How I First Played Black Myth: Wukong at Gamescom 2023

I still remember the sweltering heat of Cologne in August 2023, weaving through the packed halls of Gamescom like a pilgrim threading his way toward a sacred temple. Leaks and rumors had been swirling for weeks, and Insider Gaming had already confirmed it: Black Myth: Wukong would be playable, with dozens of machines humming inside a massive booth. The moment I stepped into the darkened exhibition area, the air changed. Temples, incense, and ethereal light that painted the walls with gold and crimson — this was no ordinary demo station. It was a portal.

My hands were trembling when I finally gripped the controller. Three years earlier, in 2020, the first trailer for Black Myth: Wukong had shattered the internet. A breathtaking action RPG rooted in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, the game promised to let players become Sun Wukong himself, the Destined One. Developers Game Science were using Unreal Engine 5 to forge a world dripping with folklore, martial arts, and God-beast battles. Now, at Gamescom 2023, I was about to step into that legend for the very first time.

The queue moved slowly, and I spent the wait studying the setup. The booths were arranged like ancient shrines, each one hiding a high-end PC rig. Staff members spoke in hushed, reverent tones, explaining that the build we were about to play was a vertical slice from an early chapter.

When I finally sat down, the world fell away. The demo opened not with a menu, but with a cinematic — the Destined One, fur bristling, staff twirling in a storm of leaves. Combat felt like a dance. Light attacks chained into heavy strikes, perfect dodges left afterimages that dissolved into golden motes, and the transformation mechanic let me shift into a massive, fire-veined insect to circumvent a sealed gate. It was often described as "Souls-like," but calling it that feels reductive now. Yes, there was deliberate pacing, stamina management, and bosses that demanded you learn their rhythm or die. Yet the fluidity, the verticality of the monkey-king’s movement, and the sheer cinematic grandeur set it apart. I still recall the first boss — a hulking wolf demon with a guandao that carved shockwaves into the stone floor. Every time I died, I respawned at a shrine, wisps of incense coiling around the fate-sealed hero. After six attempts, I read its patterns, turned the tables, and felt something primal click. That sense of mastery was intoxicating.

While I was still catching my breath, the speakers across the hall announced that Opening Night Live would feature a world premiere look at the game for those who couldn’t attend. That evening, thousands of viewers watched the new trailer on giant screens; it showcased never-before-seen areas: snowy mountain monasteries, underwater palace ruins, and a colossal dragon that unfurled like a storm cloud. The crowd roared. I remember thinking, "This is going to be huge."

Fast forward to summer 2024, and Black Myth: Wukong launched on PC and mainstream consoles (the promised PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions, though last-gen hardware and Nintendo Switch never materialized). I devoured it in three weeks, and the final product surpassed even that Gamescom demo. Every realm felt like a painting from a Ming dynasty scroll, every boss encounter a lesson in Taoist philosophy wrapped in mythological fury. The journey of the Destined One was both a faithful homage and a bold modern reimagining, triggering a global wave of appreciation for Chinese mythology.

Now, in 2026, we look back at that Gamescom moment as the spark that ignited a phenomenon. Over 20 million copies sold, a Game of the Year award, and two story expansions later, the monkey king’s legacy is indelible. Yet for me, it all began in that cavern-like booth, with the scent of synthetic incense in my nostrils and a mythical staff in my virtual hands. That’s the magic of a demo done right: it doesn’t just show you a game; it transports you into a legend. And legends, as Wukong taught us, never truly end.