Wukong solves my biggest issue with building a character in RPGs

Black Myth: Wukong It’s not a perfect action RPG, but it’s one that impresses in many respects, and there’s one particular element of its approach that I’d like to see in more games. As a challenging retailing of Journey to the West which takes place 500 years after the story of the classic Chinese novel, Black Myth: Wukong Is hard to fit into a box. The game borrows DNA from cinematic action experiences viz God of war and brutally difficult Soullike games in equal measure, resulting in an experience that doesn’t feel like it has to hide to any one source of inspiration.

My personal loyalties tend to lie more on the soul-like side of things, though I’m not particularly dogmatic about what should qualify. SekiroWhich strays pretty far from the core RPG elements of the genre, is my favorite thing to come out of Dark souls Developer FromSoft. I was attracted to Black Myth: Wukong Largely like something that could loosely fall into a similar vein, and the interesting theme and gorgeous presentation made it look like a more confident and unique project than many others I’ve tried.

Free spells are big in Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong does not emphasize permanence

As far as action RPGs go, Black Myth: Wukong Takes a reasonably streamlined approach to character-buildingPrimarily limit weapons to variants of a stick with a standardized moveset. When it comes to the moveset and other combat abilities and stats, however, the game fans things over a variety of options. If I’m not playing a strategy game like Sid Meier’s CivilizationI tend to be easily overwhelmed by healthy skill trees, and choosing between dedicating points to core stats or interesting combos could have easily left me deadlocked.

in Black Myth: WukongHowever, there is no penalty for making a choice that doesn’t end up feeling right. Respecting is not only available for almost every option, but it is also completely free across the boardAnd it’s possible to start the process at any of the Keeper’s Shrine save points found throughout the game. This luxury at hand made me much more willing to keep the destined one up to date, curbing my tendency to let skills show in the fear that I might need them for a specific use when a boss inevitably gives me trouble.

Black Myth: Wukong’s respect respects my time

Bosses should be punishing, not building choices

There’s definitely merit to making choices and sticking with them, and when it comes to aspects like storytelling in RPGs, I’m a big proponent of making decisions matter. As far as mechanical character builds go, I’ve never been as sold. It can vary greatly from game to game, however “Investing in a build” All too often feels like a nice way of saying that experimenting with different playstyles will require grinding. As much as I love playing games thoroughly, I’m allergic to grinding for the sake of grinding, and making flexibility require busy work is a trade-off I don’t like.

When I ran into a boss in Black Myth: Wukong What felt like a wall, I could jump into the menus and think about what I could adjust without having to set aside points to do so. More than anything else, it’s a design choice that respects my time, allowing me to focus on the best parts of the game and try out various perks that I can’t touch otherwise in a game.

Black Myth: Wukong Is not a game that completely gets rid of filler, and despite how thrilling some sequences can be, some areas drag without much variety. All the same, free reps help keep things moving, and it largely feels like an experience that puts the focus on forward momentum in a rewarding way.

More action rpgs should embrace free respect

It’s not always the right fit, but it’s worth considering

I don’t think so Black Myth: Wukongs approach would necessarily be the right one for FromSoft gamesAs the general leans into the sense of commitment in a way that is not just a vague obligation. Dropping souls, runes or any other equivalent enhances the sense of fear around every corner, and careful play makes it possible to thrive without grinding. It is possible to pay to respect in Alden ring With Larval Tears (the system I really don’t click with is the implementation of weapon smithing stones), but the emphasis on one committed build can make subsequent playthroughs much different.

As far as Black Myth: Wukong However, the game isn’t really leaning on the feeling of grasping for hope that colors a lot of the Soullike genre. The destined one has serious trials for him, but he is still the destined one. Even without the full extent of the powers that Sun Wukong exhibited in Journey to the WestHis rise feels inevitable, and Empowering the player to do it in the way they please works well.

With some action RPGs, I’d be perfectly happy to give up skill trees altogether and focus on linear progression, so it’s not that my preference is necessarily for total player freedom. However, when skill trees are in play, I think more games that focus on power fantasy experiences could benefit from trying a freeform, no-consequence approach to respect. Black Myth: Wukong Certainly proves that build investment is not a critical cornerstone of action RPG designAnd if anything, it freezes the game up to make the bosses harder without worrying about frustrating players too much.

Free respect is ultimately a matter of preference more than anything else, and I don’t have a problem with people holding the opposite view. It’s good to have diversity in game design, though, and Black Myth: Wukong Bucking a trend that is common among similarly challenging games shows his commitment to his own vision. Black Myth: Wukong May not be a fundamentally trail-blazing action RPG, but I’d still like to see some other games take inspiration from its strongest decisions.