Friday is Chinese New Year, which is when the Year of the Rat ends and the Year of the Ox begins according to the Chinese zodiac. And to celebrate the occasion, Game Science Studio took time out from developing Black Myth: Wukong to give us a fun demonstration of what they've been up to.
It's not a 13-minute trailer this time around, but it's still greatly appreciated. Also unlike the previous trailer, this one is set in a desolate, blasted landscape rather than a lush and verdant forest.
"As the mouse gives way to the Ox, we have a growing talent and force," writes Game Science at the beginning of the trailer, referring to their recent hiring spree. "Here is a little tune for you, gamers dear, may you have a prosperous year."
There's not a lot of extra gameplay to see here. Wukong demonstrates his incredible martial arts by beating off a few ninja rats, and then eventually a fire-breathing two-headed rat. Then a giant ox shows up, roars, and Wukong just sort of stands there impressed by the bull's stature.
"Be strong like a bull," ends the trailer, while also noting that this whole thing had nothing to do with the overall plot of Black Myth: Wukong. We also still don't have a release date, but we wouldn't expect anything before 2023 at this point.
Game Science is a studio made up of former Tencent staff that worked on Asura, a Journey to the West-themed MMORPG that rose to some prominence in China. Sticking with Journey to the West, they decided to strike out on their own and make Black Myth: Wukong, a story that centers around the mythology of the Monkey King. Black Myth takes inspiration from games like God of War, Sekiro, and Monster Hunter World, with the previous trailer showing some slick combat animations and even slicker environments and lighting.
We still don't know when Black Myth: Wukong plans to release, but we know that they plan to get it out on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, and release it worldwide.
Source: IGN