Regarding the publication date, there is a small thought; I set the publication date to September 9th, which is obviously not the day this article was completed.
It has been over a month since the release of Wukong, and during this month, at the beginning of the release, I was on a business trip in Lingnan, having to endure delays and remote stick fighting with 30 frames of animation, suffering quite a bit. During the gameplay, there was the pride of defeating the BOSS with a flurry of sticks, as well as the social anxiety brought about by unexpected obstacles; there was the frustration of getting lost despite consulting guides, and the indescribable joy upon first seeing the magnificent scenery after twists and turns. After enduring hardships to complete the full collection, there was a sense of loss; if I had started writing at any stage during this process, the final article would have been quite different.
A Toast to Idealism#
I have always admired and respected things that are aesthetically pleasing, somewhat obsessive, and violate commercial rules, such as Old Luo's Hammer Science and Mr. Ka's Game Science. The success or failure of these products is not that important to me; I want to see them inject even a trace of difference into this world. The successful are kings, while the unsuccessful are bandits; the obsession of Hammer Science with industrial design and the obsession of Game Science with scene art are strikingly similar, and the differences in their outcomes are worth pondering. There may be an opportunity to analyze this in detail in a future article.
Before watching and listening to the program by Gcores about Black Myth: Wukong, I simply attributed the emergence of this culturally and emotionally nearly perfect work to the four words "idealism." After receiving these fragmented pieces of information, some details hidden beneath the idealism gradually became richer.
A clear goal, a willingness to work hard, and a group of like-minded people. A cliché methodology, every step is solid but not easy. Mr. Ka, Yang Qi, and Li Jiaqi are certainly talented, but there are many things that talent cannot solve. Upon learning that the wolf scouts have over 60 different actions, the hard work of the motion capture and binding staff on this pipeline became tangible. Music director Li Jiaqi said: When you see the art students refining the details to that extent, it becomes completely impossible for you to produce something rough.
To do something that "breaks the stubborn emptiness," the team must have such cohesion; in the end, I suddenly thought of a "team" from a hundred years ago.
Unfinished, where does the road lead?#
I first heard the song "Unfinished" from a video site. At that time, the plot of this work was still in the phase of gathering opinions before dispersing, and I had some concerns about the plot from my friend's brief comments: Is it really at the level of second-rate web literature?
After watching the ending animation and the lyrics of this song, my mood suddenly lightened because everything before, even the gameplay itself, became less important; everyone can choose their own so-called core, and I saw what I wanted to see.
Long life, cannot last long.
Even if the heavenly court and the gods of Ling Mountain present themselves in such a beautiful manner, and the incense of the four continents is flourishing, no matter how the theory of universal salvation is promoted, it cannot conceal its essence of "devouring people"; this "spiritual resonance" will eventually meet its demise.
Once gone, never to return.
In the last scene of the ending animation, the Great Sage clinks glasses with his now-illusory comrades, and the wine flowing from the corners of their mouths resembles tears. Shaking off his cloak, he reveals the heroic silhouette; as the unfinished prelude begins to sound, I think this time, wielding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, is not just for Huaguoshan, but to level the injustices in this world!
In Conclusion#
With nationwide attention and a sales figure of 20 million in a month, my judgment is that Wukong is destined to be a unique piece, but Game Science has proven that one can also eat standing up in the game production industry. The Great Sage has completed his mission, and suitable successors will certainly inherit his "intent," not limited to video games, but also other cultural products.