After a day of exploring the world of Black Myth: Wukong (2024), one thing has become very apparent: the game is packed with bosses. BMWK's approach to After two days of immersing myself in the world of Black Myth: Wukong (2024), one thing is crystal clear: the game is a boss bonanza. BMWK's approach to enemies is unique in an industry that has struggled to get away from the formulaic approaches we have seen for the past forty years.

In traditional action games, players fight through swarms of low-ranking enemies on their way to a powerful boss that, once defeated, sends the player to a new level or area to do it all over again. In the past, fighting bosses was a privilege the player had to work towards. BMWK does away with this tradition and instead turns the journey into a series of boss battles that mainly work with only a few exceptions.

The main advantage of having a constant series of bosses to fight is that the player is always in the thick of combat, engaged with a fantastical unique enemy that dazzles and kicks ass at the same time. The bosses of BMWK are marvelous distinct entities with their own move sets and personalities. I have yet to experience the feeling that I was fighting the same boss twice, and every encounter so far has forced me to think about how to approach a particular boss and what build would work the best.

Even after defeat at the hands of a specific boss, I have yet to experience the typical frustration I have in other games, like Dark Souls (2011) or Elden Ring (2022). I am always eager to dive back in and face death again, fueled by the thrill of discovering an even more unique boss waiting beyond the one I'm battling now.

This kind of enemy pacing is refreshing but struggles in a few areas. While I was not fighting reskinned bosses repeatedly like in other games, I encountered many of the same mechanics. The spirit forms of Black Wind King and Black Bear Guai are the same, with only slight variations in their timing and durations.  

Elder Jinchi and the Wandering Wight have similar attack patterns, even if the fights had different overarching mechanics. This repetition is entirely understandable; there are only so many ways a boss can attack the player, so eventually, any developer will run out of tricks and gimmicks to keep the illusion going. This approach to boss pacing is a welcome change to what I have played for most of my gaming after-life.

After only two days of playing, I have only encountered one reskin of a previous boss, which is more an archetype of Chinese lore than anything. Their mechanics and move sets were different enough to feel like they had unique personalities. However, despite some cosmetic changes, they were still similar enough to break the illusion that everything in this world is fresh and new.

The narrative is also not well served by the constant stream of bosses. BMWK is based on the 16th-century myth Journey to the West, beloved by Chinese audiences, a story that I admit I am utterly unfamiliar with. The player plays as the Destined One who is embarking on a journey… to do something... for some reason… which is not entirely clear, but it is his destiny, so we are just asked to go with it. The constant stream of bosses, most of whom have long expositions before and after the fight, doesn’t help to clarify the narrative.

When I think I understand an enemy character’s intentions, I kill them and have to try to understand another antagonist all over again. The result is a dizzying narrative that does little to enlighten BMWK’s intriguing source material. However, as I continue through the game, I hope to find my footing in the narrative because there is so much more that BMWK absolutely nails in terms of gameplay and mechanics.