Can it run “Black Myth: Wukong”? Graphics cards on the verge of collapse, but lots of gaming fun

1 - Intro, technology and gameplay 2 - Benchmarks, critical points, map and conclusion

Benchmarks

The in-game benchmark looks nice, but it doesn’t challenge the system like many other places do. You can actually bench almost anywhere to measure lower FPS. And nobody needs a fair-weather benchmark. Since the normal enemies spawn again and again every time you jump to a shrine, you really have to clean up before you start the benchmark. This is a bit annoying and takes a lot of time, but my scene is still comparatively easy to clean up. Nevertheless, this limits the benchmark variety somewhat.

I know I could have done without the Cinematic preset, but this way I can kill two birds with one stone. The performance in Full HD with Cinematic is almost the same as in WQHD, but one quality level lower. Without Full RT, the result is the usual picture for GeForce and Radeon cards.

If you add Full RT, the Radeon Guild has no chance, as expected, and even the RX 7900XTX almost degenerates graphically into a still image projector. On the large NVIDIA cards, this costs a few percent in performance, but at least it is still playable.

Points of criticism

A first point of criticism concerns the controls, especially on the keyboard and mouse, which I just mentioned. Sometimes the controls are subjectively perceived as less precise and intuitive compared to using the controller. The uneven sensitivity of the mouse movements along the X and Y axes can quickly make the controls feel imprecise, which can be somewhat frustrating in a game that relies heavily on precise combat.

My main criticism, however, concerns the technical performance of the game, especially the optimization and the problems associated with it. Despite the impressive graphics, there are annoying effects such as a stuttering frame rate, especially with the demanding ray tracing effects. These stuttering problems can significantly impair the gaming experience, as they disturb the immersion in the otherwise breathtaking world and usually occur when you need them the least.

Another technical criticism is the problem of “shader compilation stutters”, which can still occur even after an initial shader compilation process. These glitches occur when the game compiles new shaders during gameplay, leading to sudden drops in frame rate. This is particularly annoying as Unreal Engine 5 actually offers tools to avoid such problems, but the game still seems to have a lot of potential for optimization in this area.

You can also argue about the level design, especially the use of invisible walls that limit exploration in some areas. These very annoying limitations can considerably diminish the feeling of freedom and discovery that the game otherwise offers. There is also deliberately no map in the game for players to find their way around. This decision is closely linked to the game concept and the desired gaming experience. Developer Game Science has decided to focus the game more on exploration and the player discovering the world themselves, rather than guiding them through a map.

The absence of a map is intended to encourage players to engage more intensively with the game world, observe the surroundings closely and orient themselves using visual clues. This increases the sense of immersion and adventure as players are forced to rely on their own perception and sense of direction rather than looking at a clear map. However, this design decision is not without controversy. I find the lack of a map somewhat frustrating and disorientating, especially in complex areas or when trying to find specific locations. However, the community has now become active and has simply created its own map, but so far only for the first two chapters. You can find the map here: https://blackmyth.gg/map

Conclusion

“Black Myth: Wukong” really is an extremely demanding game that poses challenges even on high-end hardware. Choosing the right upscaling technology and graphics options is crucial to ensure a smooth gaming experience. It is particularly important to adapt the specific settings to your hardware in order to get the best out of the game’s truly breathtaking graphics in places. This also catapults the game to the new Crysis, which could only be played smoothly in all settings after several generations of graphics cards.

For optimum performance, we recommend using a monitor with a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), as this enables a smooth display even with fluctuating frame rates, which is particularly advantageous when using ray tracing effects. Nevertheless, “Black Myth: Wukong” remains a game known for both its graphics quality and its high hardware requirements, and it will be exciting to see how future updates could further optimize performance.

Ultimately, the choice between controller and keyboard/mouse depends heavily on the player’s personal preference. Both control methods have their strengths and can provide an intense and immersive gaming experience in Black Myth: Wukong. However, it is clear that the game is optimized for controller use, which makes it particularly appealing to console gamers or those who prefer a console-like experience on PC.

And what else? “Black Myth: Wukong” is a way of combining traditional storytelling with cutting-edge technology to create a gaming experience that is both technically and artistically impressive. Game Science has managed to bring the ancient story of Sun Wukong to life through the skillful use of Unreal Engine 5 and NVIDIA technologies in a way that will delight both fans of the legend and lovers of top-notch video games. And it even tickled me, which is saying something.