Monkey King: Hero is Back

Monkey King: Hero is Back is an adventure and action game based on the Chinese animated film of the same name. It was developed in collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment as part of its program to support companies from China. It is one of the projects that seemed promising before the game hit the market on October 17 on PC and PlayStation 4, we will present it to you in our review.

The Story of Monkey King

The story is about the Monkey King “Sun Wukong,” who goes by the title “Da Chong,” or “Great Sage.” How could he not be referred to by such a title when he was the monkey who could master the Seventy-Two Transformations and the Five Elements of Nature? This wondrous ape stole his armor from the Dragon Kings and erased his name from the records of Hell. He went so far as to wage a holy war against the Chinese gods and defeat them, and then attempted to defeat “Buddha” himself. But who? Is “Da Shong” the counterpart to “Buddha”? Well, he’s just a monkey and the punishment for such a naughty monkey is to be locked up in a crystal prison for more than 500 years! The events of the story actually begin with the little boy “Loor” freeing “Da Shong” from his prison to ask him to help rescue infants who have been kidnapped by a group of monsters.

The Disappointing Storytelling

The story is based on the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West” and the beginning of the events makes us want to know more about its world and the background of its characters, but unfortunately it disappoints us and in the end we get an almost empty experience from every story! You can count the characters who play a role in the action on one hand, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but we don’t get to know these characters adequately. The game only mentions some very simple details about these characters, making them lose their importance. Even the enemy you want to defeat is not recognized in the way you want and he becomes just a monster. You don’t want to defeat him anymore.

Modest Technical Level

The technical level is modest, but it gets the job done, especially with the cartoonish art direction and simplicity of the character designs. The game does not suffer from technical problems and the frame rate drops in such a way that it does not affect the gaming experience. Monkey King is a linear game that puts you on small maps, but despite their smallness we notice very strange decisions. The development team has divided these small maps into several smaller sections, and moving between these sections means going through a loading screen! There is no doubt that the PlayStation 4 is capable of loading all the elements of these cards without any performance problems, especially at the modest technical level. What’s even stranger is that some of these small sections are straight and empty corridors! The volume of the voice acting varies from bad to good, but the melodies are at least good and stand out, as traditional Chinese melodies are generally rarely used in video games.

Simplistic Gameplay

The game system is very simple and is limited to movement, jumping, fast kung fu attacks and powerful slow attacks. The game features a nice mechanic to parry an opponent’s attack by pressing the fast or slow attack button before the opponent hits you in turn to finish it off in a short clip in slow motion or by continuing to hit one of them Press the buttons facing you. One against one (or more), which ends with you comically eliminating the opponents. Ultimately, Monkey King is a game aimed at young people, and this is evident in the slow movement of enemies and the ease of using blocks. Additionally, in Da Shong, there is only one combination that can be performed to provide a simple experience. It is very devoid of any complexity or difficulty level, so this game is not for those who want a challenge and improve their skills.

Lack of Originality

There are some ideas borrowed from other games, such as harvesting the souls of opponents to use them to develop Da Shong’s abilities and gain new abilities. It is also quoted from the game “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” in a striking way in the presence of some creatures hidden in the world that are similar to the creatures of Korok, as many of the ideas and designs are quoted, although these Ideas seem incompatible with the game world, and between the weak story and inappropriate design decisions, the game lacks its own identity. The content is limited to routine encounters with enemies and collecting a few keys at times.

Technical Issues and Lack of Depth

The game system often suffers from imprecise controls, and you will suffer from falling off platforms because of this. Even hitting enemies or using special skills on them often fails due to problems with the accuracy of the controls. The game does not offer this There is an automatic save system, and saving is done using scattered statues. In the game world, in addition to some characters that benefit you in developing and purchasing resources, and even these characters are seemingly randomly distributed, you can leave an area where these characters were present, only to see them directly in front of you in the subsequent area to find.

7 hours is enough to complete the experience, focusing on collecting hidden creatures. This is an age that doesn’t encourage purchase due to the $39.99 price tag. Monkey King: Hero is Back is not suitable for the player looking for a challenge and honing of skills or for those looking for an excellent adaptation of the most famous Chinese novels, and it is a very suitable experience. For young heroes with its simple game system and experience, but at a lower price than the original price, which does not seem appropriate for a game that offers such modest content.