《黑神话：悟空》火出圈！西游背景难住的不仅有外国人...

他发了一张AI-generated image（AI合成的图片），把自己的脸P到了游戏中的悟空身上，还配文说“impressive 3A game from China（来自中国的让人印象深刻的3A游戏）”。We have to say that the influence of this game has spread all over the world.

今天我们就来谈一谈Black Myth: Wukong这款游戏为什么不只是在中国，而是在全球都making waves（掀起了波澜）！

01. A Fresh Mythological World 全新的神话体系

你敢相信吗？黑神话还没正式发行就已经在多个地区登顶pre-sale charts（预售排行榜）了。这简直是不可思议！So, what makes this game so special?

首先就是《黑神话：悟空》给世界带来的全新的游戏世界观，或者说a fresh mythological world（一个全新的神话体系）。Actually, 3A games are typically dominated by major western and Japanese studios (3A游戏常年由西方和日本的一些大型工作室主导).

As for China, the main focus of its gaming industry is often on mobile games (手机游戏).

其实在此之前，西方的一些3A games的世界观就来自它的神话体系。There are a lot of game canons out there that take cues in (汲取) their world-building (世界构建) from existing mythologies (现存的神话). Hades (《哈迪斯》), God Of War (《战神》), Valheim (《瓦尔海姆》), and Assassin's Creed (《刺客信条》) build around foundations that have existed for centuries.

• canon /ˈkænən/ 规则，标准

说到西方神话体系，就不得不提到：Egyptian Mythology（埃及神话）、Greek Mythology（希腊神话）和 Norse Mythology（北欧神话）了。These are classic Western myths.

People are already familiar with these mythic systems, so it's very exciting when players are exposed to (接触到) a new kind of world-building.

有一个玩家是这么说的：对于3A游戏界而言，黑神话绝对是满满的异文化冲击，那是一种神秘、有历史感、高壁垒，又让人忍不住去探索的未知领域。It's a mysterious kind of culture shock (神奇的文化冲击).

But let’s not ignore the fact that this game could be a bit hard to get into for those not familiar with Chinese culture (对那些不了解中国文化的人来说会有些困难).

But it is normal that we always have to put in a lot of effort (花很多精力) when learning something new. Just as we have learned about Western culture before by looking up information (查阅信息), learning their language, etc.

It hasn’t stopped international players from wanting to dive deeper into (更深入地了解) the story and cultural background. For example, some players learn about the myth by reading Journey to the West and watching the Journey to the West TV series. Erin thinks it actually made the game more intriguing (有趣) since it is so different.

02. Hardcore Technology 硬核技术

接下来我们从technical aspects（技术方面）聊一聊这部游戏的影响力。

Game Science used a cutting-edge (尖端的) tool called Unreal Engine 5 (虚幻引擎5). 其实“虚幻5”是2020年才发布的一款软件，而在此之前《黑神话：悟空》已经启动了好几年了。所以它算是中途切换到了一个新的graphic engines（图形引擎），但是这一换可以说是让这个游戏的画面清晰度直接提了几个等级。

Unreal Engine 5 is the latest version of Unreal Engine (虚幻引擎的最新版本) developed by Epic Games. Nanite 虚拟几何体（virtual geometry）的出现意味着由billions of polygons（数以亿计的多边形）组成的影视级美术作品可以被直接导入虚幻引擎。这也就是为什么我们玩游戏能玩出影视大片的感觉了，每一帧都是高清壁纸。

From its humble beginnings using Unreal Engine 4 to upgrading (升级) to Unreal Engine 5, the shift is like going from 720p to 4K. 在这种极致的画面下所呈现出来的场景简直太美了！

Actually, a lot of the buildings and sculptures (雕塑) in the game are scanned from (扫描自) real life China. The developers traveled around China, scanning actual historical sites (历史遗址) to create aesthetically stunning setting (美轮美奂的场景).

No wonder it won the “Best Visual Effects” award (最佳视觉效果奖) at Gamescom 2023 (2023年科隆游戏展). It shows that Black Myth: Wukong is already being recognized on a global stage, not just as a game, but as a serious contender (竞争者) in the world of visual storytelling (视觉叙事).

What’s really fascinating is how this technology allows players to experience real Chinese environments, from ancient temples (古寺庙) to mystical (神秘的) landscapes. It would be more reasonable and believable. 现实中存在的东西就是比凭空创造出来的要更加reasonable（合理）一些。

或许我们可以说，这是一种realism（现实主义）或者写实风格，它用一种只有cutting-edge technology（尖端技术）才能做到的方式把你拉到了这个世界中。The authenticity (真实性) adds to the storytelling, making it feel more grounded and relatable (更接地气、更贴近生活), especially for Chinese players.

One comment said, “When I see the temples and hear the familiar conversations in the game, it feels like I’m home.” 

While there were many fantastic 3A games before Black Myth: Wukong, non-Western gamers don’t have that cultural resonance (文化共鸣). 尤其是游戏中的梗、笑点都是对不上的，特别是在本地化没有那么完善的时候。那么在这种情况下，黑神话的出现让众多中国玩家感觉像是回到了家一样。

That emotional connection (情感联系) is powerful, especially for a game based on such an iconic piece of literature (标志性的文学作品) like Journey to the West.

Now in China, almost everyone has seen the Journey to the West TV series. And what’s funny is that it’s not just Chinese players feeling this; international gamers are diving deep into the lore (传说) and even learning about Chinese culture just to appreciate the game more.

And a lot of people are starting to watch different versions (不同版本) of the Journey to the West TV series. If you are one of them, Flora recommends the one made in 1986. You may love the character of Wukong after watching it because it is played so well.

03. Global Gamer Reactions

Here are a few comments we found:

一位中国玩家写到：作为一个《刺客信条》系列游戏的爱好者，每当我蹲在欧洲各个著名建筑顶端和历史神话人物对话交互的时候都在想，我们也有五千年历史文化，也有各种神话故事璀璨的文明，我们的建筑也很美，什么时候才能玩到我们自己的3A游戏，现在我们有了！相信《黑神话：悟空》只是起点！

A foreign gamer commented, “This is like Assassin’s Creed but with Chinese mythology. The graphics (画面), the story—it’s unlike anything I’ve ever played (不同于以往我玩的任何游戏)!”

Black Myth: Wukong is finally giving Chinese gamers a taste of their own mythology (让中国玩家体验到他们自己的神话) in a way that feels just as epic (如史诗一般). It represents a milestone for China’s video game industry (中国电子游戏的里程碑).

Its success shatters the notion (打破了这种看法) that 3A titles are more likely to be money losers (做3A游戏是赔钱买卖). In addition, it is making the world more aware of China.

04. Expectations for China's Game Industry

Black Myth: Wukong shouldn’t just be seen as a vehicle (工具) for exporting Chinese culture. The game’s primary goal (主要目标) is to be a fun, well-made game. Cultural export (文化输出) is a bonus (锦上添花), not the endgame (最终目的).

我们希望Game Science在“文化输出”“国风”这样的褒奖声中能够不忘初心，继续给世界呈现更多制作精良的内容和文化产品。

The “national style” or “cultural export” tags (标签) don’t automatically guarantee success (并不能自动保证成功). The quality of the game needs to speak for itself. If a product is genuinely good, it will naturally attract attention and spread globally.

That’s why there’s a lot of responsibility on the developers to keep refining and improving (改进和完善) the game. “国风”“海外”这样的标签不但不会成为“免死金牌”，反而赋予了Game Science更大的责任。如履薄冰、努力深耕，才会给世界呈现出更多足够震撼的中国作品。

See you next time！