This is the best review I have seen so far, fair and detailed. Sadly, every time I finish a game like this, I feel empty and lose interest in other games for a long time.
I doubt it will, but Black Myth Wukong is without a doubt the Game of the Century for China, and that matters more than a superficial pretentious GOTY award imo
We don't listen to the likes of IGN except to make fun of them already. I treat game awards the same way. If they once again let their politics take center stage, then very soon we will see awards that we gamers watch, and see the "prestigious" game awards fall to the wayside.
Its still insane to me how you only have 3 k subscribers, your videos are so good man! Keep up the good work, I am always happy when you release a new video!
I didn't personally beat the game 4 times, but I heard from people that did that you unlock Wukong's stance. Maybe in the future I will get it myself 😂.
@@sovereignofdusk just a heads up if you do you should get the mod that improves the wukong stance though. Unfortunately it’s disappointing that the wukong stance lasts only a minute and all the original stance buffs are not available in the stance. But mods can make it a permanent thing which is cool.
By far the best review and introduction of this game. Great job! One of the highlighted parts is the background intro of "Journey to the West". Most of other reviewers just missed that section.
your voice tone are so calm but how you keep spilling more and more argument to counter those weak argument reviewer are so savage. cant wait their next game / dlc !
Given all the unjust controversy surrounding game science from mainstream news outlets, the chances are not great but let's just hope Geoff Keighley gives them a chance.
Wow such a great review! Full of passion and respect to the lore, it takes a really cultured and patient person to appreciate and fully enjoy the world that Journey to the West created.
This is a very in-depth review, and I'd give you a 10/10 rating hah! You certainly did a much more professional job than a lot of other so-called professional game reviewers for this game.
Wow, easily the best English review of the game! As a Chinese JTTW fan I'd like to offer my 2 cents. This game also exceeds my expectations in every category. But for me the best part is the story. Although it can be taken at quite superficial level and still be fun, when you go deeper, it inevitably touches politics. As you put, the story is very "though provoking". The deeper you get, the more contradictions you will find in the words vs deeds. Not just the ending animations, even the ending picture is interactive and when you pan and zoom around it there are quite a few micro stories with audio. And the art is insane. All of these, including the 6 animations, seemingly unrelated with each other, are actually carefully picked to fabricate the whole picture. One warning about the story is that in Chinese it's called 二创, meaning secondary creation. The creators actually borrowed quite a bit from related creations in the Chinese community. These are not from the original novel, therefore there's some controversy on whether the story is faithful to the original. For me, it is. The JTTW novel, like this game, can be taken by face value and still fun. But when you start to understand there were serious taboos when the book was written you will probably understand the stories in the book were not the one author wanted to tell. For me the game started on the journey to finish what the author was not able to finish, and did it in such a graceful way. It is a total miracle.
Thanks for the insight, I didn't know there was controversy surrounding the story. From an outside perspective, I think the developers did a good job paying respect to the journey to the west novel while also expanding on the story in their own unique way.
@@sovereignofdusk the most obvious sign is the true ending plays JTTW story backwards. And there are lots of tiny details in the animation, though just flashing pass in less than a second, tells you the setting of the universe of the story. For example when Wukong destroyed the ginseng fruit tree, the fruits fell into soil. In the original they just disappeared. But in the animation they grew into trees in the world on the other side. In chapter 4 if you get to secret location purple cloud mountain you not only discover an awful after story of what happened to dawn star and his mother, but also how the Taoists are being tricked and exploited the most cruel and inhumane way. Also at the boss arena where you fight duskveil you find threads dangling down from heaven. Taoists think they are the rope ladders but they are really root that taps into mortal world and suck the essence of the miserables to sustain "immortality" in heaven. This is also why in opening scene Wukong said "all realms are ruining themselves for this word". Think about it. Wukong did not kill himself to gain personal freedom. What he's after is destroying this "rule based order".
@姜磊-n5h That's very interesting I didn't actually pick up on those details. The lore of the game is more dark and morbid than I thought. Can't wait to see where they go with the story in the future.
@@sovereignofdusk yeah there's a reason it's "black" myth. You were warned. Hope I'm not ruining it for you that name of chapter 6, 未竟, is likely paying respect to Mao by quoting his poem. I don't think the creators mean to brainwash players by slipping in ideology. Neither are them putting those in for ESG or social credit. They don't have to. It's just natural when it comes to relatively non-shallow production of JTTW. There are plenty tiny things probably only picked up by Chinese audience. And it's not because of the translation. The English is faithful and excellent. Just you always lose details in non-native languages. For Chinese JTTW fans this is a god given gift and it's great so many people can enjoy it :)
The only flaw is that the game isn't what gamescience truly envisioned it to be. They had originally planned 13 chapters but due to budget constrains they had to cut it down to 6. This probably explain why the story is a little hard for players who are new to JTTW to follow. They are now successful and are planning to release DLCs in early 2025. I believe they will have much to add, not just the story but also many combat mechanics which we've seen in the earlier trailers but not yet in the actual game. I also hope the DLC is not just an "add on" but is an upgrade to the game, like having a whole new chapter in between the current chapters. I don't mind playing the game again from scratch if it makes the story better overall.
Wow that's really interesting, I wonder what they could have created without the budget constraints. I'm sure they will deliver something special with the dlc, game science seems like very competent developers.
Everyone when the game released the first gameplay trailer thought this game will be a fake AAA and gameplay can't be what shown in the trailer. Even me also. And we were so wrong.
Wudong and his staff is basically like a Jedi and their Lightsaber. The way the dev overcome the issue of Wukong only having his iconic staff available to him is pure genius - Give it different properties as you would do if you are offering different weapons (like Zelda for example). The stance system essentially "changes" the weapon in your hand into broadsword, spear, whip or hammer etc. At the same time, it also allow the game to stay true to the original story and portray a staff that is capable of changing forms without overwhelm player control. By separating the moves into groups, you don't have to deal with complication command sets. You just switch into a tree of moves then express yourself on different enemy types. It's a very smart way to solve several problems. Another amazing thing about the combat system is that the change in the weapon properties are mostly spatial. So while other games would have different weapons that would have invisible properties like cutting, brunt force, damages that might be affect different enemies, the different stances changing the way you interact with the enemy's movement patterns. All this are visual and allows for some stylish combos to be developed and the freedom to essentially switch between "weapons" on the same boss to counter their different moves. It's all so satisfying.
Very interesting points you bring up. I agree the stances were a great decision by the developers, it allows for diverse movesets while still adhering to the lore of Sun Wukong.
Wow! Generally speaking I don’t play video games, yet this one looks extremely appealing given the lore and attention to detail and culture. Great job with this video presentation 💯 Outstanding!
They say the combat is simplistic... This has one the most complex combat in any game comparable to DMC 5.. which is a big deal as DMC 5 has to this the most complex and diverse combat system in any game
The best review I've watched on RU-vid. Just one tiny thing, Wukong master's name is PUTI, “Zhushi” means Grant master. So the correct way to call him is Grant master PUTI. It's like Yoda is the Grant master who is above all other Jedi masters in the starwar universe.
I’ve played this game now in both languages. While I prefer the Chinese dub, I’ll say that I think the English cast did a phenomenal job! It seems they sacrificed trying to match what the characters’ mouths say in favor of delivering the dialogue in the best performance possible. Never understood people criticizing the mouths not matching, it isn’t an anime or cartoon, it’s practically impossible trying to match what realistic mouths are saying. I also think they went for British accents because it sounds far more interesting than an American one. Probably the same reason they went for English actors for the HBO series “Chernobyl” than their native language.
@gianmarchesini6149 I do think the English voices sounded decent, the problem for me was that they did really fit the characters. But then again, it is just personal preference.
By far the best review on YT I have watched of BMW, your game review script, edit and lores contents are wonderful and full of joy to watch. The channel is definitely underestimated, subscribed
Agree on the map. I'm shocked people complain about it given the game is quite linear. The game is super easy to navigate with some occasional "getting lost" moments in chapter 3&4 which mixes in a sense of exploration. And then they tried open-world in chapter 6 and it's utter dogshit. IMO, very few games need to be open world besides Rockstar and CDPR games. Even Elden Ring imo would be a much better game if it's more focused like Dark Soul and Sekiro.
@@abhayprabhu8951 Also chapter 6 environment is just boring by BMW standard. Kinda just generic nature without architecture & sculpture (which is a big deal in BMW environment).
@carterhu6550 I agree very few developers are able to make a compelling open world, I find semi-open world games to be much better in terms of their level design. And yeah the chapter 6 map was not great, but it was definitely fun flying around on the somersault cloud.
@@carterhu6550 true. But I think that’s one place the game does require an additional environmental design. Something like Tsushima where maybe small gusts might guide to completely missable sides areas. (I missed the boulder area secret sideway).
@@carterhu6550 Some say chapter 6 map is designed years ago, one of their early map design expeirments. And they don't have enough time to polish chapter 5 and 6, which is why chapter 5 has many re-skins and chapter 6 is empty.
I really like how they were respectful of the cultural aspect. This is rare these days. In the MCU for example they just destroyed Asgard, like it was no big deal. Ridiculously disrespectful! In my humble opinion, if people are going to ever get along, it begins by respecting other cultures. Just my opinion. … and yes I’m aware of Ragnarok, for any critics out there. It still seems to me like they went too far, in my humble opinion.
The marvel rendition of the aesir gods have always been fast and loose with little care for authenticity. GOW is way more respectful to the property than Marvel is.
Hi Bro, thanks for such a indeepth review of the game, I really enjoyed watching your review. A small suggestion on your voice recording, I personally found your voice is a bit flat. The video could be more captivating if you could throw more emotion into your reading. I hope you get many subscribers soon. :)
This has probably sold me on the game. I've been waffling, because I really have not enjoyed the last $300 worth of games I've bought... I have to wonder if it's received the same frustrated reviews that souls games tend to. They're hard, and some ppl can't cope
Glad the review was helpful, if you're a fan of combat focuses games I'm sure you will enjoy this. I would say the game is a bit easier than a typical souls game.
good video, i agree with everything other than the voice acting, i was able to become more immersed hearing the game and not having to read everything.
Actually, Sun Wukong's first master should be named "Puti" instead of"Puti Zushi", because "Zushi"literally means "the Grand master" in Chinese. Anyway, nice vedio and excellent review❤❤
definitely a review with just, bring every detail to the table. This is the exact kind of fantastic game review I as a gamer see in that video game magazine back in late 90s.
This game is not only GOTY, it is the game that will change the gaming industry worldwide as there are very little Chinese lore and culture content games in the market till now. In additional, it opens up China AAA games industry as it has proven there are many talented Chinese game designers. Even the Chinese govt is supporting now as they are know to ban games to young Chinese gamers previously. China tourism got a boost along the way. In short BMW is not longer just GOTY but the founding father of modern Chinese game industry.
I agree, its a good game, but I ended up Uninstaller towards the end of chapter 2. For me it was too hard. It became more frustrating than fun. But I still loved it and recommend it for younger people who still have their reflexes.
Understandable, The final boss of chapter 2 is the first real challenge in my opinion, if you ever want to give the game another try, I would recommend you farm some of the enemies for experience before fighting the boss.
I love the review section of the video easily the best review I’ve seen yet but a lot the details in the journey to the west story recap section of the video were wrong idk what comic he was showing but it took a couple liberties when it came to the specifics of the story
Just a small correction. 24:08 Zushi in Chinese means grand master, so Puti Zushi means Grand Master Puti. Therefore, instead of calling him Master Zushi, it's better to call him Master Puti.
I disagree about the hitboxes, they're way off in many instances. But the game is just so polished and fun that I'm willing to put up with it. Clocked 180+ hours now, just started NG+++, took the time to grind levels.
Minor nitpick. Zushi means 'grandmaster' here, and Puti is more of his name (more like an honorary title. There are some debates among the community who Grandmaster Puti really was, and the most accepted theory was he was a fake identity of Saint Zhunti from the novel [Investiture of the Gods]). So, you kind of called him 'Master Grandmaster' in this video.
@@sovereignofdusk No worries. Sorry I didn't check through the comment to see if someone already pointed this out. Chinese language has a lot of different words with the exact same pronouciation, so I imagine it is very confusing for someone who don't know the full context. Not sure if you are actually interested in the literature side of the original story. But in Chinese community, it's generally considered canon that [Investiture of the Gods] was the prequel to [Journey to the West] although I'm pretty sure they aren't even written by the same guy (there's debate on who really wrote [Investiture of the Gods]) because both stories share a lot of characters. And even more crazy, there's a very popular online novel 佛本是道 after 2000 that could be roughly translated to [Buddism was originally Daoism] which was more or less an unofficial prequel to [Investiture of the Gods] by borrowing its setting and massively expanded the world's history and lore. So now all three of these (probably) unrelated novels are considered to share the same continuity and is now know in China as the 荒洪 (HuangHong, roughly translate to 'The Original World') style Xianxia/Cultivation genre. That's like... if someone wrote a prequel to Lord of the Rings online, and now everyone consider this prequel story, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter shares the same continuity.
@qinlongfei Wow thanks for all those interesting facts. I have been very fascinated by everything surrounding journey to the west since playing the game. I wish it was more talked about in the western world. There's so much history and culture behind it, it's clearly more than just a story. I hope we get more high quality adaptations of Chinese mythology like this in the future.
@@sovereignofdusk I wouldn't call these facts, since I didn't really do my research and mostly spoke from my memory. But I think it's still pretty incredible that our novel community kind of got an unofficial fanon expanded universe of [Journey to the West].
Most are but some details are not accurate about the back story, maybe the comic made some creative liberties, it is good information to know the basics back story but just note the story of the comics around 60%-70% accuracy.
@sovereignofdusk no worries ! Thank you for the in-depth review! It really hit the points of my own experiences with the game too! (Though there were some minor mistakes in the original story of JTTW but that's minor enough :p
Thanks for the feedback, I got my information from wei dong chen's comic series and haven't actually read the original novel, so that's probably why there are some inaccuracies.
Just completed the game with all the endings.. it is an absolutely amazing journey... beautiful game and combat..PS5 doesn't do justice with the graphics but I still enjoyed it a lot... I don't know if anyone would reach the bar set by game science...this is the monster and GOTY for me 3:35 to 3:50 my thoughts exactly
@magilas8485 I agree it is more similar to nioh than a souls game, however I made comparisons to from software's games because I think they are the best when it comes to action combat games in general.
@@sovereignofdusk Oh I get that. Personally, souls game are better in terms of story telling and world design. Nioh on the other hand has better combat system, which is why I compare Wukong more with Nioh. I do also love the bosses of Nioh and souls games almost equally. Both got great mechanics!
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bmYyDNIMsuQ.htmlsi=zhS8kPvFpXJlquME is this mod also surpass your expectations? more fun can have after completing the game. 😅 it looks just like another game if you can use Erlang and his fighting skill 😂
