Black Myth Wukong may be an original game, but its namesake character is nothing new. In fact, Sun Wukong is one of the most popular and revered characters in Chinese mythology, and we’ll see plenty of these abilities throughout the action adventure.
Before diving into the character’s abilities, it’s important to examine the very long and eventful life of Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King.
In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong appears as a mythical ape born of stone who possesses supernatural powers, fears death, and strives for immortality. After a while, he rebelled against heaven, fought, and was finally imprisoned by the Buddha under the mountain.
Monk Xuanzang rescues him and begins his journey in search of Buddhist sutras from the “West” (hence the name of the legend: “Journey to the West”).
During the journey, Sun Wukong gains additional powers. He became immortal after eating the Peach of Immortality and gained the ability to shapeshift, freeze enemies, and many other abilities that made him irrationally strong.
However, it’s too easy to go into a game like Black Myth: Wukong and expect Sun Wukong to have all of his abilities right away. Of course, you get the final result in the first scene of the game, but after a while, you return to the first one.
How do Sun Wukong’s strengths play out in the game?
How will Son Goku’s power be reflected in Black Myth: Wukong?
In one of the first cutscenes in Destined One, he turns into a peach. This is a reference to the Peach of Immortality, which he steals at the beginning of the novel “Journey to the West” to suppress his fear of death and become immortal.
In the first cutscene, he jumps out of his illusion and defeats two hungry Yaogu who are about to eat him. As such, Destiny uses it as bait rather than mere homage, luring unsuspecting enemies into becoming unwary.
Speaking of transformation: In the book, Son Goku has the ability Shen Wai Shen Hua, which roughly translates to “Out of Body.” This allows the soulmate to transform any of her hair into a different shape, mimic herself, or change shape into another shape of her choosing.
This is primarily expressed through in-game transformation, the Pluck of Many spell that creates clones of one’s own kind, and the use of spirits that can transform into specific enemies that the player fights. Speaking of spells, the first ability players can acquire in Black Myth Wukong is called Immobilize. It’s incredibly useful in combat, but it’s also based on the main story.
One of Goku’s most useful powers in history is his body freezing spell. With just one syllable and one point, he can freeze others in their immobility, which is often used against demons and small monsters. However, players can equally use it against bosses in the game.
In addition to immobility, this character has the ability to jump through clouds, almost similar to Son Goku. Of course, you can’t jump through clouds, but the Cloud Step spell allows players to turn invisible and send clones of themselves onto the battlefield, flying through the air and dealing devastating blows to their enemies.
His main weapon, known as the Ruyi Vajra, is one of the magical pillars of the Blue Light Palace on his journey to the West. This weapon is known to change size, expand, and fly, making it a great tool for Black Myth: Wukong players.
This type of design is also implemented in the game. There are several instances where the player sees a weapon coming out of their ear and swinging around ready to fight. Then there are positions players can use to expand their squad, balance the Monkey King, and land devastating blows.
Finally, Black Legend: Wukong is inspired by travel to the West and popular Chinese mythology. Through two iterations of Son Goku, we’ve seen many of his most memorable powers, his immortality (due to the fact that we reproduce), longevity potions and pills, and his many magical powers