Black Myth: Wukong, Gamescom, Dragon Age audio drama
Plus the next outing from Jackbox Games!
I’m no scholar of Journey to the West and its myriad descendants, so the best description of Black Myth: Wukong I could muster was “what if Sekiro was a monkey?” After playing the game, which released to an overwhelmingly favorable Steam response this week, I can say it has an identity all its own.
It’s not without controversy — from the serious (allegations of workplace misogyny, bizarre content-creator demands) to the tedious (is it really a Soulslike?) — but the game itself drops jaws and strains reflexes. Its mythological scale may dwarf even God of War: Ragnorok, and its precise, spectacular combat could make even Bayonetta blush. I would have played a lot more if not for other demands on my gaming time: a Magic: The Gathering cube hosted by a former Wizards designer, ongoing Dark Souls 1 and Arcs multiplayer campaigns, Hunt: Showdown 1896 — to name a few.
The US has Summer Games Fest, and Europe has Gamescom. I wish I could have seen it all in Cologne, but I’ve been gobbling up its virtual previews in the meantime:
Game File: Microsoft's Indiana Jones twist: It's back to being a PlayStation game, too
IGN: Civilization 7 Will Be The Most Beginner-Friendly Civ Yet
Polygon: The big games, reveals, and trailers from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024
Relatedly, Dragon Age is getting an 8-part audio drama, Vows and Vengeance, after the reveal of The Veilguard’s spooky October 31st release date. The podcast features much of the game’s cast, but something about it reminds me of Dragon Age: Redemption, the web series starring Fecilia Day that got its own DA2 DLC. Vows and Vengeance’s trailer rattled through cliched dialogue and gave little clarity about its story, but as an audio producer myself, I’m intrigued.
Finally, I attended a virtual preview of The Jackbox Naughty Pack — which I think of as an adult-oriented Jackbox Party Pack 10.5, since it’s only got three games, not the usual five. I’m a certifiable Jackbox enjoyer — I own packs 3-10 on multiple devices. Their goofs, social deductions, trivia, and general hijinks have capped many a virtual and in-person game night.
While the company’s games have long wavered between edgy and family-friendly, the Naughty Pack is their first R-rated foray. It’s not visually explicit, but it dives facefirst into the innuendo only hinted in previous titles. While such raucous blue humor might slide amidst close friends — imagine trying it during working hours in a Discord server full of journalists!
Awkwardness aside, I liked the look of Fakin’ It All Night Long the best. It’s a smart update to an old social deduction title that finally accommodates players who aren’t in the same physical space. While Jackbox developers told us they were responding to demand for more adult-oriented games, I wish this one had a safe-for-work option so I could play with a wider clutch of people. But I must admit that the Card Against Humanity market has got to be larger than the melange of coworkers, grandmas, and sunday school teachers I often play with.
In any case, The Naughty Pack sure feels like a trial balloon — and I expect we’ll only see more experiments from Jackbox going forward.