First introduced in 2020, Dark Myth: Wukong immediately brought a strong wave in the gaming community at that time. In addition to eye-catching gameplay and “expensive” graphics, the thing that is discussed the most is definitely the game’s plot.
Inspired by the novel Journey to the west – one of China’s “four great works”, and also a very familiar work to many readers both in China and Vietnam; but right from the name “Dark Myth”, the developer Game Science seems to have implicitly announced that it will lead to a completely different story, where the dark sides of mythology are delved deeper and brought to light.
Below, we would like to share some perspectives on the world of Black Myth. Please note, this is all just the writer’s personal speculation.
In Chinese culture, gods, Bodhisattvas or Buddhas are always portrayed with the highest respect. They are people with powerful magic, compassion and generosity, and consider saving sentient beings their responsibility. However, from the perspective of the monsters, the actions of the fairies are not necessarily as good as they appear. That is clearly shown in the trailer released at The Game Awards on December 8.
The trailer opens with a line from a character wearing a yellow shirt and blue skin with horns on his head:
In the rest of the trailer, the characters continue to quip:
Returning to older revelations, in his first appearance, the Spider Goblin had to exclaim to his groom: “Heaven is really not a place for people to live. It’s good to be back.” Since ancient times, cultivating to become a fairy has been the dream of many mortals, or even monsters. Yet to the Spider Goblin, “heaven” is described as hell. So are the fairies – the people who live there – noble people worthy of respect?
This is not the first time dissatisfaction with the gods has been hinted at in the Dark Myth. As you know, an element that cannot be overlooked in the introduction of Dark Myth is the “narrative”, which reveals to us many important details related to the game. In the trailer released in August 2021, the “narration” is full of satire and mockery of monks, always saying “to save sentient beings”, specifically here the four teachers and students of Duong. Increase:
Image of Maitreya Buddha bound by chains
This narrator also bluntly mocked the Tathagata, considering the “eight precepts” that Buddha proposed such as not killing, not stealing, and not lusting as mere nonsense. At the same time, “Buddha” is also considered an obstacle on the path of practice:
This means that having Buddha in your heart is not a good thing, it even prevents the four teachers and students from practicing. Meanwhile, those who practice seemingly “desireless and desireless” and abandon the physical world are actually still stubbornly pursuing their own desires.
From here we can also see the undisguised contempt for the highly respected gods and Buddhas, something that demons rarely – or it can be said, never – show. Especially for Buddha – who always promoted the doctrine of “saving all sentient beings”, which did not have too deep animosity towards demons.
During the demo event taking place in Hangzhou (China), gamers had to face a BOSS named Hoi Nguyet Ma Quan at Tu Van Son. In the original work Journey to the West, Tu Van Son is the residence of Pi Lam Ba Bodhisattva. Wukong once guessed that this Bodhisattva’s true body was a hen. Meanwhile, Ho Nguyet Ma Quan is a chicken monster. In addition, the description of Hoy Nguyet Ma Quan is exactly the same as the introduction of Pi Lam Ba Bodhisattva’s son.
Players will have to fight the Demon Army of Hoi Nguyet
For those who do not know, the son of this Bodhisattva is Mao Nhat Tinh Quan (or Mao Ke Tinh Quan). When Tang Tang’s four teachers and students had difficulty capturing the Scorpion Star, Wukong had to ask the Mao Nhat Tinh Quan for help. Because the chicken is the scorpion’s enemy, the scorpion star was quickly conquered.
The Moon Demon Lord is the Mao Nhat Tinh Lord
So why did a fairy in heaven become a “Demon King”? Some players think that Mao Nhat Tinh Quan has been “demonized” and turned into Hoai Nguyet Demon Quan. However, it cannot be ruled out that from the beginning, Mao Nhat, or more broadly, the gods and Buddhas in heaven, were the perpetrators of the crime.
On the contrary, demons are not necessarily evil demons with no conscience, they are even always imprisoned by something called “heaven’s mandate” (or heaven’s mandate), forced to walk on a path they do not want. Like a demon in Black Mythology who once resented and complained: “Is it the fate of everyone in my clan to perish?!”
