Summary
Black Myth: Wukongis a heavily hyped game depicting an anthropomorphic monkey fighting against many other myths from Chinese folklore. But if you don’t know the origin of the stick-wielding monkey, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about, since Black Myth is a new game, not a sequel.
The thing is, that monkey is Wukong, an incredibly popular character hailing from Journey to the West, a 16th-century novel. He is the inspiration for many stories and characters, his own tale having been told and retold many times throughout the centuries.
Spoilers for both the novel and the game!
Who Is Wukong?
Wukongoriginates from Journey to the West, a Chinese novel from the 16th century. In it, a Buddhist monk (called Tang Monk in the game) needs to search for several Buddhist scriptures.He is aided by three protectors, Wukong among them.
The protectors of the Tang Monk are not aiding him for the good of the cause, butto atone for their sins.Wukong specifically was a troublemaker who, while not often meaning to do harm, gets into all sorts of troubledue to his temperament.
The main problem with Wukong is thathe is too strong for his own good, being able to defeat nearly anyone in both the heavens and the earth. Buddha himself ends up needing to get involved,sealing the monkey under a rockand placinga Golden Circletaround his head so he could not rebel against the Jade Empire again.
At the end of the story, Wukongattains enlightenment and atones for his sins, and the Golden Circlet is removed from his head. The Journey Wukong went through was arduous, and many references to it can be found when playing Black Myth: Wukong.
Black Myth: Wukong
The story of Black Myth Wukonghappens after Journey to the West, with the heavens once again sending their armiesagainst the Monkey King.Once more, it is Erlang Shen, the mightiest warrior of heaven and earth, who manages to defeat the monkey.
This time, however, it seems that Wukong did nothing wrong, and was simply considered a threat due to hisunwillingness to remain in heaven.Instead of capturing the monkey again,the forces of heavenkill him, dividing his six essences among the ones that helped bring him down.
Who Are We Playing As?
While you play as a monkey with very similar abilities to that of Wukong,you start the game as just another monkey.You have a quest to find all six essences of Wukong, and there are many references during your quest that plenty of other monkeys have tried before you, and failed.
The true ending shows the Destined One, the designated name for the main character,absorbing the memories of Wukong.
This would technically mean thatthe Destined One now is Wukong, but it more likely means that the new monkey now carries the mantle of the Monkey King, without being literally him.
