This article was originally published in Italian on StayNerd.it in 2019.
The Chinese video game market has always been dominated by online experiences geared heavily toward competition, yet Sony Interactive Entertainment has taken on the daunting task of selling a single-player title—one inspired by a beloved children’s movie blockbuster—to the demanding Asian public. A winning bet? Let’s find out.
Born from the collaboration between HexaDrive, Oasis Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and a handful of smaller studios, Monkey King: Hero is Back is the first truly Chinese video game IP to receive a console adaptation with AAA production values. Or at least, that’s what the bombastic marketing campaign wanted us to believe during the game’s promotional phase, which saw the title featured prominently in PlayStation 4 ads aimed at the Asian market, complete with gameplay clips and flashy visuals.
Many might overlook the appeal of yet another video game inspired by the ancient Chinese tale Journey to the West (yes, the same one that inspired Dragon Ball), but this particular title—released in late 2019—is best known in China as the video game adaptation of the CG-animated film of the same name, directed by Tian Xiaopeng.
The movie itself even made it to Italian theaters in September of the previous year. Monkey King: Hero is Back is a decidedly average family film, but when one considers the creative context in which it was conceived, it quickly becomes clear why Sony decided to greenlight a video game version a full four years after the film’s domestic debut: the film was made on a shoestring budget of just $16 million (for reference, Antz by DreamWorks Pictures—a film often criticized for its low production quality—had a budget at least five times higher), and all marketing expenses were covered by a crowdfunding campaign involving a vast number of contributors, including children.
Whether the result of marketing genius or simply the romantic narrative of a grassroots “dream come true,” the film was such a massive hit in Chinese theaters that it still ranks among the top three highest-grossing animated films in the country’s history.
It’s no secret that the PlayStation 4 only officially launched in China in 2015, and since then, the console has offered a solid lineup of titles with a distinctly Japanese flavor. But never before had Sony attempted to create a product specifically targeted at the casual Chinese market. And so, banking on the timeless charm of this legendary tale and the cinematic appeal of the film adaptation, this title arrives on our consoles—at first glance reminiscent of the many colorful platformers that once delighted gamers during the 128-bit era. In truth, this product of Sino-Japanese cooperation is a video game plagued by design flaws so glaring that they shatter suspension of disbelief within minutes. Interactive and non-interactive elements lie mere pixels apart, a stark reminder that there’s very little “AAA” in this Asian joint venture.
The game’s biggest problem is its failure to pair a reasonably engaging (if borrowed) setting with gameplay that even remotely compares to modern counterparts. The story roughly follows the events of the film, with some tweaks to better fit the video game format: the protagonist is none other than Sun Wukong, the unbeatable monkey warrior whose arrogance led Buddha himself to seal him in a crystal prison, stripping him of his powers. Fate eventually causes his path to cross with that of the young boy Lieur, who accidentally frees him and then convinces him to help rescue a group of kidnapped children taken by a mysterious villain.
As you can see, the narrative framework follows one of the most classic formulas in children’s storytelling: a gruff antihero (with a heart of gold) seeking redemption for past sins through meaningful connections with others, thus rediscovering humility and the value of affection. This is brought to life through a fair number of cinematic scenes that convincingly depict character relationships without falling into a relentless barrage of hyperactive action—unlike the film.
While the movie might be lumped in with the most forgettable and lowest common denominator children’s media, the video game—thanks to its slower pace—manages to resemble more wholesome family entertainment, where both kids and adults can find some common ground without being alienated by the story. That said, Monkey King: Hero is Back is still marred by some very significant problems: it’s little more than a repetitive 3D action-adventure game with a combat system that, in theory, should be its core mechanic. Fighting is the main activity here, and in its early minutes, the game impresses with smooth character animations and teases future depth via a skill tree system that suggests the gameplay will evolve as the story progresses.
On paper, it all sounds promising. In practice, it’s a patience test where you’ll find yourself mashing buttons randomly to defeat waves of identical enemies with sluggish AI, all within a linear structure that lacks any spark of originality. The game does attempt to spice up combat with a counter system that lets you trigger special moves by timing light or heavy attacks, but realistically, every enemy can be defeated far more quickly by repeatedly using the one combo at your disposal—or by spamming magic attacks. These magical techniques grant long invincibility frames, so much so that even boss fights become trivial. And because the game includes a crafting system that lets you create healing items ad nauseam by spending a few minutes gathering ingredients from the environment, there’s virtually no challenge to be found.
Set in a 3D world filled with invisible walls and static environments populated by what appears to be no more than ten total character models—including NPCs and monsters—it’s unclear how this title ever made it to Western shelves in this state—especially considering it comes fully dubbed in Italian. This is even more baffling when you factor in the relentless marketing push in Eastern territories. Further dragging down the already fragile experience is the level design, made up of corridors and predictable arenas scattered with loading screens that are far too long (at least on PS4, the platform on which we tested the game): climbing a tower just to check for nearby enemies requires two separate loading screens. And no, that’s simply not acceptable in the year of our Lord 2019.
All in all, it seems the collaboration between Chinese and Japanese studios has resulted in a game that’s barely passable on paper, with its only real ambition still visible in a handful of cinematic scenes that are far more impressive than anything in the animated film. It’s a real waste of effort that could be prolonged—given the short duration of Monkey King: Hero is Back—by purchasing a season pass that offers two new scenarios and a couple of extra costumes, thrown in seemingly just to justify the price tag. Should you still be interested…
