Journey to the West: The Original Work

game cover

Black Myth: Wukong is adapted from Journey to the West, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. Sun Wukong is the most popular character in the original story. In the novel, Sun Wukong is born from a divine stone on Huaguo Mountain and, from the moment of his birth, demonstrates a spirit and courage unlike ordinary monkeys. He learns the 72 Transformations and the Somersault Cloud under Bodhi Patriarch. After returning from his training, dissatisfied with the position assigned to him by the Heavenly Court and driven by his own arrogance, he rebels against Heaven, only to be subdued by the Buddha and imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain. Five hundred years later, Tang Sanzang rescues him, places a tightening headband on him, and together they set out to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West. Throughout their journey, they vanquish demons and monsters. Once the pilgrimage is completed, Sun Wukong attains Buddhahood and undergoes a transformation from a stubborn rebel to an enlightened figure. He is beloved not only because he wields enormous magical power but also because, during the journey, his personality shifts from arrogant and capricious to responsible and mature—ultimately completing his own redemption. This theme of self-redemption is very well-received in China; there is even an idiom, “A prodigal son’s return is priceless,” which means that if someone strays from the right path but later awakens and repents, he can still be considered a good person.

Achievements and Influence of Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong, as a game adapted from Journey to the West, has achieved enormous commercial success. As of January 11, 2025, Black Myth: Wukong has sold 28 million copies—an achievement no Chinese single-player game had ever reached before. It also broke the nearly decade-long drought of AAA games in China. (A AAA game is a high-budget, high-investment single-player title developed by a top-tier team using advanced technology.) After Black Myth: Wukong’s success, many other single-player games—such as Shadow Blade Zero, Lost Song, and Ming Dynasty Abyss: The Feathers—sprang up like mushrooms after the rain. Thus, Black Myth: Wukong is not merely a commercial success; it has also validated a successful path for the Chinese AAA game industry. The question remains: is its success mainly due to the enthusiastic support of domestic Chinese fans, or is it the result of its excellent game content?

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Origins

Before the emergence of Black Myth: Wukong, the AAA category was largely dominated by Western and Japanese game companies. This was not because Chinese game companies lacked technology or funding—note that both Tencent, the highest-grossing game company in the world, and NetEase, the fifth highest-grossing, are from China. However, they were reluctant to enter the AAA space. On one hand, single-purchase AAA games have a lower profit margin than online games that thrive on continuous consumer spending; on the other hand, no Chinese company had found success in this genre for almost a decade. Thus, despite having the world’s most profitable gaming companies and the largest market, China’s AAA sector was practically empty. Among Chinese gamers, a phrase circulated: “China has no AAA.” This reflected both the awkward state of the Chinese AAA game industry and players’ hopes for a homegrown AAA title.

On August 20, 2020, a small and previously unknown studio called Game Science released the first gameplay demo of Black Myth: Wukong. Though no one had heard of the company at that time, the familiar figure of Sun Wukong—alongside advanced graphics and dazzling combat sequences—instantly caused a sensation on the internet. The video rapidly exceeded ten million views on Chinese streaming sites, and by 2024, that figure had grown to 58 million.

The Game’s Release – Meeting Expectations

Although the trailer proved highly effective for publicity, many game review companies and independent media content creators suspected that the footage might be exaggerated or even falsified. All doubts, however, disappeared upon the game’s release. Black Myth: Wukong surpassed even the trailer’s visuals and offered a large number of boss fights, winning over players.

Cultural Promotion

Black Myth: Wukong not only excels in gameplay but also makes a remarkable contribution to promoting traditional Chinese culture. Every monster in the game—be it a minor, unnamed demon—has its own background story. These stories are written in ancient Chinese (wenyanwen), preserving a significant amount of ancient linguistic art. This is challenging even for many Chinese players to fully understand, yet the mystery has driven many Western players to explore the original Journey to the West and attempt to interpret its meaning.

example of background story with wenyanwen

Additionally, the game is packed with elements of Chinese painting, classical gardens, and Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Many scenes are recreation of ancient architectures : developers used specialized equipment to replicate the real-life architecture into the game.

comparison between game scene and reallife architecture

At the end of each chapter, players receive an animated short film and an interactive mural scroll.
Such applications of historical and Chinese cultural elements in the game have sparked a keen interest in Eastern culture among numerous Western players, many of whom have begun learning about Journey to the West and Buddhist culture on their own.

animated film from chapter one

Adapted Story

Unlike the original Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong tells a story set after Sun Wukong has already become a Buddha. Having been conferred Buddhahood, he longs for a free life, voluntarily relinquishes his status, and returns to a reclusive existence. However, the Heavenly gods do not permit this, and they massacre his brethren on Huaguo Mountain. Enraged, Sun Wukong wages war against Heaven and is ultimately killed. His body is torn into six artifacts. The protagonist of Black Myth: Wukong is a nameless little monkey from Huaguo Mountain whose mission is to gather these artifacts and resurrect him. In the finale, Sun Wukong is revived, casts off the tightening headband, and at last gains his freedom.

Whereas in the original story he repents and joins the ostensibly righteous Buddhist order, this version focuses more on Sun Wukong’s own will and pursuit of freedom, which aligns more with modern notions emphasizing free will. The game also incorporates various modern elements. For example, the design of the white bone spirit’s fourth sister caters to contemporary gamer aesthetics, and the game portrays Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) as being in a relationship with the Spider, devoting significant narrative space to their love story, which players find moving. Although some traditionalists criticize these changes as distorting the original content and central themes, it cannot be denied that the game respects history in many ways—such as faithfully recreating the ancient architecture and retaining the ancient Chinese language—and its modern touch has led to major success, making this story known to tens of millions of gamers worldwide.

animated film from chapter four about Bajie’s love story

The Impact of Black Myth: Wukong

From a commercial perspective, Black Myth: Wukong earned profits several times over its development costs. Culturally, it aroused the curiosity of tens of millions of players around the world about traditional Chinese fantasy novels. For the industry, it became an enlightening example for the next decade of Chinese AAA game development. Though controversial, Black Myth: Wukong still stands as a romantic “love letter” from Game Science (its developers) to Chinese gamers.