It’s important to say from the start that review scores for just about anything in the entertainment industry can sometimes be taken with a grain of salt. After all, just because one person likes something doesn’t mean another person will, and vice versa! In the gaming space, we look at aggregate review sites like Metacritic to see what various gaming publications note about upcoming titles so that we players can see a “likely answer” to how we would view it once we played it. The next big game of 2024 to get that review spread is Black Myth Wukong, and it seemed to pass the test.
The game itself has been in the works for some time, but it’s been getting plenty of hype recently due to gameplay previews and beyond. When the dust settled after its review embargo, Black Myth Wukong got itself an 82 score on Metacritic. That’s a good score, but if you’ve been hearing some of the previews that cited it as a possible “Game of the Year contender,” then you’re probably surprised it isn’t higher.
About 55 reviews were put into Metacritic to give this score, which means that even if it were to go up or down a few points with another couple of reviews that will be added in later, the score would still be mostly the same.
So, what are they saying about Wukongs’ newest gaming adventure? There were several outlets who did say it was a “GOTY contender” by giving it a perfect score. They outlined how beautiful the world was, how incredible the boss fights were, and how the overall gaming experience felt special.
Many kept citing its “Soulslike” influences but also noted that it stood on its own two feet, which helped them appreciate it more. They praised how the dev team used Unreal Engine 5 to create something that almost defied belief and that this could be a visual standard for what comes next.
Several outlets praised the games combat and the variety it offered, calling it a true action RPG experience that many should give a chance to.
However, many outlets also noted that while the game is beautiful, it does suffer technical issues. Many feel it needed a few more patches before releasing, while others felt that the game’s story was fun but flawed.
Plus, while the levels are repeatedly praised for their visuals, it sometimes comes at a cost of not having much to do with them outside of staring at them. You can make your own judgments of the Monkey King by getting the game now!