Black Myth: Zhong Kui shows off 15 minutes of rollparrysliceage, and I've just learned that the bloke it's named after was a lethally effective headbanger

Game Science have put out a fresh trailer showing off Black Myth: Zhong Kui, their follow-up to Chinese mythology-stuffed action-RPG Black Myth: Wukong, in action. A year on from its reveal at 2025's Gamescom, Zhong Kui's looking as slicey and rolly as its predecessor, despite a switch in protagonist.

A lot of the trailer is said new protagonist battering weird forest abominations in Fromsoft-ish battles. Prior to that, he builds a raft with an old man and midway through he goes diving to recover a lady lying at the bottom of a lake or flooded sinkhole. With help from either a mate or a powerful form he can summon when the need arises, he beats a boss, who's subsequently attacked by the lady, whom we must assume couldn't sleep through the racket of sword clanging and screams. Towards the end, there's a montage of the protagonist getting up to a variety of hijinks, including trying to catch a big fish and getting his makeup done.

Meanwhile, Game Science have stuck a poem into the video's description box, which reads as follows:

With blood beneath my blade, I paint new rouge upon my face, An old friend visits, in a dream taking place. Old faces, bygone deeds, have vanished from my sight, Still, I remember every one, by day and through the night. Those bound by love grow old; the righteous road runs long; Today's notes of grace or grudge define not the final song. Who says the Underworld is far away? All the better - once more I'll walk along.

Solid rhyme scheme, though I've not the foggiest if it reveals anything the trailer doesn't. What I have done is look up Zhong Kui, the Taoist deity the game's named after. "According to legend, Zhong Kui was a top scholar in the Tang Dynasty imperial examinations," reads a synopsis of his legend on Game Science's site. "When he went to meet the emperor for his appointment, the emperor was repulsed by his fierce appearance with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and extremely ugly features, and expelled him from the golden hall. In his rage, Zhong Kui struck his head against the palace pillars and died."

We've all been there, right?

Zhong Kui, assumedly with a serious headache, was subsequently appointed an "evil-dispelling judge" by the demon-fearing emperor and padded out his resume as the King of Hell's "great marshal for dispelling evil and pacifying ghosts". The latter might explain the mention of the Underworld in that poem.

As of right now, Black Myth: Zhong Kui remains without a release date or confirmation of launch platforms, though its predecessor Wukong hit PC right out of the gate. Here's Ed Thorn's review of it if you're in need of a refresher.

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Black Myth: Zhong Kui shows off 15 minutes of rollparrysliceage, and I've just learned that the bloke it's named after was a lethally effective headbanger

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