Summary
Black Myth: Wukongproved to be more than just an adaptation of an revered Chinese novel. It ends up building on top of it, managing to both keep the nature of the characters intact while taking them on new journeys altogether, particularly when it comes to Wukong.
However, not all questions are answered when that ending hits, since there are a few key characters missing from the main crew. While some things fans are wondering could be answered in a sequel, they still feel like important enough gaps to leave in the dark.
7What Happened To Pingping?
Did The Red Boy Get Her?
During Chapter 5, you’ll be guided around by Pingping, daughter of the Bull King, who tries to have the Destined One help her stop her brother, the Red Boy. Pingping ends up aiding the Destined One to reach the Bull King, but it turns out she wasn’t Pingping at all, but the Red Boy in disguise.
A fight ensues, ending in the demise of the Red Boy, but we are left wondering what happened to Pingping. We know that the Red Boy took her place, but did he kill her to do so, or only removed her from the playfield temporarily as he did his power play?
6Where Is The Tang Monk?
He’s The Novel’s Main Character
In Journey to the West, a Buddhist monk enlists the help of three creatures during his search for the ancient scriptures. This Monk has many names, and it is referenced by many characters (by Yellowbrow during Chapter 3 in particular), but it seems odd that he doesn’t show up in any capacity during the game.
The monk seen during Chapter 3’s ending cutscene is Jinchanzi, a previous incarnation of the Tang Monk, but we don’t see him during his current iteration.
One possibility is that the Wise Man, someone who helps the Destined One during their journey, is the Tang Monk, although it isn’t confirmed. It could be that the character doesn’t appear at all, since he’s supposed to be in the Celestial Court with the Buddha, but it is hard to imagine he’d have nothing to do in a story about Wukong.
5Who Is The Elder Monkey?
Seems To Work For The Heavens
The Elder Monkey is the one that first narratesWukong’s demise, sending the Destined One on their journey to find the Six Senses of the Wise Sage. He seems to be on our side, helping us enter the stone holding the final Sense, but once you beat the final boss, something strange happens.
The Golden Headband, a mark of imprisonment for Wukong, is finally removed, but the Elder Monkey picks it up. In the Bad ending, the Elder puts the Headband on the Destined One, making them enter a state of stasis, meaning that the Elder Monkey was working for the heavens all along; just who was he, and why was he helping us?
4Is Wukong Resurrected?
What About The Destined One?
Duringthe True ending, it is revealed that everything that happened was planned by Wukong, so he could remove the Golden Headband from his head. To do this, he dies, his Six Senses going into a new monkey, the Destined One.
When the game ends with the Destined One gaining the memories of Wukong, we are left wondering what happened to our monkey. Is the Destined One gone, is he just upgraded with the memories of Wukong, or are Wukong and the Destined One now a single entity?
3Why Is The Golden Headband On Wukong’s Head?
It Was Removed At The End Of Journey To The West
The main catalyst for the story of Black Myth: Wukong is the Golden Headband, placed there by Buddha so Wukong couldn’t rebel against the heavens. Wukong wants to get rid of it, hence why he hatches an elaborate plot involving dying and coming back as the memories in the Destined One’s head.
This, however, shouldn’t be necessary, since Wukong has the Headband removed at the end of the novel. We are even shown this moment during the cutscene of the game’s True ending, so we are left wondering how exactly Wukong ended with the Headband again; maybe it was placed after he refused to stay in the Celestial Court?
2Why Did Erlang Shen Help Wukong?
Erlang Shen is the mightiest warrior of both Heaven and Earth, and has bested Wukong on at least two occasions, making him the biggest threat to the Monkey King if he ever wants to be free of celestial control. However, it turns out that Erlang was helping Wukong achieve his goals, since he’s been using the bosses of the game to test a Monkey capable of replacing Wukong.
Exactly why he is doing that isn’t clear, but he seems to see eye to eye with the Monkey on some level. He claims that the “win is his” (talking about Wukong) and that he is “now at peace,” but without proper context, it’s hard to know his motives; was this all a bet he had with Wukong, is he content knowing that he lost? Only time will tell.
1Where Is Sha Wujing?
How Come The Pig Gets To Be Here But Not Him?
When the Tang Monk went around recruiting members for his Journey, he ended up with three bodyguards: Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing. During Black Myth: Wukong we see what happened with two of them, but there is not even the slightest mention of Sha Wujing anywhere.
He is usually depicted as a big warrior with red hair, and we even see him during the cutscene showing events of the Journey to the West, but it feels odd that he isn’t even mentioned in Black Myth. If he is still at the Celestial Court, he might be a boss in future games, or perhaps we might even get a Black Myth: Sha Wujing to explain what he’s been doing.
