Three years after its breathtaking first trailer dropped, Black Myth: Wukong finally let players get their hands dirty. Back in the day, developer Game Science held a massive hands-on event in Hangzhou, inviting over a thousand players to experience the highly anticipated action-RPG. For 45 glorious minutes, they battled through three distinct bosses and a full chapter, getting a real taste of what was to come. It was a game-changer, a moment that shifted the hype from 'all talk' to 'oh, this is the real deal.' Fast forward to 2026, and looking back at that demo feels like witnessing the birth of a legend.

The demo kicked off with a familiar face—or rather, a familiar multi-legged horror. The first boss was the Centipede Guai, straight out of the iconic 13-minute 2020 trailer. This time, it was lurking in a nasty, dank cave. Its moveset was no joke: rolling charges, heavy punches that could flatten you, and the ability to spew poisonous gas. That gas was a real pain, inflicting a nasty poison that chipped away at your health until you chugged an antidote. But let's be real, for seasoned players, this guy was the tutorial boss. Once you learned his rhythm, he was toast. It was a solid, if slightly creepy, welcome to the world of Black Myth.

Things got real spicy with the second boss, the Macaque Chief. Remember that epic snow mountain fight from the 2021 trailer? Players got to live it. The environment was stunning, with snow realistically piling up as you moved and fought. This battle had a cool secret, a real 'git gud' moment. If you could whittle the chief's health down by half within a tight time limit, you'd trigger his second phase. To face the winged monkey in all its glory, you had to push deeper into the level. In this enraged state, the monkey went absolutely ballistic. Its aggression, attack range, and patterns skyrocketed. Aerial assaults became its new favorite pastime, turning the fight into a chaotic, heart-pounding spectacle. This was where the demo started to show its teeth.

Boss Name	Location	Key Mechanics	Difficulty (1-5)
Centipede Guai	Dark Cave	Poison Gas, Rolling Attacks	⭐⭐☆☆☆
Macaque Chief	Snow Mountain	Timed Phase Change, Aerial Assaults	⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Tiger Vanguard	Blood Pool Temple	Stone Solid Skill, Fast Combos	⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Blood Moon General	Purple Cloud Mountain	Area Attacks, Two-Phase Fight	⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Poisonous King (Hidden)	Hidden Path	Extreme Speed, Poison, Heavy Damage	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The third main boss was the Tiger Vanguard from the 2022 trailer, waiting menacingly in a temple's blood pool. The devs revealed he'd be an NPC in the story, teaching you the Stone Solid skill. So, of course, he used it against you in the fight. The water effects reacting to every clash and movement were a visual treat. But beauty was the beast here—the Tiger Vanguard had the fastest attack speed and highest aggression of the trio. He mixed physical combos with spell-like abilities, and his damage output was brutal. Getting caught in one of his combos meant a quick trip back to the last checkpoint. This fight demanded precision and patience.

The chapter experience, dubbed Purple Cloud Mountain, felt like a proper slice of the full game. Its lush forests, eerie villages, and ancient temples echoed the 2022 trailer footage. This semi-open map offered multiple paths to explore and was littered with enemies. And let's not sugarcoat it—these minions were no pushovers. They could and would end your run with a single, well-placed strike if you got cocky. The level included a short cutscene, an optional quest for a new transformation ability, and culminated in a showdown with the chapter's final boss, the Blood Moon General.

This boss was a behemoth. You fought at its feet, dodging devastating area-wide attacks. When it transformed for its second phase, a blood-red moon drowned the scene in an eerie glow, and its attack patterns evolved. But the real challenge, the true 'skill check' of the demo, was hidden down an easy-to-miss side path: the Poisonous King. This scorpion-like monstrosity was the demo's secret boss. After a cryptic chat, you had to smash a nearby wine barrel to start the fight. This thing was on another level:

• Insane attack speed

• Crushing damage per hit

• Persistent poison effects

It took countless attempts, nearly an hour of grueling combat for many, to finally bring it down. The poison was a relentless killer, often draining your health before you could even reach for a cure potion. Defeating it felt like a genuine achievement.

So, what did the combat actually feel like? From the demo, Black Myth: Wukong shaped up as a classic action-RPG with a killer twist. The protagonist's Golden Cudgel was a weapon of wonder. Its attack range changed based on your rhythm. Light attacks built up Focus Points, while heavy attacks spent them. Stringing them together created combos. The real magic was in the counter-combo: pressing heavy attack just before an enemy's blow landed would spend special points to unleash a high-damage, invincible retaliation. It was high-risk, high-reward, and oh-so-satisfying.

Movement was fluid. You could jump and dodge, with an instant-dodge creating a phantom copy of yourself to evade attacks and counter immediately. It had no recovery time, letting you chain-dodge through enemy combos, but it drained your stamina bar fast. The devs hinted that the full skill tree would let these phantoms explode for extra damage.

The game heavily encouraged blending physical strikes with spells—a true 'fight smart, not just hard' philosophy. For example:

• Freezing an enemy with Immobilize before wailing on them was a safe damage boost.

• Timing mattered: drinking from your health gourd inside a Ring of Fire restored more HP.

• The Pluck of Many summoned a squad of clones to fight for you, a perfect 'get out of jail free' card.

• Transformations were game-changers. Turning into the Fireblade Wolf let you wield a fiery blade, while the Worm Man form added poisonous attributes to your attacks.

Yes, it shared DNA with the Dark Souls series, but the feel was utterly unique. In most soulslikes, you're swinging a sword or axe from the hilt. Here, you're wielding a staff, primarily gripping it in the middle. That grip shifts dynamically with different moves, altering the rhythm, reach, and impact of every swing. The thwack and crunch of the staff connecting with enemies had a distinctive, weighty feedback. Combined with the deep spell system, Black Myth: Wukong carved out its own identity in the ARPG landscape. It wasn't just another challenger; it was a contender playing by its own rules.

Looking back from 2026, that demo answered many questions but left even more burning. What other weapons awaited the Monkey King? How deep did the level-up and skill tree systems go? How many transformations and spells were hidden in the full journey? The demo was a tantalizing appetizer, but the full feast was still to come. Of course, we now know the game launched to acclaim in 2024 on PC and next-gen consoles, but in that moment, the Hangzhou event was a promise—a promise of a groundbreaking adventure that blended myth, mastery, and monstrous challenge into something truly special. It was the moment Black Myth: Wukong stopped being a myth and started becoming a legend.