I’ve been watching a lot of Elden Ring clips this week, especially the ones that include commentary about the player feeling frustrated or demoralized. What I’m seeing most often is bosses that chain together multiple attacks that force you to dodge with perfect timing over and over. It feels like you should be rewarded with an opening to counter attack when you time a dodge perfectly, but Erdtree’s bosses like to dance around, striking repeatedly, and force you to dodge three, four, sometimes five attacks in a row before you have a chance to coun

Of course, dodging doesn’t stagger or interrupt an enemy's attacks the way a parry would, and one of the most difficult things about Wukong’s boss fights is how often you’re required to dodge multiple attacks in a row. Every time I nailed a perfect dodge my instinct was to immediately retaliate with a barrage of attacks, but more often than not, you need to string three or more perfect dodges together before the enemy gives you an opening. Most of my deaths came because I dodged too early, or failed to dodge a bunch of times in a row.

Soulslike fans love unique challenges. One of the most impressive feats you can achieve in Dark Souls is playing through the entire series without taking a single hit , but that might not even be the hardest challenge out there. Someone once beat Dark Souls 3 using only Morse code. Another completed the original Dark Souls using 20 bananas as a controller. Twitch streamer Luality is famous for playing Dark Souls 3 on a Dance Dance Revolution dance pad. Last week I myself faced one of the greatest Soulslike challenges there is: playing Black Myth: Wukong for the first time in front of its developers. You think a deathless run is hard? Try dying to the first boss seven times while the makers of the game silently judge you.

I’m not trying to talk anyone out of playing Wukong (though I do recommend you at least inform yourself about the allegations of discrimination and harassment at Game Science ). It’s a Soulslike through and through and I expect it will be popular with fans of the genre. But if Erdtree is too hard for you because the bosses are relentless, I’m sorry to say it, but Wukong isn’t going to treat you any ni

From talking to other FromSoft experts, I’ve gathered that Erdtree’s fights aren’t as easy to brute force as other fights. In our discussion video last week, reviewer James Troughton explained that their plan to stagger enemies with blunt weapons wasn’t as effective as they’d hoped, but when they switched to a more hybrid build with magic options, they had a lot more success. They also used the Mimic Tear Spirit Summon to distract bosses, and when they weren’t strong enough to beat a boss, they farmed Scadutree Fragments until they w

Black Myth: Wukong is set to bring an all-new Soulslike experience to gamers. As the game's August 20 release date draws closer, Black Myth: Wukong has a lot of potential to be a great addition to the genre that FromSoftware started. There is still an ample amount of mystery surrounding the game, but based on early footage and trailers, Black Myth: Wukong looks to have some thrilling gameplay mechan

True Soulslike or not, Black Myth: Wukong is highly anticipated by fans of the genre, as well as classic action-adventure fans. Developed by Game Science, Black Myth: Wukong puts players in control of the Destined One, who is based on the "Monkey King" Sun Wukong from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West . Sun Wukong is known for his supernatural powers, including the ability to shapeshift into other animals and objects. Black Myth Wukong guide|https://blackmythwukongfans.Com/ Myth: Wukong 's Destined One can shapeshift just like The Monkey King, ultimately granting him a fighting chance in each of the game's boss fig

Combat has a very different flow from what you might be used to in this genre. Activating your light attack unleashes a flurry of quick, acrobatic hits that combo together several times before ending in a heavy finisher. The heavy attack (the default is a long-range, overhead slam) needs to be charged up before it can be used, either by holding the heavy attack button for a few seconds, or landing consecutive light attacks until you store a charge that you can unleash later on. The stamina gauge limits how much you can attack and dodge, though, so you can't just spam light attacks over and over. Even against weak enemies, fights require a lot of patience. It's all about building up your power and waiting for the right moment to unleash a string of devastating attacks on your opponent.

Despite often being referred to as a Soulslike game, Black Myth: Wukong manages to strike a balance between classics in the genre and modern action RPGs in its boss fights. Each boss encounter in Wukong is thoroughly challenging and chock-full of unique mechanics — as anyone might expect from a typical Souls game — but it quite literally dodges Soulslike comparisons by emphasizing movement heavily. The Destined One's quick zips across the battlefield, allowing Black Myth: Wukong 's boss fights to make a name for themselves in a saturated genre of pattern-heavy, yet memorable boss encount