Summary
- Black Myth: Wukong and Shadow of the Erdtree have comparable difficulty levels, challenging players in unique ways.
- Black Myth: Wukong's rank-and-file enemies are easier to defeat compared to the foes in Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Boss fights in Black Myth: Wukong offer a different level of challenge than Shadow of the Erdtree's.
Despite being acknowledged as the highest-rated DLC ever made, Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has also been very divisive due to its difficulty. To be fair, FromSoftware needed to ensure Shadow of the Erdtree would provide a considerable challenge, as many players had spent plenty of time in the Lands Between making their Elden Ring characters powerhouses not to be trifled with. As a result, it ended up being far more difficult than players thought it would be. Now, Shadow of the Erdtree might have some competition in that department with Game Science's action RPG, Black Myth: Wukong.
Black Myth: Wukong isn't technically a Soulslike, despite possessing some features of the sub-genre. That being said, it is surprisingly difficult, especially in light of pre-launch comments that suggested it was just a more difficult God of War. With the recent discourse surrounding Shadow of the Erdtree's difficulty, it's worth looking at how Black Myth: Wukong stacks up against it.
Black Myth: Wukong Review
Black Myth: Wukong from Game Science is a mixed bag action-RPG that shines just as much as it aggravates.
Comparing Black Myth: Wukong's Difficulty to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Black Myth: Wukong's Rank-and-File Enemies Are Easier Than Shadow of the Erdtree's
As the DLC for a game that had already been out for a while, Shadow of the Erdtree needed to level the playing field for Elden Ring veterans. One way it did that was by increasing the number of rank-and-file ambushes players would encounter as they explored the Land of Shadow. Additionally, Shadow of the Erdtree ensured that even its weakest enemies would still put up a tough fight. However, unlike Shadow of the Erdtree, Black Myth: Wukong's weakest enemies are fairly easy to deal with, so long as players don't get overwhelmed by a great number of them.
Black Myth: Wukong's Bosses Are on a Different Level From Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's
The bulk of Black Myth: Wukong's gameplay revolves around its boss fights, of which there are dozens. Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree has some incredibly frustrating boss encounters, but Black Myth: Wukong's are on a different level. When viewed through a subjective lens, some might find Black Myth: Wukong's boss fights to be easier than Shadow of the Erdtree's, while others might find the opposite to be true. However, a more objective point of view might determine that Black Myth: Wukong's boss fights are just as difficult as Shadow of the Erdtrees, only in a different way.
Black Myth: Wukong's major bosses are quite unlike most of what players can find in the Soulslike genre, and that includes Shadow of the Erdtree. What makes Black Myth: Wukong's major boss encounters so challenging is that the majority of them have a massive arsenal of skills and attack patterns, making it very difficult to learn a fight very quickly.
Whereas dedicated players might be able to learn Messmer the Impaler's opening attack patterns within the first two or three attempts, it might take players double that to learn those of Black Myth: Wukong's bosses.
Furthermore, many of Black Myth: Wukong's bosses, especially those in the late game, move around the arena so quickly that players might spend the majority of their time dodging, only being given an incredibly brief opening to attack here and there. Most of Shadow of the Erdtree's bosses, on the other hand, at least provide players with a moment of respite between attack combos, or their attacks are spread out enough that players can get more than a few hits in before needing to evade some more or flee.
Black Myth: Wukong stands pretty tall next to Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but the two are fairly similar in terms of difficulty. Of course, this is all a matter of perspective, as some might find that to be less than true. The main thing to note is that both Black Myth: Wukong and Shadow of the Erdtree are challenging, but in ways that differ from one another.
Black Myth: Wukong
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 80%
- Released
- August 20, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Game Science
- Publisher(s)
- Game Science
WHERE TO PLAY
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology and based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.
As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles where surrender is not an option.
Aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning strategy that best suits your combat style.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 39 hours
