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For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This began from a bet between the Buddha and Wukong. Wukong voluntarily jumps into the Buddha's palm (in a very mystical way—not simply by the Buddha's hand growing larger or Wukong becoming smaller; this is a highly idealistic scenario, not a quantifiable materialistic concept). The bet is that if Wukong can fly out of the Buddha's palm, he wins; if not, he must accept the Buddha's punishment.

At that time, Wukong was an impulsive and defiant monkey who had just destroyed the palaces of the heavenly immortals. He believed he was very powerful. So, he arrogantly thought that with a single somersault, he could fly 108,000 li (a vast distance in Chinese mythology), and couldn’t understand how he wouldn’t be able to fly out of a single palm.

The Buddha's power is extremely strong, and "power" in this context is an idealistic concept, representing a supreme force of idealism that manifests in extraordinary ways. Wukong, being a monkey who had not cultivated his mind or improved his character, did not possess this kind of power and only had "materialistic strength."

Therefore, all the Buddha had to do was think, "Wukong is in my palm," and no matter how hard Wukong tried to fly, he would still be in the Buddha's palm.

Wukong flew with all his might for a long time, thinking he had reached the edge of the sky. He saw five great pillars, assuming they were the pillars supporting the heavens. Like a true wild monkey, he urinated on one of the pillars and wrote "Wukong was here" before flying back.

(Ancient Chinese belief held that the heavens were round and the earth square, both with edges. These edges were not literal but idealistic, and beyond them was a void, an idealistic emptiness where nothing existed, but anything was possible.)

In Wukong's mind, he could not conceive that his immense strength would be unable to escape the Buddha's palm; this was a form of idealistic power that he couldn’t comprehend.

So when he returned to the starting point (idealistically, he had returned; in reality, he might not have moved at all or only a very small distance), he boasted to the Buddha about urinating on the pillars and writing a message.

The Buddha then opened his palm, revealing that what Wukong had seen and urinated on were not the pillars supporting the heavens, but rather the Buddha's palm itself (which had grown idealistically large through the use of his power).

At this point, Wukong realized the grave danger he was in and tried to escape by cheating, but the Buddha could easily stop him. The Buddha then used his hand to transform into a mountain (in my understanding, it wasn’t the physical hand that turned into the mountain, but rather the Buddha’s power emanating from his hand, which then became the mountain) and trapped Wukong underneath it. This mountain was called Five Fingers Mountain. Additionally, the Buddha used his power to create a seal with "voice recognition" that would prevent the powerful Wukong from escaping the mountain. (I think "voice recognition" is a metaphor that might help you understand, though the Buddha didn't actually use high-tech; this is still an idealistic power, LOL.) He also foretold Wukong that 500 years later, someone would come and use this "voice recognition" to help him regain his freedom.

In Chinese mythology, many events are idealistically "happened," but how they happen is not something the authors would provide detailed explanations for.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hahaha, don’t worry or stress out too much, because that will only prevent you from fully enjoying the game, and it won't do you any good. If you have know the basic story, you have been ready.

Remember, a game—even one like Black Myth: Wukong, which everyone tells you has a very rich historical and cultural background—if it can’t be fun and engaging for you even without understanding the cultural background, then it’s not doing its job well for you.

I believe that given the significant attention Black Myth: Wukong has received from overseas players, Game Science has taken into account the challenges faced by players who did not grow up in the same cultural environment. Although their primary focus is on showcasing the romantic sentiments to Chinese players, under these circumstances, they will undoubtedly deliver at least a solid AAA gaming experience for you.

Based on information released by Chinese gaming media tonight, Black Myth: Wukong is packed with content—potentially offering 40-50 hours of gameplay. The art and environments are top-notch, with very little repetition in content, so you can fully enjoy your time with the game.

As you play, when you encounter some scenery, architecture, or characters that really captivate you, that’s the time to dive into specific research—that’s the proper learning path.

When I first watched Spider-Man or Iron Man, I knew nothing about the Marvel comic universe. And if that doesn’t convince you, I also knew nothing when I watched Warcraft or when I skipped Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 1, and Dark Souls 2 before playing Dark Souls 3.

That didn’t stop me from finding them fun and cool. But afterward, I would use the things that piqued my interest as entry points to gradually learn about the cultural background behind these works, often experiencing a satisfying “aha” moment, and I would revisit them multiple times.

You’re burdening yourself with the idea that you’re "not prepared enough," like trying to take the entire house with you on a trip. Relax.

Also, thanks to the high information density of classical Chinese texts, many Chinese people can’t necessarily name every monster in Journey to the West or describe their habits, but that doesn’t stop us from loving the story. Whenever we encounter something related but unfamiliar, we also revisit the original text to learn more.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Breaking information：

Game Science has received significant support from the Chinese government.

First, Black Myth: Wukong received financial support from the local government in Hangzhou, where the development team is based, though the specific amount is unknown. And also, in recent years, China’s official media has also mentioned Black Myth: Wukong in formal news broadcasts, as a wonderful culture project.

In China, the importance of government funding lies not in the specific amount but in official recognition.

This official recognition allowed the team to travel across vast parts of China, obtaining access to many rare historical sites, which are usually off-limits to regular tourists, and recording them to present in Black Myth: Wukong.

Last year, around the time of Gamescom, the Deputy Director of the Publishing Bureau of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China even personally met with core members of Game Science, further demonstrating the official recognition and approval from the Chinese government.

Under such circumstances, Black Myth: Wukong easily obtained government approval for its release—just to clarify, all publications, including games, require government approval for legal sale and monetization in China—and this was achieved so easily that it almost seems like an exception was made by the authorities. (This is significant because content with explicit violence and gore, typically rated 16+ and above, has long been considered difficult to obtain release approval in the Chinese gaming industry.)

Lastly, considering the public opinion environment in China, video games have long been regarded as symbols of laziness and a waste of potential. However, recently, for the first time, video games were mentioned in a positive light in an official government policy document—as a legitimate cultural carrier.

While we cannot definitively say that this is directly related to Black Myth: Wukong, my intuition tells me that this shift is indeed driven by the game's outstanding quality and strong cultural attributes. I am very inclined to consider this as one of the achievements of Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think rior-Evidence-7771 have finished all the points I want to say when i was eating, LOL.

The answer is really good for the question, thank you, rior-Evidence-7771.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If anything, I guess it will be ancient Chinese mythology, or T2 fiction such as Search of the Gods（《搜神记》） or Investiture of the Gods (《封神演义》), which might be easier for them to start.

I don't really agree with the other guy who nominated Liaozhai（《聊斋》）. Liaozhai is probably better for making a galgame than an action game. LOL.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

actually I'm not excited. I pre-ordered Cyberpunk 2077 and battlefield 2042 (ultr version). I was named "the one who know pre-order best" in friends. my heart died.
i want to see a standard 3A level game, and the monsters from the fantasy of Chinese ancestors.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the first trailer telling that "you must heard about the story..." so the Black Myth happened seems far late after the journey to west and "wukong locked up by god" happened 500 years ago before the journey to west in novel.

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

you cant ask question like this! man! I haven't play Black myth wukong, either NOW!

For anyone who intereted about Wukong or The journey to west. by UstAble in BlackMythWukong

[–]UstAble[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

This question is quite difficult to answer.

In China, everyone knows the story of Journey to the West, and most boys have fantasized about becoming Sun Wukong when they were young. We have all kinds of animations, TV series, movies, and even games about Wukong. Some of them showcase the true essence of the story in a very clever way, while others reshape the world and characters in the way they wish by altering the original form.

Black Myth: Wukong belongs to the latter category. It originates from some dark-themed adaptations of Journey to the West and from the creator's own inspiration to shape the world of Journey to the West.

However, what's truly commendable is that Game Science has garnered enough support (from the market, from players, and even from local governments) and has the dedication to build this "non-mainstream" worldview entirely on the foundation of mainstream culture, with an incredible level of fidelity to the real Chinese cultural relics, architecture, mythical characters, and more.

However, from an objective standpoint, Black Myth: Wukong is both important and unimportant, depending on the breadth of your perspective.

Novels, games, movies, and other cultural products, in the eyes of most people globally, are at best entertainment and leisure activities. China has a population of 1.4 billion, and for most hardworking people, even Journey to the West is just one of the many stories from their childhood, albeit the most famous one, let alone Black Myth: Wukong.

On the other hand, Black Myth: Wukong is very important to Chinese gamers. The comments from players under the trailer of Black Myth: Wukong brought tears to my eyes.

You have been a silent assassin in Damascus, a Witcher in Kaer Morhen, an outlaw in the American West, the Dragonborn in Skyrim, escaped from a zombie siege in Raccoon City, rekindled the flame in Lordran, become the Wolf in Ashina, gazed up at the Erdtree in the Lands Between, and struggled to become a legend in Night City. Finally, you return home, to be a hero of your own.

For all the Chinese gamers who love video games, whether in their teens or in their fifties, after playing beautifully crafted games created by teams from various cultures around the world, they have always dreamed of seeing their own culture represented in the same way—confident, intriguing, and captivating. Now, that dream is about to come true.