Wukong deserves GOTY at TGA 2024

The game prizes recently announced its picks for Game of the Year, including some controversial picks. The nominees include some heavy hitters: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Astrobot, Balatro, Metaphor: Refantaziothe Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (a hot topic of debate), and Dark Myth: Wukong, a choice that challenges its good, but unexceptional, critical reception. Although the overall response to the game was strong Dark Myth: Wukong falls short of the rate of current and past nominees.

As detailed in the official The game prizes On the website, 10% of the votes come from fans, while 90% of the decision goes to the jury (made up mostly of the press and journalists). Based on previous years, these judges generally favor action-based RPGs with strong narratives – Black Myth: Wukong ticks those boxes in a major way, plus a few more. While it may not be the most obvious choice, there are many reasons why Dark Myth: Wukong deserves GOTY at TGA 2024.

10

GameScience’s first AAA

Regardless of opinions on Dark Myth: Wukongof appointment, there’s no denying what the developers at GameScience have accomplished. This is the small company’s first AAA installment sets a precedent for what’s to come, and the fact the studio received a GOTY nomination for its first AAA release It’s an impressive feat. GameScience has managed to create something both familiar and new by combining some of the best elements/features from games of a similar style and improving or reimagining them entirely.

To be fair, GameScience’s founders are former Tencent employees, and the fact that the studio hasn’t previously published titles of this scale won’t be a major consideration for the TGA judges. But it is important to note that when Dark Myth: Wukong development began, Game Science had fewer than 30 employees working on the gameas reported by IGN.

9

Gameplay

Repetition value comes integrated with Dark Myth: Wukongas seen in the New Game+ mode presented after finishing the game the first time and in the alternative, “True Ending” found after completing a secret area that most will not find until a second replay. Black Myth: Wukong appears to be designed with the expectation that players will miss things on the first run, and NG+ offers powerful upgrades and better weapons/armorso NG achievements feel really important in NG+.

Furthermore, the game’s strongest weapons are only available in NG+, and the narrative elements are interesting enough that a second or third playthrough of the game doesn’t feel stale or complicated. If replayability counts for anything, Wukong is an excellent example of using NG+ to improve the player’s overall gaming experience.

8

Simplified soul-like mechanics

Dark Myth: Wukong uses or improves popular soul-like mechanics, such as respawning at shrines after death without the punishing loss of experience. THE combat mechanics feel oddly familiar, with aspects reminiscent of previous GOTY winners Sekiro and Elden Ringbut distinctly different – Dark Myth: Wukong After all, it’s not technically something like a soul, even if elements like the Perfect Dodge engine look a lot like a soul.

This is all to say that Dark Myth: Wukong created truly innovative and original combat that builds on and pays homage to contemporaries and predecessors of a variety of RPG styles and is accessible in a way that other soulslikes are not. Leveling mechanics and narrative linearity amount to players not being overwhelmed by any bossesgetting lost in a labyrinthine world or becoming frustrated piecing together fragmented stories.

7

Visual Design and Art

Despite the potential for performance issues, Dark Myth: Wukong offers an unparalleled visually dynamic experience. Each chapter includes a variety of beautiful architecture and detailed scenery, from deserts to snowy mountains and more. Not to mention the character designs, NPCs and enemies, all original and carefully planned, as well as the beautiful art seen in the content of the scenes.

While there are separate award categories for these aspects, the game’s art and design contribute to the overall immersion and will certainly play at least a passive role in the judges’ decisions for GOTY. Dark Myth: Wukongvisual adaptation of the iconic Journey to the West story and legendary characters as the titular Sun Wukong results in a complete artistic vision that draws players into the myth.

6

Chief Project

Although there are over 100 bosses spread throughout the game, each one has a completely individualized combat style and personality. They are also woven into the narrative with intent, each serving a unique purpose and leaving players feeling fulfilled after defeating them. Some bosses will seem insurmountable at first, but these enemies quickly force players to adjust their strategies, try out different investments and spark equipment, and learn to utilize the correct stances.

The movement defined for each boss is deliberate and well thought outteaching players how to use each stance as they progress through the game. This translates into a truly rewarding sense of accomplishment when a specific build or technique finally comes to fruition. Even the most challenging bosses, like Erlang, the Holy Deity, can be reasonably overcome with a solid strategy.

5

Hidden in plain sight

While the lack of an open world or encountering invisible walls can break immersion to some extent, nothing in Black Myth: Wukong it seems unintentional. Barriers to exploration are offset by the game’s hidden aspects which players are free to discover on their own, especially the dozens of hidden bosses that cannot be accessed without taking deliberate action. Despite having a very linear path, Wukong can be surprisingly difficult to navigate.

Where an open world offers players a sense of discovery and purpose, Black Myth: Wukong features a linear path with hidden forks, such as side quests that lead to powerful bosses that can only be discovered through thorough exploration. Each chapter is ready to be discoveredand the game deserves consideration for striking a delicate balance between open world and linear level design styles.

4

Rekindle the sparks

The leveling system in Black Myth: Wukongcalled Self-Advancement, it can be done at any time, and respecting the spark points is possible in any Guardian Sanctuary from the beginning of the game. This may seem like a simple detail, but the ability to respect will gives the player an incredible degree of freedom to experiment with different builds, which in turn leads players to develop strategies according to their preferences and each individual boss.

Where many action RPGs lock players into their decisions and force them to commit to a specific build, Black Myth: Wukong removes all barriers to advancement and encourages players to rethink strategy. This is especially useful in the early chapters, as players learn various combat mechanics and build an arsenal for the more difficult late-game bosses.

3

Smash, Pillar, Thrust

Speaking of which, the combat mechanics are perhaps one of the most compelling reasons Black Myth: Wukong is worthy of GOTY. As mentioned above, the game uses features from popular soulslikes, apparently with the Perfect Dodge mechanic. However, these fundamentals are improved dramatically when players begin to understand how to use each Staff Stance – Smash, Pillar and Thrust – and when they start to discover new spells.

Defeating each boss requires a detailed understanding of their moveset, and which stances or spells the player uses will change depending on which boss they are fighting. By the final boss, players will have practiced enough to they will understand the nuances, benefits, and use cases of each posturespell and equipment they collect throughout the game.

2

Journey to the West

There is little doubt that Dark Myth: Wukong is a stunning adaptation of the 16th century Chinese epic novel, Journey to the West, or that this will be an important consideration for judges in this year’s GOTY decision. Traditionally, winning games have been narrative-focused, containing strong cinematic elements and including well-written dialogue and carefully planned narrative design. The writing in Dark Myth: Wukong particularly stands out, even in the initial battle sequence against the Gods.

The overall story arc, character development, dialogue, and narrative design in Black Myth: Wukong They are what will differentiate you from the other nominees. There may be no better video game adaptation of a classic tale than thisand based on judges’ preferences at previous GOTY awards, an engaging story and intentional narrative design are crucial to a winning title.

1

A complete experience

Ultimately, no one element of any GOTY nominee will guarantee victory, and the overall gaming experience will be the final word. Dark Myth: Wukong is a complete and independent package, unlike other nominees, such as Shadow of the Erd Tree or FF7 Rebirth that require knowledge of the franchise to be fully appreciated. Although it is based on Journey to the WestPlayers do not need to have read the novel to enjoy the story or characters – in fact, the game will interest players in reading the novel.

Next, Dark Myth: Wukong excludes the frustrating aspects of popular souls while incorporating more universally pleasing elementsstriking a delicate balance between fans of the soulslike genre and those who prefer a more straightforward action RPG. The level, combat and boss design are highlights among those nominated, as is the advancement system and art/cinematography. For all these reasons and more, Dark Myth: Wukong has a real chance of winning Game of the Year in The game prizes 2024.

Sources: The game prizes, IGN