Speedy Soulslike parries are out in full force in Black Myth: Wukong's newest trailer

Upcoming Soulslike Black Myth: Wukong reared its monkey head again at today’s Gamescom Opening Night Live show, where we got another look at its mythological beasts, lightspeed parries and, err, a headless bard. Interesting stuff all around. Take a peek below.

For a man missing a face, a mouth, half a throat, and a number of other essential muscles, that guy sure has some solid pipes, huh? Apart from that, our glimpses at combat offered a slightly more acrobatic take on classic Soulslike action with very, very high jumps and whatnot. I quite enjoyed the Jedi-style projectile block at the end where our main guy just spins his weapon around like a helicopter and prays that nothing deadly slips through the cracks. Gamescom attendees can go hands-on with a 30-minute demo this week, but if you’re otherwise stuck at home, you can see more from the action RPG on Steam.

Black Myth: Wukong, as you might have noticed, takes inspiration from Chinese mythology and the famous Ming dynasty tale, Journey To The West. The game first caught our attention back in 2021, when developer Game Science dropped a surprisingly lovely look at its combat. Our Ed was then smitten with the game’s concept art and fugly cast of rats that we’ll probably get to kill when the time comes. We’ll need to wait until launch time - currently slated for summer 2024 - for some rat murder though.

It's worth remembering, though, that Game Science’s CEO and founder Féng Jì has courted controversy, to put it more politely than he might. As Eurogamer reported last year, Ji faced criticism for some of his misogynistic, homophobic and just generally odd and sexually explicit comments that resurfaced, which were first highlighted in a report published in SupChina in 2020.

For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to our Gamescom 2023 hub. You can also find everything announced at Opening Night Live right here.