![Being captain means a lot to Larson, having played basketball for his entire life. When asked about who their biggest competitor was going to be this season, Larson was very confident.
“[We have] No competitors,” Larson said.](https://ballardtalisman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/brewster-color-1200x800.jpg)
I played “God of War: Ragnarok” last year. I really enjoyed the game’s tie-ins to Norse Mythology, its gameplay, music, graphics – everything. It was the first game I played on PS5, and I must say, I was not disappointed in the least.
After I finished “God of War,” I went looking for other games based on mythologies, and soon found the brand-new “Black Myth: Wukong.” I got the game after it came out, and similar to “God of War,” I was not disappointed.
“Black Myth: Wukong,”released Aug. 20, 2024 by Game Science, is an action Role Player Game (RPG) rooted in Chinese mythology. Specifically, the game is based on “Journey to the West,” a Chinese fantasy novel published in 1592 that recounts the legend of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. The game follows an anthropomorphic monkey known as “The Destined One,” who is destined to become the reincarnated form of Sun Wukong, on his journey to confront Heaven and his destiny.
The gameplay is diverse, with fighting as a key component that is mostly done by spamming a button.Combos are possible and there is a clear tactical component to how you fight, which I enjoyed. The more you fight, the more skill points you acquire. You can spend these to unlock new skills, such as improved health or new fighting styles. You can also use spells, freezing enemies or transforming into a humanoid wolf with a flaming scythe. The game pits the player against a variety of enemies, known as Yaoguai (spirits) of varying power throughout the game, and each one does something different, so adaptability is key.
The game features breathtaking graphics. The fur on the main character’s body is visible, and accomplished without lag, and the forest scenes are very detailed. It’s shot in third person (a personal must for RPGs), and features diverse environments with exquisite detail. The sonic details are well developed, with the sound of water or wind rustling in the trees corresponding to position in an environment. The graphics and sound work together to transport you to a magnificent rendition of mythical China. The game is open world, with some trails to follow, but you can move around as you please, and the game rewards you for going off-trail.
Traditionally, most great video games have come from Japan or the United States, with some worthy contenders coming from Europe. China has traditionally been content to make the consoles and computers we play the games on. But the creation of “Black Myth” firmly establishes China as a major player in the video game world. “Black Myth” is only Game Science’s third game, and its quality is on par with legendary franchises such as “God of War” or “Final Fantasy.” While it is true that the game could be seen as a boss rush (there are a lot of bosses, and smaller enemies sometimes feel like fillers), it’s still a great game, arguably sharing some attributes with the famous RPG “Elden Ring” (a famous RPG).
Both domestically and internationally, “Black Myth: Wukong enjoyed success. On the day it was released, it was the most streamed game in China. Within hours of its release, it became the single-player game with the most concurrent players of all time on Steam (game platform on PC). The game sold 18 million copies in two weeks, making it one of the fastest selling games of all time, cementing a legacy in gaming history.
Game Science has announced its plans to release both an expansion to “Black Myth: Wukong,” and at least two more “Black Myth” games based on different aspects of Chinese Mythology. If they hold up as well as “Wukong,” I will look forward to playing them. We will see what we are destined for.
