We now have some actual souls recreation freaks right here at PC Gamer, a number of of whom are deep in Shadow of the Erdtree preparation mode, however I am not considered one of them. I like From’s model of motion RPG, however I wish to imagine I signify the everyman’s expertise with them—bumbling by means of the opening hours, simply barely beating bosses on a good ninth try, typically quitting within the last act the place issues get actually powerful and promising myself I will get again to it (I do not get again to it). Perhaps that is cope speaking and I am simply not constructed for the souls life, however I do know that Black Fable: Wukong is far more my pace than Elden Ring.
In case you’re not one of many many soulslike followers who’ve rocketed Black Fable: Wukong to the highest of Steam’s most-wishlisted video games, then you definately’ve in all probability seen it in passing. It is an motion RPG loosely adapting the Fifteenth-century novel Journey to the West (the newest of many diversifications, together with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West). You play because the monkey king himself, Solar Wukong, taking over the world along with his magic workers. It is solely the second recreation by indie outfit Sport Science, based in 2014 by ex-Tencent devs. You may keep in mind Sport Science as the topic of a 2023 IGN report detailing a historical past of sexism from considered one of its founders in addition to a wider firm tradition of misogyny.
My two hour demo at Summer time Sport Fest, which was the primary time Black Fable: Wukong has been playable, centered across the Black Wind Mountain, an early space within the recreation tailored from a chapter of the identical identify. I am not accustomed to writer Wu Chen’en’s authentic imaginative and prescient of Black Wind Mountain, however Sport Science’s rendering is full of wolflike henchmen, big-headed golem infants, and a gauntlet of difficult bosses.
At the same time as I steered Wukong towards a dozen early deaths, not one of the handful of boss fights I discovered made me need to chuck the controller throughout Los Angeles—possibly as a result of it was straightforward to mud myself off and take a look at once more after I by no means awoke greater than 15 or 20 seconds away from the place I died. Wukong’s streamlined moveset bolstered my persistence, too. Fight is narrowly centered on a single weapon, the monkey king’s magical workers, a dodge button, and quick-use spells with cooldowns. It is closest to Sekiro and Bloodborne on this approach, and but there is no block or parry (no less than not early on).
Two hours is not sufficient time to get a full learn on what looks as if a fairly large recreation, however some key info souls likers will need to know:
Wukong’s workers is his sole weaponBoss fights are a lot of the recreation (no less than thus far)The areas between bosses are small, and never significantly excitingWukong heals with a single flask restricted by usesBlack Fable has a conventional combo system, with later strikes executed by linking heavy assaults into mild combos
That combo system might show to be the standout characteristic of Wukong’s fight. It is not so simple as mixing mild and heavy assaults. Touchdown mild assaults builds up Focus factors (identify topic to vary, in line with Sport Science)—I might financial institution as much as two at a time within the demo, however I think about it is upgradeable. Utilizing heavy assaults consumes Focus, however when you’re out of factors, heavy assaults can nonetheless be triggered in a pinch by charging them up first.
Boss rush
I rushed into the primary main boss combat of the demo, a wolfman named Guangzhi with a double-tipped flame spear, hoping my improvised technique of “spam charged heavy assaults” would carry me by means of. Guangzhi instantly sized up my freshman techniques and lower me all the way down to measurement with arena-crossing slash-dashes.
I might died a handful of instances earlier than the affected person Sport Science dev to my proper prompt I concentrate on mild assaults, and unlock an early transfer on the talent tree that introduces heavy assaults into Wukong’s mild combo. It was an evening and day enchancment. Mild assaults whittled Guangzhi’s well being bar down pathetically slowly, however I used to be lastly getting constant hits in and, crucially, by no means committing to an assault with a protracted animation I could not cancel right into a dodge. Each different mild combo generated a Focus level that I might instantly flip right into a heavy hit with a long-range (because of the extendo-staff) overhead slam that by no means did not stagger its goal.
Guangzhi instantly sized up my freshman techniques and lower me all the way down to measurement with arena-crossing slash-dashes.
Guangzhi nonetheless dropped me a number of extra instances after that earlier than I put him away for good, however I walked away from the combat with an understanding of what is going to and will not work in Black Fable, and which Souls collection habits I might have to depart on the door. I realized mild assaults have been only a means to farm Focus, and that Black Fable’s fight economic system is all about banking Focus factors and cashing them in as quickly as doable. I additionally walked away with Guangzhi himself, or moderately, the ability to remodel into the wolf beast and swing his fireplace spear.
Shapeshifting and spellcasting completes Wukong’s bag of tips. Shapeshift varieties are tremendous highly effective, however Wukong can solely maintain a type for a minute or two, and even much less if he takes too many hits. In Guangzhi mode, I inherited his long-reaching sprint assault in addition to an final finisher that solely unlocks after connecting a handful of blows. I obtained the sensation shapeshifting is supposed as a boss combat software—whipping out Guangzhi on a gaggle of fodder goons was like squaring up a squadron of snails with a tank. Plus, the cooldown on the Guangzhi type was lengthy sufficient that it made sense to deal with it extra like a “break glass in case of great beatdown” panic button.
Dimension up
And I did panic, lots. I do not know if that is Sport Science’s intention, however I used to be always on the backfoot in Black Fable. Past the one transformation afforded per combat, I did not have many offensive choices past what I might do with my workers. My sole spell for a lot of the demo was one other type of “oh crap” button—an “Immobilize” spell that locks targets in place for a number of treasured seconds. Typically I spent these seconds pounding mercilessly away at an additional inch of well being bar, however extra typically I wanted the reprieve to soundly sip Wukong’s restorative booze.
Greater than motion RPGs prefer it, Black Fable is a recreation about operating away. After I’d exhausted my mana, the one factor between me and a visit again to the respawn shrine was the B button—dodge, dodge, roll, dodge, roll. A superbly timed dodge (signaled by Wukong transferring so quick he leaves an afterimage) creates openings for combos, however even Black Fable’s early bosses cherished to vary up their timing simply as I might tuned my thumb to their rhythm. Bosses additionally do that “enjoyable” factor the place they barely telegraph their strongest assaults, all however making certain studying assault patterns comes with a blood price.
The areas between boss fights would be the lowlights of Black Fable.
I anticipated Black Fable’s strict doding coverage to hassle me extra. I used Sekiro’s block button as a crutch all through the entire recreation. My FromSoftware resume is padded with ranged wizards and sword-and-board bros who assume dodging is for cowards. After a number of significantly low cost deaths, I questioned if Black Fable is not lacking one thing further to assist with protection—a block, teleport, even that joke protect from Bloodborne.
These video games are laborious sufficient with out slicing out blocking solely, however Black Fable makes its case nicely for an agility-only strategy. You may type of block within the sense that some assaults interrupt enemy combos, and I feel the window for dodging is commonly bigger than it appears. I haven’t got the footage to look again on, however I swear one time, I efficiently rolled out of an assault after it’d already linked.
A brief hike
I have never stated as a lot in regards to the world surrounding Black Fable’s boss fights as a result of there’s not a lot to say. Black Wind Mountain is a beautiful area—convincingly dense with vegetation and tree cowl—however you may look a lot farther than you may really go. Black Fable’s world, or no less than this early space, is finest described as a community of climbing trails, slender and deliberate, flanked on all sides by invisible partitions. Even locations I believed for certain I might attain, like behind a low barrier of rocks and bushes, have been partitions in disguise. I did not really feel pushed down one specific path, however each route was basically a funnel of fodder that led to a prize—a treasure chest, improve materials, or generally an elective miniboss.
Sport Science is clearly working at a a lot smaller scale than Elden Ring, however I used to be stunned to not discover any indicators of an interconnected world begging to be picked aside. Wukong can soar, however I did not discover a single use for it exterior fight. The Black Wind Forest is pretty flat, and the areas I scoured have been simple and sparse.
I believe which means the areas between boss fights would be the lowlights of Black Fable—a bummer for many who have been hoping for a “correct” soulslike out of Wukong—however that has its benefits, too. Once more, these sparse funnels of enemies are very easy to run previous in your approach to a boss combat. So far as I can inform, Black Fable is one lengthy boss rush. No fuss, all combat. I can get behind that.
