Black Myth: Wukong

Play it on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Current goal: See if it clicks with me

We are entering one of those “good problems to have” periods in which there are simply more games I want to play than I can reasonably keep up with. I haven’t had a chance to play Astro Bot yet, I still haven’t finished Emio: The Smiling Man, and I’m still taking my time with Star Wars Outlaws and enjoying it in a leisurely way. On top of that, Yars Rising is out, a new game from WayForward that sounds like it may pay homage to the Atari 2600 blockbuster Yars’ Revenge in some cool and interesting ways. And, before we know it, both UFO 50 and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be upon us. Oh god, help me!

So it’s particularly frustrating that, yesterday, a friend of mine raved to me about Black Myth: Wukong in such a way that I came away convinced I have to give it a shot as well. They’re absolutely smitten with it—the world, the bosses, the storytelling, the game design—and while this friend and I don’t always agree, I always know that if they see something genuinely interesting and worthwhile in a game, it’s worth a look. (Former Kotaku EIC Patricia Hernandez also adores it, having penned a five-star rave for The Guardian. Said my friend about her review, “She’s absolutely right.”)

Of course, Wukong has a reputation for being very challenging. It’s been a while since I tackled a really tough game, and I’m not sure I’m in the mood for something that puts my gamer skills to the test right now, no matter how much I may be taken with it. But there’s only one way to find out: by playing it. And finding the time to do that, in the midst of all these other games, is going to be the real challenge. — Carolyn Petit