There’s no doubt that Black Myth Wukong is an outstanding action role-playing game. However, it does face some criticism, particularly regarding its technical aspects. While the game is a superb demonstration of the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, it also shows the potential challenges that arise from the “next-gen”visuals.
During my initial playthrough on PC, I experienced a mostly smooth gaming experience, albeit with occasional stuttering. However, as someone who prefers gaming on consoles, I was eager to try Black Myth Wukong on my PS5 to enjoy the game from the comfort of my couch.
Unfortunately, the console version differs significantly from the PC version, and not for the better. While Black Myth Wukong is entirely playable on PS5 from start to finish, it falls short of providing an enjoyable experience. This raises questions about how the Xbox Series S, which is considerably less powerful than the PS5 and Series X, would perform with this title.
Black Myth Wukong Presents Many Technical Challenges on Consoles
While Black Myth Wukong is not unplayable on PlayStation 5, it certainly lacks the polish of an ideal console port regarding performance and stability. This reminds me of Bloodborne, another title that, despite acclaim for being one of the best exclusives on the PlayStation 4, faced issues as a console port.
For context, Bloodborne struggled to maintain a consistent 30fps on PS4, despite having relatively simple graphical requirements. In contrast, Black Myth Wukong targets a smoother 60 FPS but often misses that mark due to significant sacrifices in performance. Given the fast-paced nature of Black Myth Wukong, playing below 60fps isn’t ideal.
However, the game’s 60 FPS mode comes with a significant drawback. Rather than offering a native 60 FPS experience, it heavily depends on AMD’s FSR3 Frame Generation to achieve its frame rate goals. While this feature is beneficial, it introduces an increase in latency.
To be fair, having played on a 144Hz monitor with VRR, I didn’t notice the latency as much. The PS5 has already some latency due to Bluetooth input, and the additional latency from frame generation didn’t significantly hinder my gaming experience, except in a few situations.
Interestingly, the main issues I encountered weren’t from frame generation or latency. Instead, they stemmed from the instability of the “60fps mode.” The first two chapters of the game were relatively smooth, with minor frame rate drops.
However, Chapter 3 – The New West became a real challenge on the PS5. Up until the Pagoda Realm, the game remained fairly stable, albeit with occasional slowdowns. But transitioning past the Pagoda Realm toward the Thunderclap Temple was a struggle.
I experienced constant stutters, frame rate drops, and freezes—issues that persisted until the chapter’s final boss, Yellowbrow. The stuttering was so severe that it disrupted gameplay by either misreading inputs or completely overlooking them in some instances.
Chapter 4 – The Webbed Hollow exhibited a somewhat stable frame rate, but as I moved into Chapter 5 – The Flaming Mountains, I again faced significant stuttering and freezes. The challenges in Chapter 5 were even worse than in Chapter 3, despite it being a relatively linear segment.
Chapter 6 – Mount Huaguo was a mixed experience regarding stability and frame rate, though it was an improvement compared to Chapters 3 and 5. Playing through Black Myth Wukong reminded me a lot of Control by Remedy Entertainment on the PS4, a game that also pushed visual boundaries.
Like Black Myth Wukong, Control prioritized graphical fidelity at the expense of performance, which many players may find unsatisfactory on consoles. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Black Myth Wukong on PS5, earning the Platinum trophy along the way.
That said, the performance issues were notable. Based on the extent of the issues on PS5, I can only speculate about how the Xbox Series S version will fare. Given that the Series S is significantly less powerful than the PS5, I doubt it will achieve 60fps even with Frame Generation.
I sincerely hope that GameScience takes the necessary time to perfect the Xbox Series X|S port instead of rushing it. Black Myth Wukong is an exceptional game, potentially one of the best action role-playing titles I have ever played, and I wouldn’t want anyone to experience a subpar version, regardless of their platform preferences.
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