Black Delusion: Wukong is, as our evaluation stated, each confounding and spectacular. It’s an motion RPG soulslike that has loads of the style’s ordinary beats — XP and talent tree, checkpoints that save your progress whereas additionally respawning enemies — whereas additionally placing its personal distinctive spin on them.

Our Black Delusion: Wukong newbie’s information will enable you begin your journey (to the West) because the Destined One with ideas from our first 15 hours with the sport. We’ve bought hints and recommendation on stage layouts, the (complicated) crafting mechanic, quick journey, and your tools.

There’s not likely a gameplay loop in Black Delusion: Wukong. You’ll journey from shrine checkpoint to shrine checkpoint, dispatching enemy yaoguais (demons) alongside the best way, however there’s not a lot of a grind. As a substitute, you’ll be extra targeted on getting from one boss struggle to the subsequent — there are a lot of bosses and boss-like enemies.

That linearity exhibits up in your armor and weapons as nicely. You don’t a lot unlock them as you simply attain a sure shrine and the crafting recipes for brand new tools can be robotically unlocked (extra on this beneath). The identical goes for spells — they’re simply given to you after beating sure bosses.

That stated, you don’t need to simply dash from one shrine to the subsequent as a result of…

Whereas your general progress is kind of linear, the routes between the shrine checkpoints do have branching paths which might be nearly at all times value exploring. You’ll often discover a minimum of a chest and even an non-obligatory boss struggle.

These boss fights may also provide you with loads of XP and often some uncommon improve supplies as nicely. If nothing else, you’ll discover some elements. Which can be helpful… ultimately.

As you play by means of the start of the sport, you’ll discover loads of elements like crops and mushrooms. Their descriptions will even say they “can be utilized to make medicines,” however you gained’t be capable of do something with them.

And that’s as a result of that’s a mechanic that doesn’t unlock till chapter 2, a number of hours into the sport.

Very early in Black Delusion: Wukong, you’ll run into an enemy known as a Wandering Wight. The primary time you meet it, you’ll be able to’t beat it. (Nicely, it’s doable, however it’s not going to occur.) The trick with that struggle, although, is that the best way ahead is previous that enemy. You simply must run previous it.

That’s not going to work for many fights, however it’s an essential lesson about how the sport works — you’ll get much more highly effective and have extra expertise to attract from as you progress (linearly).

When you hit a tough enemy or boss, you’ll be able to at all times come again later when you’re a bit stronger. Which brings us to…

You’ll be able to (quick) journey from any shrine to another shrine you’ve beforehand visited. However there’s no map, so it’s a bit awkward at first.

While you select to journey, you’ll simply get a listing of the names of shrines and their area. The names are descriptive sufficient, although, so it’s not too exhausting to determine the place you’re going.

As you progress by means of Black Delusion: Wukong and defeat bosses, you’ll unlock new tools to craft at shrines. You’ll solely ever struggle with one weapon — varied variations of a employees — so these are simple sufficient to know. The garments — gear on your head, physique, legs, and arms — are a bit extra attention-grabbing.

Garments have distinctive results that you just acquire whereas sporting them. These embody issues like injury bonuses or velocity will increase. Some tools has a quantity subsequent to the distinctive impact — that signifies what number of items of that set of drugs it’s good to be sporting to activate the distinctive impact.

Whereas Black Delusion: Wukong is generally linear, you’ll discover varied secrets and techniques off the crushed path. A few of these reward Vessels — equipment that grant useful perks. For assist in monitoring down a few of these early-game secrets and techniques, see our guides on the place to search out all hidden bell areas, the best way to assist the Yellow-Robed Squire, and the place to search out and ship all Buddha’s Eyes.