version of him) fights Erlang Shen, a Chinese folk god with a third eye.
As you defeat monsters and big bosses, an in-game journal will be updated over time with new entries that resemble paper scrolls. After reading dozens of these entries, I can reveal that the story features a necromancer, which could explain why some of the demons that Wukong faces are old enemies he’s slain in the past.
After you gather the six relics, the twist of the game will be revealed, but to save you from spoilers, I won’t get into the ending here. Only just over 50% of players on PC have reached Chapter 2, out of six chapters, so there’s still quite a long way to go.
