From its out-of-the-blue announcement to its most recent trailer, Black Myth: Wukong never seems to repeat itself, instead revealing new aspects of its story and gameplay each time. The newest trailer ends with a narrator's words of advice to the protagonist, and these go against many of the principles traditionally associated with a true hero. To better understand why Black Myth: Wukong tells players to embrace power and temptation - and that advice's potential impact on the game - one needs to know about the story it's based on.
Black Myth: Wukong is a new interpretation of one of China's greatest classical novels, Journey to the West. Specifically, as the first game in a planned trilogy, it seems to be a retelling of the novel’s introduction, which is a self-contained story about the ascent to godhood and fall from grace of the Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Perhaps most famously in the West, Sun Wukong is the inspiration for Dragon Ball Z’s Goku - and that’s the kind of power he was working with during his apotheosis.
Sun Wukong had mastered countless techniques, giving him incredible strength, the ability to transform into anything he can conceive, and even immortality. He used these power to rebel against heaven, a choice that got him sealed beneath a mountain as punishment. After 500 years, he was released to aid in the monk’s journey in order to atone for his sins. Sun Wukong’s tale is often interpreted as a warning to move away from darkness, power, and temptation to reach enlightenment, but Black Myth: Wukong’s new trailer seems to suggest the opposite is true in the game.
Why Black Myth: Wukong Tells Its Hero To Embrace Power & Temptation
"Thou shalt kill, lest feuds instill. Thou shalt steal, as decreed by the freewill. Thou shalt commit adultery, for love thrives in debauchery. Thou shalt speak the untruth, to inspire and seduce. Drench in fine wines, to sooth your mind where emotions entwine. Embrace bodily pleasure, for life is short and you have now or never. Find escape in the dreaming, or else this life is not worth living. Ride on the wings of lust. In true wisdom thou shalt trust."
These are the words of advice offered to the Monkey King in the Black Myth: Wukong trailer. While it’s safe to say most heroes aren’t encouraged to kill, cheat, steal, lie, or lust, Wukong is no hero, and he was never meant to be one. Wukong begins his story as someone who will do anything it takes to stand among the gods, and he succeeds, only to be ridiculed and rejected by them. Wukong is just as rebellious during his atonement in Journey to the West, but that rebellion is what helps everyone get through the harrowing journey.
Sun Wukong’s mischief keeps his group of traveling companions in good spirits, and his strength and willingness to fight save the day several times. While the advice given in the trailer seems counterintuitive for a hero, it’s fitting for the novel's introduction, and it's also what ultimately makes Sun Wukong so beloved, granting him enlightenment as the "Victorious Fighting Buddha." While there’s still plenty of time to change the story before its release, Black Myth: Wukong seems to be encouraging players to embrace a new, very old kind of hero.