Wukong Feels Like The Next Killer Soulslike

My Summer season Sport Fest preview for Black Fantasy: Wukong was an attention-grabbing one. Having missed out on the restricted slots throughout the primary occasion, I used to be invited to take a look at the sport the next Wednesday. Nonetheless, there was an issue. I flew again to the UK at 4:30 pm that afternoon. With Wukong, one in all my most-anticipated video games from the previous couple of years, there was no probability I used to be lacking the appointment, so Sport Science accommodated me with a slot between 11 am and 1 pm that day. I spent two hours with the sport earlier than swiftly leaping in an Uber to LAX.

It was a hectic expertise however one properly value having, particularly as I missed out on the chance at Gamescom final yr, with its four-hour-long queues. My time with it could have been transient, nevertheless it finally cemented my anticipation for the sport. It is good—it is actually good.

A Vibrant Japanese Fantasy Impressed World

My demo of Black Fantasy: Wukong concerned the opening part of the sport. Upon sitting down, I used to be thrust into Wukong’s vibrant, semi-linear world and confronted with my first set of enemies. Already, there’s heaps to unpack.

As I used to be let loose on Black Wind Mountain, I used to be struck by simply how fairly the sport was. Souls video games at all times look good and have an air of foreboding about them, and Wukong felt the identical, besides the gloomy tones I used to be used to in my Bloodbornes and Elden Rings have been changed with a a lot brighter shade palate, extra akin to that of Sekiro.

Alongside its visuals, I immediately fell in love with Wukong’s enemy design. I wasn’t confronted with eldrich horrors, as a substitute, I went toe to toe with a bunch of Yaoguai, a Chinese language time period for unusual and legendary beings. The “grunts” of Black Wind Mountain usually consisted of anthropomorphic characters, like myself, every wielding a weapon of their very own. I confronted swarms of fox-, wolf- and snake-headed creatures of differing issue ranges, all of which had totally different movesets for me to cope with. The Yaoguai alone immediately helped Wukong’s story and world take form.

Following a brief trek, it was time for me to face my first boss.

The Oxguard, Guangzhi And The Splashtoad

Arguably, the crux of each good Soulslike boils right down to how good its boss battles are—Black Fantasy: Wukong’s are nice. Throughout my brief time with the sport, I encountered 5 – 6 totally different bosses, every utterly totally different from the final, however every more and more tough the additional I acquired.

The primary take a look at of my fight abilities got here towards the Oxguard, an ox-like creature who serves because the gatekeeper of Black Wind Mountain. Your main weapon in Black Fantasy: Wukong is a employees, which I discovered refreshing. The velocity through which the employees swung made fight really feel tremendous fluid, and enforced and inspired an aggressive fashion of play. This was additional emphasised by the truth that, not like many different video games within the style, and far to my delight, Wukong would not depend on parrying. As a substitute, completely timed dodges are key to victory.

However, Black Fantasy: Wukong’s fight goes far deeper than attacking and dodging. Early on, I discovered the primary of the sport’s spells, Immobilize. Because the identify suggests, Immobilize allowed me to briefly freeze enemies on the spot, which added a deeper, extra considerate method to fight. Spells are on a cooldown timer, so I needed to determine on when precisely was one of the best time to freeze my adversary. I might head into battle and use the spell right away, permitting me to deal severe injury earlier than the struggle had actually begun, or reserve it for a later time to cease brutal enemy combos. Every boss required a distinct method, and there was no one-size-fits-all timing for the spell.

As I progressed additional, beating the large wolf boss, Guangzhi, I unlocked a second, extra spectacular spell – the Crimson Tides transformation. After defeating sure bosses, the “Destined One” will purchase the flexibility to briefly remodel into that boss, using their abilities, talents and weapons. The Crimson Tides transformation allowed me to make use of a weapon of the identical identify, a protracted, flame-tipped spear, which dealt fireplace injury to my foes and helped me exploit sure weaknesses.

The Sekiro-like System

Black Fantasy: Wukong is extra Sekiro than it’s Darkish Souls or Elden Ring.

Quite than being able to stage up sure features of my character, the sport has a Expertise Tree, which allowed me to extend my well being and stamina and unlock totally different abilities and talents. Delightfully, these could possibly be respec’d at any level when resting at one of many recreation’s shrines, that are akin to bonfires, that means if I used to be caught on a boss, I might reallocate my ability factors to raised go well with the problem.

I discussed earlier that the sport’s ambiance intently resembled that of Sekiro, and the exploration felt the identical. The sport, not less than from what I acquired to play, is fairly linear. There is a clear order of operations, and your subsequent vacation spot is well-telegraphed. Nonetheless, exploration was positively inspired. Via heading off the overwhelmed path, I found a bunch of various objects, and an non-obligatory boss, the Wandering Wight, which kicked my ass time and time once more. Fortunately, I used to be assured that I might quick journey from shrine to shrine, so coming again to this boss at a later date would not be a problem.

Whereas most likely a lesser level for a lot of, I additionally liked the truth that I might pause Black Fantasy: Wukong with out worry of enemies discovering me hiding behind a tree and swiftly destroying me, which is likely one of the main points I’ve with the Souls collection.

Black Fantasy: Wukong has a posh historical past, nevertheless, it actually feels prefer it could possibly be ushering within the subsequent period of non-Fromsoft Soulslikes. A vibrant, Japanese mythology-inspired world, fascinating enemy design and totally partaking fight have me excited that it might surpass one in all my favourite video games from final yr, Lies of P.

You’ll be able to try all of our protection from this yr’s Summer season Sport Fest proper right here.

Black Fantasy: Wukong

Launched

August 20, 2024

Developer(s)

Sport Science