Black Fantasy: Wukong is an upcoming Souls-like motion journey recreation based mostly on the basic Chinese language novel Journey to the West. From what we’ve seen to date, it’s shaping as much as be the type of recreation that slips below everybody’s radar and emerges to phenomenal acclaim. Each trailer has been fascinating, showcasing breathtaking environments, intense fight encounters and memorable enemy designs.
The sport is in growth at Recreation Science, a studio based in 2014 made up of workers who’d beforehand labored at Tencent. Black Fantasy: Wukong is the corporate’s first premium AAA recreation, as they’d beforehand labored solely on free-to-play titles for PC and cell.
Right here’s every part we learn about Black Fantasy: Wukong thus far, together with particulars on its gameplay, launch date, story, ray tracing and extra.
Black Fantasy: Wukong launch date
Black Fantasy: Wukong will launch throughout summer season 2024, which might be anyplace between June and August. It was initially slated to launch this 12 months, however in a weird but cute stop-motion quick movie, the corporate revealed it could be delaying the sport.
A 12 months and a half is sort of a very long time to attend, however Recreation Science must get this proper. Contemplating it’s the corporate’s first AAA title, they clearly need this undertaking to make an enormous splash.
Black Fantasy: Wukong trailer
Our first have a look at Black Fantasy: Wukong was a 13-minute lengthy gameplay trailer that launched the setting revolving round mythology from Journey to the West. The trailer opens with a monologue describing the legend of the journey itself whereas showcasing lots of the recreation’s environments.
Because the monologue involves an finish, we get a close-up shot of a cicada flying by way of the air, with the participant seemingly answerable for it as they fly over a collection of aggressive-looking swordsmen. Because the cicada comes into contact with a far bigger enemy, it out of the blue transforms into our protagonist, Wukong, wielding an extended workers. We see him dodge across the enemy’s sword strikes earlier than wacking him along with his workers. In some unspecified time in the future he even makes use of a magic spell to freeze his enemy in time earlier than charging up a heavy strike to deal huge injury.
Wukong proceeds by way of the forest, tossing his workers in the direction of an enemy on a bridge and deflecting dozens of arrows as they’re shot in the direction of him. Wukong then comes into contact with a mini-boss flaunting a flaming weapon and performing acrobatic flips. He slams in opposition to Wukong, however the participant parries to stagger the boss earlier than wailing on him. There’s clearly Souls inspiration right here, with the deal with dodging unimaginable assaults to emerge victorious. After defeating the boss, Wukong positive aspects entry to his flaming weapon.
Wukong returns to his cicada kind, as soon as once more flying over teams of enemies as they discover the forest. We then see a grumbling large creature with an equally massive head hunched over, stomping by way of the forest.
Afterward within the gameplay demo, Wukong faces off in opposition to dozens of fighters utilizing highly effective strikes encompassing a large space, making it look like the soar between intense one-on-one battles and going through big crowds will likely be frequent. However as Wukong is getting crushed up by a crowd of enemies, he shapeshifts right into a far bigger monkey kind, slashing, smashing and clawing at his opponents with ease.
In direction of the top of the demo, Wukong faces off in opposition to an unlimited wolf beast in an epic bossfight, the place he makes use of his new flame weapon, clones to gang up on the monster, and a brand new kind which supplies him elevated mobility and combo potential. Because the boss is defeated, the demo ends and we get a fast trailer on the finish showcasing lots of the recreation’s environments and distinctive bosses.
Black Fantasy: Wukong gameplay
As proven all through the trailers, Black Fantasy: Wukong affords an expertise akin to the Souls collection. The participant will journey harmful environments and problem troublesome bosses, using particular talents and objects to make their journey extra manageable. The gameplay we’ve seen to date places an unlimited deal with epic fights, alongside well-timed dodges, parries and deflects to emerge victorious from battle.
Wukong may also remodel right into a cicada to scout out the battlefield and fly over sure teams of enemies. He has fairly just a few shapeshifting kinds, with one specifically permitting him to rework into an enormous kind and extra simply tackle massive teams of enemies at a time.
Remodeling to beat sure obstacles will likely be a serious facet of the sport. Within the trailer above, we see Wukong remodel into an enormous creature with a bolder for a torso to be able to survive an onslaught of ranged assaults.
Black Fantasy: Wukong story
Whereas Black Fantasy: Wukong is an adaptation of the legendary Chinese language novel titled Journey to the West, we don’t know a lot concerning the recreation’s story outdoors of this. It’s clear that the characters, bosses, environments and enemies all take direct inspiration from the ebook, however we’re uncertain of how cutscene-focused the sport’s narrative will likely be.
It’s attainable that Black Fantasy: Wukong will deal with its storytelling in a similar way to a Soulsborne, specializing in the participant exploring the world and encountering its monsters with out a lot downtime for blunt narrative moments. We all know that Journey to the West revolves round Tang Sanzang, a monk who takes on an enormous trek to accumulate Buddhist texts.
Black Fantasy: Wukong how lengthy to beat
Based on an interview with IGN, Recreation Science producer Feng Ji claimed that Black Fantasy: Wukong would take a minimum of 15 hours to beat. In the identical interview, he claims that the staff needs to have over 100 distinctive kinds of enemies, however additionally they acknowledge that their staff isn’t massive sufficient to complete the sport in three years at its present dimension.
This might be one of many the reason why Black Fantasy: Wukong was delayed to start with. It’s clear that Recreation Science has lofty ambitions for the sport, and the staff needs to ship a completely realized and polished recreation.
Black Fantasy: Wukong ray tracing
Nvidia launched an eight-minute gameplay demo for Black Fantasy: Wukong, showcasing how the sport appears in 4K with ray tracing and NVIDIA DLSS on. With the sport launching on Unreal Engine 5, it might be an exceptional presentation of what the engine is able to in 2024.
Past the technical presentation, the gameplay demonstration offers us a have a look at one of many boss fights. Wukong faces off in opposition to a dragon who can manipulate electrical energy, annihilating the participant with their tail.
Outlook
Black Fantasy: Wukong gained’t launch for fairly a while, however we’re nonetheless retaining an eye fixed out for any information and updates Recreation Science will share with us. Be sure you hold updated with this text to get every part you want to know concerning the recreation.
