Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert Impressions
Black Myth: Wukong was a game I was initially skeptical about at first with its first announcement of the pre-alpha build. It looked too good, combat was fluid, and the presentation was over the top, which made me think it was more of a UE4 (and then UE5) concept idea. On top of that, Game Science was really only known for its mobile games, and now they are doing a souls-like, gorgeous looking single player action game? Well, I think we all know how it turned out, and I’m glad they absolutely nailed it because it really did deliver on all the hype and grandeur.
Game Science hit every mark in making a solid AAA game, and one of those things is the soundtrack. It was so well done, so authentic, that they are now doing global tours of the soundtrack in theaters world wide. They started the live symphony orchestras in Shenzhen China back in 2024, but now they are going global. We were lucky enough to be able to attend their first Los Angeles showing on July 7th, and I have to say, what an absolutely fantastic experience!
The Peacock Theater is a very nice venue.
I told myself that this year I really wanted to try new things, and my intended goal was mostly to try new games that I usually don’t play. I want to broaden my horizon and try to appreciate other genres in gaming. However, I did not see myself branching out to live orchestras. That being said, I’m not complaining one bit because now I want to make this a regular thing after experiencing how great this was.
The Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert took place in The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, which is a very nice theater and the first time I’ve been there. Plenty of concessions from snacks, candy, soda, and alcoholic beverages, if you partake. The first thing that we were instructed to do is go pick up our gift bags. Their are three different ticket tiers to choose from and each come with exclusive, non-sale merchandise. The Standard Tier comes with a commemorative ticket stub, a white brass ring, and a portrait pin. Deluxe Tier comes with everything in Standard, but also includes a “Ma-Ma-Hu-Hu” t-shirt, and the Premium Tier has everything in the last two tiers as well as a 1/12 Scale Collectible Figure. Each of these items are a mystery grab with different items to possibly get.
We were lucky enough to get the Platinum Tier, which was provided to us by our PR team that set it up, for full transparency. We received the Yang Jian portrait pin, a Grey Wolf Mask white brass ring, the Tiger Vanguard t-shirt, and for our 1/12 Scale Collectible Figure we got the Wandering Wight. Unfortunately, due to audio/video product distribution regulations across regions we weren’t able to get a CD version of the soundtrack. However, they did provide a Commemorative Card Set of each song with the lyrics.
Now, what about the actual song and orchestra? It was sublime. They played seventeen songs with two encore tracks. Each song followed the main story through each chapter and the two encore tracks were for the announcement of Black Myth: Zhong Kui (the sequel to Black Myth: Wukong), as well as the Black Myth: Wukong title menu. Each song that was played also featured either combat gameplay visuals or the actual animated short or cutscenes from the game. Songs like the claymation scene after Chapter 2.
What I really loved most was all the use of the traditional Chinese instruments. The Guzheng, Pipa, and Dizi were all on display with their unique sounds that really brought each song to life. They also had all of the original vocalists from the soundtrack to do it which gave it that perfect emotion and power. The only performer that wasn’t able to make it was Xiong Zhuying, who did the Shaanxi storytelling songs portrayed by the Headless Monk. I guess there was an issue getting his travel visa to come to the US. However, we didn’t miss out because his son played for him and he did a wonderful job.
It was a flawless symphony, with everyone on point. All of the instruments were perfection, hitting the exact timing of the video presentation of the cutscenes, as well as the vocalists being pitch perfect and really giving it their all in their performance. The soundtrack was already fantastic, but experiencing it like this was really special and gave it even more impact. I loved seeing how happy and animated the musicians were while playing, especially the wonderful lady playing the Dizi flute. She was an absolute joy to watch, they all were, but she seemed so passionate with her instruments and that really comes through in the performance.
The Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert was an absolute joy to go to. Having never been to a symphony for a game or movie soundtrack, I was blown away with how much I enjoyed it. So much so that I want to go to more of these. Anyone who has played Black Myth: Wukong knows how great the soundtrack is, and this was truly a memorable experience that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the game. I enjoyed it so much that the next day I redownloaded the game to play again. If the Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert comes back next year, hopefully with more dates and locations, I definitely recommend going. It was a two hour event that you won’t forget, and if you’ve never been to a symphony before, maybe this will be a good introduction to these kind of productions.
