Black Myth Wukong is great, BUT...

I’m about halfway through Black Myth Wukong, Game Science’s recent hit action RPG, and it’s phenomenal. It has definitely nabbed the Game of the Year for 2024. The graphics, game mechanics, and setting really make you feel like you are the Monkey King embarking on his Journey to the West to acquire incredible supernatural power.

Welcome to MeowMed’s Musings, folks. Today will be short and sweet—I just wanted to share a few thoughts on my latest gaming adventure.

Now, I’m no mythological expert, but the first thing that comes to mind when learning of this epic tale is no other than Hanuman! Both are monkeys who wield tremendous strength and abilities to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in a heroic fashion.

Some even believe that Sun Wukong may have been partly inspired by Hanuman due to these similarities. Personally, while I do think that this notion would be quite intriguing, there are some differences to consider (again, please correct me as I am not well-versed in Chinese mythology). Wukong seems to be more of a mischievous character, rebelling against Buddha and heaven. And while Hanuman once tried to consume the sun, he was just a child. Otherwise, throughout the Ramayana, he tends to consistently act nobly in character towards his fellow deities.

This also got me thinking—would it be possible to make a video game featuring Hanuman, or some other figure in Hindu mythology? I’m not exactly sure if a game based on Hanuman would be 100% feasible after the success of Black Myth Wukong, as some people may deem it a ripoff due to the similarities I noted above. On the other hand, I could imagine a setting where you get to fight through hordes of demons of Ravana’s army, perhaps with 2 boss fights against Ravana himself. My other idea would be playing as Arjuna in a Mahabharata-based game because while he is one of the central figures to the story, he is not as powerful as Krishna (nor is he necessarily the physically strongest mortal warrior), so there exist opportunities for challenges towards the protagonist.

But we’d have to somehow get India’s game development industry off the ground to make something like that happen. Who do you think would win in a showdown between Hanuman and Sun Wukong—feel free to reply to this email!