The Journey to the West story has been adapted across the centuries since it was written, but it has just recently gotten the spotlight again thanks to the Game of the Year-nominated Black Myth: Wukong from Game Science.
With the rise of shameless imitations like Palworld and Light of Motiram making headlines over recent months, a new game on the Nintendo eShop has fans wondering if the developers were trying to rip off Black Myth.
Black Myth Imitation on Nintendo Switch?
According to VGC, Global Game Studio has released Wukong Sun: Black Legend. This 2D action platformer shares the same source material as Black Myth: Wukong.
The official description reads: “Embark on an epic Journey to the West in Wukong Sun: Black Legend! Step into the role of the immortal Wukong, the legendary Monkey King, as he battles through a chaotic world teeming with powerful monsters and untold dangers. Explore a story inspired by Chinese mythology, filled with action-packed battles, stunning environments, and legendary foes.”
The game is receiving considerable attention on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform. Users have been calling Wukong Sun a shameless ripoff of Black Myth.
Besides the source material, the fact that the game has a title that’s essentially the synonym of Black Myth: Wukong is also a dead giveaway that the developers are trying to bank in on the popularity of Game Science’s AAA title which managed to sell over 20 million copies when it debuted earlier this year.
To Be Fair
Though it’s obvious that Black Legend is trying to bank in on the popularity of Black Myth, there’s no denying that the source material is essentially public domain, so Game Science doesn’t have the right to keep the Wukong myth to itself.
Admittedly, Journey to the West elements have adapted to several media across generations. The anime Gensomaden Saiyuki famously featured characters based on the JTTW mythos. Son Goku, a.k.a. the Monkey King, is the lead of the hit Dragon Ball franchise, which borrows heavily from folklore.
Black Myth essentially took this public domain IP and gave it a shiny new AAA game skin. It’s essentially what God of War did for Greek mythology. Since the release of those games, more media has covered the stories of gods like Zeus and Athena, including the Clash of the Titans remake and Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Be the Bigger Man
Nintendo has refused to comment on Black Legend's availability on its platform, but pursuing this may be a waste of time.
Though Black Legend seems like a small game, some players are concerned that it could lead to many consumers expecting to get their hands on Black Myth only to realize that they’re playing a re-skinned game pretending to be something it’s not.
The original Black Myth: Wukong is now available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.