When it was revealed to the world again in 2020, Black Fantasy: Wukong set the soulslike neighborhood on hearth. And with every new gameplay video, that fireplace burned hotter and brighter. Amongst a rising crowd of FromSoftware imitators, Black Fantasy: Wukong stood out due to what gave the impression to be lightning-fast, responsive fight that doesn’t fall into the staple sword-and-board rhythms the style discovered its ft with. However that impression has at all times been primarily based on what we’ve watched. Now, after really taking part in half-hour of Black Fantasy at gamescom 2023, I’m thrilled to report that seeing actually might be believing. It genuinely does really feel nearly as good because it seems to be.
First, let’s handle the place Black Fantasy: Wukong sits alongside the motion RPG spectrum. Whereas it undoubtedly falls below the soulslike umbrella due to its punishing centre-piece boss fights and bonfire-like checkpointing, Black Fantasy isn’t immediately corresponding to any FromSoft recreation. It sits someplace between Sekiro and Bloodborne; it has the relentless pace of the previous and emphasises evasive dodging very like the latter. However whereas the fight encounters pull on among the similar strings because the style’s established titans, the precise act of preventing seems like its personal slick beast.
A lot of that comes all the way down to the aforementioned evasions. Your staff-swinging monkey protagonist, primarily based on Solar Wukong of China’s basic Journey to the West story, can’t block incoming assaults. As a substitute, dodges and leaps are your major methodology of avoiding injury. This creates an extremely kinetic basis for the fight system, one wherein you’re continually operating circles round foes. Whereas the dearth of a conventional block means there’s not the satisfaction of an ideal parry, the sensation of dashing simply earlier than an enemy lands a blow is simply as candy.
Switching stances permits you to fluidly combine completely different strike patterns, from spear-like lunges to a twirling assault.
One of the best factor about this speed-focused basis is that it by no means feels as if it’s slipping away from you. Black Fantasy’s controls are extremely responsive, and that flows from the motion to its stance-based assaults. Switching stances permits you to fluidly combine completely different strike patterns, from spear-like lunges to a twirling assault harking back to Jedi: Survivor’s double-bladed lightsaber. Mild assaults construct into spectacular heavies that have you ever pole vault upwards, and even spin on the top of your employees and strike enemies with every rotation. It’s in these moments that Black Fantasy’s Chinese language mythology and martial arts roots actually come alive, and every acrobatic feat feels your entire making.
The gamescom demo was cut up into 4 segments – three standalone boss battles, plus an extended part with common enemies and exploration pulled from a dusty, rocky space referred to as Fright Cliff. Particulars on these bosses – Centipede Guai, Macaque Chief, and Tiger Vanguard – might be present in our earlier hands-on preview, however what I’ll add is that every gives a beautiful sense of theatre. These are extremely memorable fights, with well designed assault patterns, that happen in completely stunning areas. The brutally quick Tiger Vanguard is particularly true of that final level; the brawl takes place in a pool of blood that splashes and ripples with every pouncing motion.
The Fright Cliff chapter is the brand new displaying for gamescom 2023, and it demonstrates that nearly as good as Black Fantasy: Wukong is shaping as much as be, it perhaps received’t at all times be delivering its A-game. The extent design main as much as its two bosses snakes by means of sandy and arid terrain. Fallen Buddha statues lie embedded within the earth, and occasional incense burners mark your journey’s checkpoints. Common enemies guard every flip and fork within the street; some with shields that make the combat a little bit tricker, others with large heads product of stone that may be shattered through the use of the ‘Smash’ stance that swings the employees like a membership. Often a branching path will result in a useless finish, forcing a contact of backtracking.
It’s all completely effective, however in comparison with the aforementioned bosses, I discovered navigating this space of Black Fantasy’s world a little bit motion RPG-101. I’ve typically discovered the structure of city environments tells a greater story and creates a greater path community than rural areas. However I can’t assist however suppose again on pure world triumphs like Sekiro’s Sunken Valley and need that Black Fantasy’s Fright Cliff had extra of that location’s enjoyable verticality and unsafe paths. You play as a monkey, in spite of everything, and so it might have been enjoyable to make use of his leaping and swinging skills to discover this world in a extra dynamic trend. However as we all know from prior gameplay movies, our primate protag can flip right into a fly, so there’s each probability that additional ranges have extra participating layouts and alternatives than these seen on this demo.
Black Loong’s assaults needed to be leapt over or dodged by means of with an virtually rhythm motion game-like sense of tempo and precision.
In the direction of the top of the stage the trail branches with extra function. To the left lies a large open house that makes it instantly apparent {that a} boss is ready on the sidelines. To the appropriate is a staircase that results in an enormous set of ominous doorways that additionally make it instantly apparent {that a} boss is ready behind them. The house on the left is the stomping floor of the Stone Vanguard, an non-obligatory boss made up of boulders organized in a roughly quadrupedal association. Its entrance legs slam all the way down to create highly effective shockwaves that hurl you round like a ragdoll. As a facet problem, the Stone Vanguard isn’t the set-piece that Black Fantasy’s foremost bosses are, nevertheless it’s a enjoyable time all the identical.
Behind the doorways, although, is the actual star of the present: Black Loong. Finest described as a fifteen-foot-tall pig/dragon/man hybrid, he swings huge electrified batons that crash by means of the rocks that litter his area. He’s slower than the beforehand talked about bosses however hits a lot more durable, constructing his assaults into prolonged combos that power you into prolonged defensive manoeuvres. My favorite of those was a collection of lightning pulses that burst outwards from his location in patterns that needed to be leapt over or dodged by means of with an virtually rhythm motion game-like sense of tempo and precision.
Ought to the beat of these lightning rings pose an excessive amount of of a problem, you need to use the Immobilize ability to freeze Black Loong in place and forestall him from unleashing the assault. This paralysis capability is only one of many various spells that can be utilized mid-battle. Reasonably than the sorceries of FromSoft’s video games, these are cooldown-based skills much like these seen within the likes of Diablo or the latest Murderer’s Creed video games. They take a very long time to recharge however work as enjoyable punctuation marks all through a fight encounter.
As you’d anticipate, these spells cowl a variety of utilities, from Cloud Step, which briefly enhances your dodge and sharpens up these evasive qualities, to the Fireblade Wolf; a metamorphosis that turns you right into a barely slower however highly effective demigod-like character with flaming glaive and a model new well being bar. My favorite, although, was The Pluck of Many, which summons a mini military of monkey clones that instantly unleash their aggression in your goal. Locking a boss in place with Immobilize after which activating these clones gives a wholesome burst of harm, and I can see that being a go-to approach within the ultimate recreation.
It’s at all times a improvement threat to disclose your recreation too early. Such a transfer can construct up years of heightened and unrealistic expectations. However, at the very least so far as this gamescom 2023 demo goes, Black Fantasy: Wukong has efficiently navigated that threat. It’s shaping as much as be one of the vital thrilling motion RPGs of the soulslike period, one with its personal recent method to problem, tempo, and skills. What stays to be seen is how developer Sport Science has approached wider RPG programs, reminiscent of character improvement and levelling up. Ought to that, plus the extent design of additional chapters, match as much as the standard bar of the bosses we’ve seen, then Black Fantasy: Wukong would be the success everyone seems to be hoping for.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK Information and Options Editor.