The resounding success of Black Myth: Wukong proves that the world of Chinese mythology offers vast storytelling potential, and developer GameScience is ready to bring more ideas to life. Instead of the titular monkey god, who has enjoyed enduring representation across various media, its next outing will put the spotlight on a lesser-known (on the Western side of things) but no less culturally significant figure: Zhong Kui.
Serving as a sequel to the 2024 hit, the aptly-titled Black Myth: Zhong Kui was unveiled for the first time in an announcement trailer at this year’s Gamescom, where the titular character makes a grand entrance in all his mighty, tiger-riding glory. As the project is currently in early development, not much else was shared about it, including a release window. The studio, however, has confirmed that it will be an action RPG just like its predecessor, and draws from the classic Chinese folktale, “Zhong Kui Banishing Evil”, in the following description:
“Set against the backdrop of the classic Chinese folktale ‘Zhong Kui Banishing Evil,’ Black Myth: Zhong Kui is a single-player action role-playing game rooted in ancient Chinese fantasy. The game will deliver distinctive experiences and gameplay features that push our limits, while also bringing fresh ideas and necessary changes to address past flaws and regrets.”
As Gamescom Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley puts it, Zhong Kui is a “ghost-catching god who wanders between Hell and Earth”, which comes close enough to his traditional portrayal as the vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings. The Taoist deity is typically depicted as an imposing man with a big black beard, bulging eyes, and a wrathful expression — a testament to his strength that extends to the ability to command 80,000 demons to do his bidding.
The character’s legend is now entrenched in Chinese culture, from hanging pictures of him to scare ghosts away to becoming the subject of a popular idiom. Zhong Kui can also be found in the folklore and mythologies of various Asian and Southeast Asian countries, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
While Black Myth: Zhong Kui will eventually be available on “all mainstream console platforms,” its release may not be simultaneous across them. Wukong launched on the Xbox Series X an entire year after debuting on the PlayStation 5 and PC, on which it sold 10 million in just three days; an expansion is also in the works.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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Kevin Low
