One of this year’s most anticipated titles, Black Myth: Wukong, draws inspiration from Chinese mythology.
Want to learn more about this incredibly fascinating topic before playing the game? Read on!
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Introduction
One of this year’s most anticipated titles, Black Myth: Wukong, draws inspiration from Chinese mythology. Want to learn more about this incredibly fascinating topic before playing the game? Read on!
Based on Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, published in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty, the Wukong video game follows the actions of The Destined One, inspired by the Sun Wukong character from a Chinese novel.
Surprisingly, it isn’t the first adaptation of that hero, as you may recognize similar appearances in the Dragon Ball franchise, League of Legends, and DOTA 2. However, the game’s release marks a milestone in gaming history – players can learn more about China’s past, traditions, and facts surrounding the character. Ready to discover more about Wukong’s lore?
Exploring the Mythology Behind Black Myth: Wukong
Journey to the West: What is this saga about?
Although the novel is remarkably long, we will try to make this description as short as possible:
- The legend begins on the Eastern Continent in a country known as the Superior Body.
- On the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, a magical boulder gathers the essence of the heavens, the earth, and the stars.
- A monkey, Sun Wukong, is born from this boulder and becomes the mischievous Monkey King.
- After causing mayhem, Sun Wukong is captured and imprisoned under a mountain.
- He is eventually released by a Buddhist monk with the help of the Bodhisattva Guanyin.
- Sun Wukong supports the monk and his companions on their adventure.
Is Monkey King Sun Wukong from the novel?
It turns out that Wukong from the game may not be the character we know from The Journey to the West. According to Game Science, a video game developer: “The story of Wukong tells more than Wukong himself. The monkey is the leading role for sure, but he still is a small part of the whole vivid world. There are plenty of intriguing characters and thought-provoking dialogues in Journey to the West, not to mention the darkness veiled. We applaud when Wukong defeats these so-called ‘villains,’ but who are they indeed?”
These words let us suspect that developers allowed themselves to use the Journey to the West setting to create something of their own. Maybe a whole new saga of Monkey King, but set in a different timeline or circumstances? There are numerous fan theories about who the Destined One in the game could be, most of them based on what we see in trailers.
One of the most popular theories points out that the intro premise of the game features a mysterious character telling the tale of Wukong – but questions whether the legendary monkey reached Buddhahood. The playable character’s appearance confirms these words, as he doesn’t have his golden armor, which he had at the end of the story in the book. Moreover, one of the available gameplay videos shows us one of the Destined One’s enemies addressing the playable hero as “another monkey.” All that is confirmed when the real Sun Wukong, equipped with his iconic staff and golden armor, shows up and stops the playable hero from killing the Yaoguai boss.
So who’s our playable monkey, and why does he resemble Sun Wukong so much? Another fan theory lets us suspect that Wukong from the game is Six-Eared Macaque, a villain from Journey to the West who likes to disguise himself as Sun Wukong. Since the title features “Black Myth”, many fan hypotheses revolve around the actual Monkey King killed by this enemy, who took over his place in the game. That speculation, however, has many weaknesses, and it’s more likely the playable character is some type of a clone of Sun Wukong from the book.
According to gameplay premises, the plot may involve two different timelines – one of the original Sun Wukong and the other of his alternative version. There are scenes where the real Sun Wukong battles a heavenly army and travels on Cloud Somersault – just like in the Journey to the West. But as we can hear in the official trailer on Steam, one of Monkey King’s enemies says: “The Destined One who doesn’t even know what he’s destined for” – which may mean our playable character has different goals on his adventure than the original monkey. Maybe he doesn’t even know who he is. Whatever these alternative suspicions mean, we can expect the game to go beyond a classic Sun Wukong legend, making one cohesive plot out of its lore.
Monkey King’s Importance in Gaming Culture
Since Sun Wukong is one of the most influential characters in China’s culture, you may want to learn why he’s so celebrated in gaming. That may come as a surprise, but many gamers are familiar with his legend thanks to books, movies, or anime. His appearance in gaming is just another step on the inevitable path to greater popularity.
Moreover, Monkey King represents an ideal character design with his unique abilities, iconic equipment, mischievous nature, and shape-shifting skills. His naughty and admirable traits resemble Yin and Yang opposites, ultimately making one whole. Also, his bravery, rebelliousness, and longing for freedom appeal to many gamers because – let’s admit it – no one enjoys playing good-only heroes in the long run.
Key Takeaways:
- Black Myth: Wukong is a highly anticipated video game inspired by Chinese mythology and the classic novel Journey to the West.
- The game features a character known as The Destined One, who may not be the original Sun Wukong from the novel but rather a new interpretation or alternate version.
- The game has sparked numerous fan theories, suggesting connections to characters like the Six-Eared Macaque and exploring different timelines and storylines.
- Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, holds a significant place in Chinese culture and has influenced various forms of media, including video games, due to his unique traits and iconic status.
- The game’s release is seen as a milestone in gaming, offering players a chance to explore Chinese traditions and mythology in a new, interactive way.
Conclusion
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that quote perfectly applies to Game Science’s video game. We’ve finally reached the time when ancient tales and legends translate into a picture – not the one to look at, but another to participate in. That’s a whole new level of discovering stories that used to influence different cultures across many years of their existence.
The Wukong game may alter the original book’s meaning, but that’s what has happened to all legends since day one of humanity’s existence. We love to talk, and we like to transform and adapt different stories to our times. In the case of the Wukong game, that’s both – letting people worldwide discover the unique lore of Monkey King and try to write their own legend within its inspiring, digital world.
References:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un8mzENFA1o
- https://fextralife.com/the-mythical-origins-of-black-myth-wukong/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King
- https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/black-myth-wukong-release-date-details-everything-we-know
- https://www.heishenhua.com/
- https://gamerant.com/black-myth-wukong-all-gameplay-features-explained/