Black Myth: Wu Kong - a.k.a. "Sekiro 2: now YOU are the monkey"

[jaekl]

Where are all the damned autists? I need you here analysing this skill tree and all the abilities and equipment, then arguing with each other for 30 pages so I can get all the best shit without any work. They're never around when you want them, but every time you don't want something explained to you, they pop out of the woodwork like termites.

 

[MasPingon]

There is nothing to analize, it's very simple. Character progression is artificial, some of skills you acquire should be available from the beginning, like stances. Those hipsters praising this game like it's a second coming of Christ need to chill out. It's funny, simple action game that you should buy when it's available for 20$.

 

[cruel]

I like extended paralysis, increased damage on paralysis and those skills that allow you to continue the combo while dodging. I don't switch stances that much, but the trust one seems to be pretty useful due to its range. No idea which spirits are the best, the LT + RT as a trigger makes them very unreliable for me.

 

[AlwaysBrotoMen]

Boring PS5 and their tactics

 

[True Ukrainian]

My point is that it's not much of a global hit if the overwhelming majority of copies are sold in China.

Even excluding players from china, steam shows the game as a best seller in all regions.

 

[cruel]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Where are all the damned autists? I need you here analysing this skill tree and all the abilities and equipment, then arguing with each other for 30 pages so I can get all the best shit without any work. They're never around when you want them, but every time you don't want something explained to you, they pop out of the woodwork like termites.

I was just about to say there is nothing to analyze when...

There is nothing to analize, it's very simple. Character progression is artificial, some of skills you acquire should be available from the beginning, like stances. Those hipsters praising this game like it's a second coming of Christ need to chill out. It's funny, simple action game that you should buy when it's available for 20$.

I've watched two playthroughs up to the same point, the early parts of the second chapter. Youtubers MKIceandfire and FightinCowboy. The former one's playthrough is 18 hours, as he kills bosses from the first attempt, but it has to be taken into account that he (or however many people are behind this account) is a good player. The first fighting stance, the one which concentrates on bonking enemies on the head, seems to offer the best damage output so far, and in general the stances don't seem anywhere near balanced.

MasPingon , for me the game's reception confirms my latest, and pessimistic, observation, that a AAA game's success is based on the fulfillment of only two requirements - graphics and "feels". While graphics is achieved via good old money (engine license, paying those 3d artists and level designers), feels are a bit more subtle. The player is button-awesoming around the levels, but you have to come up with the right animations, sound effects, camera shakes, input feedback, ragdoll physics settings, so that you give him the feels of whatever he is doing - driving a car, riding a horse, filling a magazine, bonking people on the head with a bo (bonus points if it's called bo ingame).

If you cover these two bases, your game will inescapably become a hit, and the 5% of the audience who care about the game systems and balance will be drowned in the herd's noise.

Wukong is the latest case in point, and you can easily see others if you go back 4-5 years. Only very rarely you get a game which also offers balance and developed game mechanics in addition to production values (I'm not citing examples to avoid provoking arguments).

So maybe the right typologisation now is:
- actual games
- wukong-level AAA games
- interactive movies disguising as games

I suspect that the best way to enjoy Wukong is to play at the minimum difficulty level which still gives you the feels, after having watched a solid summary of the 16th century novel's plot, because the game seems to count on the player being familiar with it.

 

[jaekl]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

Did you get the special anti wind vessel?

 

[cruel]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

Did you get the special anti wind vessel?

Oh, no, I did not. Thanks for that, let me look it up. Trying to play carefully and explore everything, but it seems I missed it somehow.

Edit: it seems I completely missed Mother of Stones boss fight, interesting.
Edit 2: I also missed a weapon upgrade from 50 to 60. This explains why I felt that the damage is too low.

 

[jaekl]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

Did you get the special anti wind vessel?

Oh, no, I did not. Thanks for that, let me look it up. Trying to play carefully and explore everything, but it seems I missed it somehow.

Edit: it seems I completely missed Mother of Stones boss fight, interesting.
Edit 2: I also missed a weapon upgrade from 50 to 60. This explains why I felt that the damage is too low.

Did you find the guy that makes pills for you that increase your stats? I put everything into +mana since I usually only die when I run out of it.

 

[cruel]

Yes, found him and did exactly the same thing - pumped everything I could into mana, to maximize the amount of paralyze I can use. But it seems Pluck of Many is also amazing, need to do some more testing on which one provides more DPS in boss fights.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Nazi guy reviewed it:



Can't watch the video as i have no internet right now and i don't want to waste the meager megabytes i have with my phone, but from what i can gather his verdit is that the game is pretty good, but has problems. Basically what i actually expected. Worth playing, but probably not at full price unless you have cash to burn.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

Did you get the special anti wind vessel?

Oh, no, I did not. Thanks for that, let me look it up. Trying to play carefully and explore everything, but it seems I missed it somehow.

Edit: it seems I completely missed Mother of Stones boss fight, interesting.
Edit 2: I also missed a weapon upgrade from 50 to 60. This explains why I felt that the damage is too low.

Save that wind vessel for the last phase of the fight, completely shuts down all his side effects and it just return to first phase with extra moves.
Use stone form when he try to use stepping on you. And always roll when he tries to kick you. That bloody grab attack is the worst. Also "bettle throw is a bit hard to dodge at first but you'll get the timing. Even dodging like mad works there.
Try to converse your mana and skills in first phase and burn him down in second phase but no point try to attack him while in sand spirit form.

 

[cruel]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

Did you get the special anti wind vessel?

Oh, no, I did not. Thanks for that, let me look it up. Trying to play carefully and explore everything, but it seems I missed it somehow.

Edit: it seems I completely missed Mother of Stones boss fight, interesting.
Edit 2: I also missed a weapon upgrade from 50 to 60. This explains why I felt that the damage is too low.

Save that wind vessel for the last phase of the fight, completely shuts down all his side effects and it just return to first phase with extra moves.
Use stone form when he try to use stepping on you. And always roll when he tries to kick you. That bloody grab attack is the worst. Also "bettle throw is a bit hard to dodge at first but you'll get the timing. Even dodging like mad works there.
Try to converse your mana and skills in first phase and burn him down in second phase but no point try to attack him while in sand spirit form.

Thanks, it seems this wind vessel is almost mandatory for this fight. First part of the fight is manageable, but with all the sand and disappearing bullshit in phase 2, it's a little bit annoying. I'm frequently dying at the phase transition moment, when he is attacking you 3x with his shadow and follows up with a grab. One mistake here can be very costly, no time to heal. Very happy to hear you can disable most of it with the vessel.

I'm actually looking forward to complete chapter 2 and move the fuck out from this desert area, it was such a slog. Ranged enemies galore, annoying mobs, everything is bright as fuck, no atmosphere at all. Wasteland level was clearly not a highlight of Stellar Blade, and the same happened here.

 

[jaekl]

Tiger was easy, 2 tries, but the Sage is pretty hard - hardest boss so far. It feels like his HP is double what it used to be for previous bosses. You can't drink before fighting him, too much focus is required - will try again tomorrow.

Did you get the special anti wind vessel?

Oh, no, I did not. Thanks for that, let me look it up. Trying to play carefully and explore everything, but it seems I missed it somehow.

Edit: it seems I completely missed Mother of Stones boss fight, interesting.
Edit 2: I also missed a weapon upgrade from 50 to 60. This explains why I felt that the damage is too low.

Save that wind vessel for the last phase of the fight, completely shuts down all his side effects and it just return to first phase with extra moves.
Use stone form when he try to use stepping on you. And always roll when he tries to kick you. That bloody grab attack is the worst. Also "bettle throw is a bit hard to dodge at first but you'll get the timing. Even dodging like mad works there.
Try to converse your mana and skills in first phase and burn him down in second phase but no point try to attack him while in sand spirit form.

Thanks, it seems this wind vessel is almost mandatory for this fight. First part of the fight is manageable, but with all the sand and disappearing bullshit in phase 2, it's a little bit annoying. I'm frequently dying at the phase transition moment, when he is attacking you 3x with his shadow and follows up with a grab. One mistake here can be very costly, no time to heal. Very happy to hear you can disable most of it with the vessel.

I'm actually looking forward to complete chapter 2 and move the fuck out from this dessert area, it was such a slog. Ranged enemies galore, annoying mobs, everything is bright as fuck, no atmosphere at all. Wasteland level was clearly not a highlight of Stellar Blade, and the same happened here.

Wait until you see the next area

 

[Lyre Mors]

I'm actually looking forward to complete chapter 2 and move the fuck out from this dessert area, it was such a slog.

Weird. I generally hate desert environments in games, but really ended up enjoying this one much more than I thought I would. I think a lot of it had to do with its mountainous terrain, coupled with all the inlaid carvings and sculptures littered throughout. Beyond that, this is the area where the exploration in the game really started to shine, with a lot of branching paths and hidden areas. Thought the normal enemy encounter design became much more interesting as a whole too. Definitely think the Yellow Wind Sage is doable without the wind vessel. Dodging just becomes key in that fight, moreso than anyone before it. Especially if you're using equipment and skills that strengthen you after perfect dodging. What I would have done without the vessel is try getting him to half health without using any MP, then start throwing everything I have at him in the second half.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Yeah I liked chapter 2 a lot too but 3rd one is something else Budhist hell was really... hell...

 

[cruel]

Chapter 3 is amazing so far, caught me by total surprise. I feel like I'm playing through a modern version of the Tower of Latria, fantastic.

 

[AwesomeButton]

sheesh, chapter 3 was fuckhuge, it took me ~8hrs only to explore the temple.
Also, checkpoints between bossfights in the end were neat - they make you fight 3 different bosses under the guise of one.

Chapter 3 is amazing so far, caught me by total surprise. I feel like I'm playing through a modern version of the Tower of Latria, fantastic.

I keep watching an LP, and I got to chapter 3 and the Pagoda realm. Credit where it's due, I now think this game is actually worth giving a run. I haven't seen level design that challenges the sense of orientation like the Pagoda realm does in a long time. Reminded me of some Duke 3d levels or American McGee's Alice. The atmosphere and art direction also bring back memories of old school shooters.

And when you add to that the fact that there is no ingame map, it's a really brave decision. It's telling that "FightinCowboy" immediately started whining that this is the worst area in the game so far, and so do the zoombabies in his videos comments

 

[Cyberarmy]

Man, last 2 bosses are insane. First one is the main last boss and other one is for secret ending. Main last boss outright trolls and humiliates you in many fun ways. Though not funny when you are on your last HP...
Nevertheless, finished the game, while drunk, so drunken boxing still rules! Easier than Sekiro, harder than most souls games (because no summoning and OP/broken shit)
Thoroughly enjoyed the game at every step and wholeheartedly recommend it to any action game fans out there. One of the best games released these year.

 

[Sweeper]

Chris Chapel (The pro-Trump and anti-CCP propagandist) says you shouldn't buy this game, because if you do then you support communism, brainwashing, and "killing tens of thousands of Americans"

I mean, I wasn't gonna, but now I am.

 

[MerchantKing]

DA BLACK MITH: WEKANGZ

 

[I eat frozen vegetables]

Sales are up to 18 million now.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

Sales are up to 18 million now.

That's just stupid. Nothing about this game looks special. Must be the first half-ass decent game the chinks ever experienced so they're buying it in droves.

 

[notpl]

Sales are up to 18 million now.

That's just stupid. Nothing about this game looks special. Must be the first half-ass decent game the chinks ever experienced so they're buying it in droves.

What number would be acceptable to you?