Summary
Minor spoilers for Black Myth: Wukong Chapter 3 ahead, if you’ve not got that far yet, bookmark this page and come back later.
If you’ve playedBlack Myth: Wukong, you’ll know the level design is a bit of a mixed bag. Beautiful environments are punctuated byfrustrating invisible walls, and areas that look rife for exploration are simply not.
But there’s one area in Game Science’s Chinese mythology-inspired title that is frustrating players more than most — The Pagoda Realm.
“This Realm Makes Me Cry”
The Pagoda Realm is a key location in Black Myth: Wukong’s third chapter. After being whisked to a mysterious prison, The Destined One needs to fight his way through a labyrinthian area full of dangerous enemies and a recurring event that zaps a significant portion of his health.
While many of Black Myth: Wukong’s level design flaws can be looked past, The Pagoda Realm is simply the worst area in the game, and it’s safe to say that it is an opinion shared almost unanimously by players.
In a thread onReddit, players gathered to complain about the area. The thread, which is accompanied by a video showing just how dumb the area is, drew hundreds of comments and even more upvotes from the community.
There are many reasons players dislike the realm, but one is the flying bat/pig enemy, which swoops down and regularly knocks The Destined One off of the ledge. “Indeed, those bloody bats make this place a bloody hell,“one player said, with asecond concurring, “I hate those pig things more than any other enemy.”
The fact that your character is so easily knocked off of edges was also a major bone of contention for players.One said, “For two whole chapters, there are all these invisible walls and NO FALL DAMAGE, and then, right when you got used to it, you get this chapter that f**ks you up over it.” Anotherplayer responded, saying, “That’s why The Pagoda Realm is the worst. F-tier design, for sure, just made to annoy the living shi outta you.”
The area was also slated for being a little barren. One player shared that they spent ages running around looking for secrets, with asecond player responding, “Only to find pretty much F all, huh?” Another player decided to see the bright side of The Pagoda Realm,saying, “I have to hand it to the devs. That made that place feel like an oppressive, unfair prison.”
The final nail in the coffin was the section’s major boss fight.Although nerfed now,Captain Wise-Voiceis a monster that players could have done without, given the slog they’d just gone through.
Black Myth: Wukong
WHERE TO PLAY
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology and based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles where surrender is not an option.Aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning strategy that best suits your combat style.
