Bloody Hell, *Black Myth: Zhong Kui* Just Served Up a Six-Minute Culinary Masterpiece – And It’s Non-Canon!
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
Game Science, the innovative studio behind *Black Myth: Wukong*, just dropped a stunning six-minute, in-engine cooking short for its sequel, *Black Myth: Zhong Kui*, as a wild Chinese New Year celebration, proving their tech prowess and quirky marketing genius despite it being "non-canon."
Right, so I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. You know that feeling when you cast a spell, and it works a bit too well, but not quite in the way you intended? That’s kind of what Game Science, the wizards behind the highly anticipated *Black Myth: Wukong*, just did for their upcoming sequel, *Black Myth: Zhong Kui*.
This analysis is based on an original report by John Walker for Kotaku, titled 'Black Myth: Wukong Sequel Releases Six-Minute Short Film To Celebrate Year Of The Horse'.
Forget your expectations of brutal combat, mythical beasts getting smacked with giant sticks, or epic quests through ancient China. For Chinese New Year and the Year of the Horse, Game Science decided to give us… a six-minute, in-engine short film depicting the most extraordinary culinary demonstration you’ve ever witnessed. Seriously. My initial thought was, 'Have I accidentally opened the wrong portal, or did Game Science just pivot to cooking sims?' Turns out, it’s just Game Science being, well, Game Science.
This isn't some subtle teaser with a blink-and-you-miss-it cooking scene in the background. Oh no, mate. This is a full-blown, wild-ass cookery show starring a mystical chef carving up ingredients with a ruthlessness that would make Gordon Ramsay blush. And it’s all rendered with the same engine that’s powering *Black Myth: Zhong Kui*. The sheer audacity of it, honestly. You'd expect a studio to drop a new boss fight, a character reveal, or at least a glimpse of the actual game. Instead, we got a masterclass in dicing, slicing, and preparing some rather… lively… ingredients.
I reckon the most striking moment for me, amidst all the extraordinary details and ruthless knife work, was the demise of a particular blinking slab of meat. It just hangs there, eyes staring blankly, likely unnoticed on a first watch. But catch it the second (or third) time, and it just adds another layer of bizarre, beautiful detail to the whole affair. It’s definitely worth a rewatch, just to catch all the little magical touches they’ve hidden away.
Now, here’s the kicker, and where my gentle skepticism kicks in, just a smidge. Game Science describes this stunning piece of digital artistry as “non-canon” and “unrelated to the main storyline.” Non-canon! Can you believe it? They've poured this much obvious talent and effort into showcasing their engine's capabilities – the squishiness of the fish (oh, the *squishiness*!), the insane quality of the liquids, the creature design (even if they’re just ingredients for now) – only to say, 'Yeah, this isn’t actually in the game.' It's like a wizard crafting a flawless illusion just to prove they *can*, not because it serves any direct purpose for the grand quest. But, hey, if that's not peak confidence, I don't know what is.
Because while this short doesn't show the game in any traditional sense, it’s a remarkable tech demo. Aside from particle effects like dust and chopped leaves still being the *least* impressive aspect (though still, frankly, some of the best I've ever seen), the fidelity on display promises a world of visual wonder for *Zhong Kui*. If they can make a fish look that good being chopped, imagine what they can do with a mythical demon getting its head caved in by a hero.
This isn't Game Science's first rodeo when it comes to quirky New Year celebrations, mind you. This is actually their sixth! They've got a track record of embracing the unexpected, almost like they're daring us to guess what kind of magical mishap they'll cook up next. For 2021's Year of the Ox, we got a more traditional *Wukong* trailer. Then came 2022's Year of the Tiger, which was a whole other kettle of cats – a 12-minute mockumentary about programming actual kittens into *Wukong* using motion capture. Yes, you read that right. Kittens. Mocap. *Wukong*.
Then in 2023, the Year of the Rabbit got a charming stop-motion animation about a bunny struggling to get a PC version of a Game Science game running – a relatable tale for any gamer, honestly. 2024, the Year of the Loong (a.k.a. Dragon), saw them release a 13-minute live-action dramatic film complete with a song. And just last year, for the Year of the Snake, it was another live-action short, but this time sneakily plugging a whole bunch of *Black Myth* merch with a dramatic narrative rap. So, if anything, a non-canon cooking short made in-engine for the actual upcoming game is, dare I say, almost *normal* for Game Science. Although, I've got to note a distinct lack of horses for the Year of the Horse. A missed opportunity for a mystical equestrian cooking show, perhaps?
What this whole delightful, chaotic tradition tells us is that Game Science isn't just making games; they're crafting experiences, even in their marketing. They're confident enough in their tech and their vision to play around, to surprise us, and to push boundaries in ways most studios wouldn't dream of. It's a fantastic way to keep the hype train rolling, not with recycled gameplay snippets, but with genuine artistry and a dash of madcap genius.
For us gamers, it means two things: First, *Black Myth: Zhong Kui* (and by extension, *Wukong*) is going to be an absolute visual treat if this short is anything to go by. Second, Game Science is a studio that marches to the beat of its own drum – or perhaps, cooks to the rhythm of its own cleaver – and that, my friends, is genuinely exciting. It makes you wonder what magical concoction they'll whip up for us next year, doesn't it?
If you're eager to see what the actual game is supposed to look like, there was a teaser trailer for *Zhong Kui* released last year, which gives a more conventional glimpse into the action. But for now, let's just appreciate the sheer spectacle of a studio showing off its chops (pun absolutely intended) in the most delightfully unexpected way possible.
Tags: Black Myth Zhong Kui, Game Science, Tech Demo, Gaming News, Chinese Mythology
Original article: kotaku