Adaptations have always been a part of video games. Developers have taken stories and themes from many sources. Recently a Chinese developer Game Science Interactive Technology Co, announced that they were releasing a new adaptation of Journey to the West called Black Myth: Wukong. While this isn't the first time that the series has been adapted, it does reinforce the text as being perfect for games, but why is that?
Journey to the West was published in the 16th century, and the writer Wu Cheng'en is considered by many to be the original writer. The story follows the monk Tang Sanzang as he travels from the lands in the East to the lands in the West. On his journey, he is joined by the Monkey King Sun Wukong. An iconic piece of literature that has inspired countless stories, Journey to the West is perfect for video games.
The World
The world that is set out in the Journey to the West is one filled with gods and magic. The lands that the party travel through are varied, with huge mountains and massive inland seas. This world has humans rub shoulders with demons as giants stomp across vast valleys. The geography itself is never constant either, with Wukong and the monk traveling across mountains, forests and deserts on their journey.
Video games work if their locations are epic but retain a level of realism. For instance, the giant snake in Sekiro was amazing in part because the area had been designed with it in mind. In the few trailers we have seen for Black Myth, there have been numerous different locations on display. There are vast rocky deserts, perilous mountains and even the clouds of heaven. The locations created in the book allow for perfect arenas for players to explore.
The Enemies
The majority of foes that Sun Wukong faces in the original text are demons, but that isn't as stifling as it sounds. The demons are a varied foe, with no two looking exactly the same. Some creatures resemble animals, some that are a living desert and all manner in-between. Wukong has also, in his own history, taken on the very armies of the heavens themselves. The battles described are magical, full of action and are as exciting to read as they would be to play.
So far, Black Myth has shown several different enemy types. We've seen strange animal-like humans, oddly deformed giants and towering bugs. The gameplay trailer has a boss fight against a beautifully animated wolf-like creature. The books have a wealth of art that could give developers a huge library of fascinating and varied creatures for the player to battle.
The Powers of a Monkey King
Sun Wukong in the original text is one of the most powerful creatures to ever exist. Due in part to his trickery and skills, he earns immortality, super strength, shape-shifting, clones, a flying cloud and a shape-changing staff, to name a few. Part of the story is his constant fighting against the demons and the actions of the heavens to try and find some way to control him.
Black Myth has given some insight into the kind of abilities their Wukong possesses. We see him turn into numerous different forms. We see him create a group of clones to battle a boss and even see him ride his flying cloud. All of his skills would allow for varied and interesting gameplay. Players love having a varied set of abilities, and Sun Wukong certainly has that and more.
Sun Wukong's Journey
Sun Wukong could never be described as a simple character. In the original text, he shows various emotions and reactions that could be easily understood and even empathized within our modern time. He is never truly evil, but he does have a short attention span and more power than he really knows what to do with.
Black Myth hasn't given us much regarding the story or the protagonist's character, but there is a wealth of information available and numerous ways to show it. If the developers followed the main story, they could show the monkey king at both his most hubristic and his most deferential. A good story requires the character to grow and change, and Journey to the West has that in spades.
Familiar, yet Different
Journey to the West is not that well known in the Western world, at least in terms of the actual text and story. However, aspects of it have been adapted into numerous different media that we know and cherish. One example of this would be Son Goku, who shares many traits with Sun Wukong and is often considered an homage to the character. We know the character, yet we don't know him in this form.
This allows developers to show something new but at the same time make it somewhat familiar. The lore behind Journey to the West is deep, and as such, can seem a bit impossible to understand at first, but having recognizable characters can lessen that. Hopefully, Black Myth gives the players the information they need while relying on the familiarity of the characters to make everything more digestible.
One reason for adaptation is using a known story and allowing people to experience it differently. Journey to the West is one of the premier pieces of literature, and it is perfect for adaptation, not only because of the world and the creatures in it but also for what it could teach. Black Myth has a chance to show a side of the culture not often seen in western media, and from what we've seen so far, it is succeeding in creating an interesting world for players. Let's hope more developers see Journey to the West as the great source of potential new stories that it is.