Review by Jon Donnis
The Crown of Wu is a thrilling third-person action-adventure, puzzle game from small 3 person Spanish studio Red Mountain, inspired by Chinese mythology.
The story of The Crown of Wu follows the exploits of Wu, a creature who is half-monkey and half-human. Once serving as the emperor's messenger, Wu's behavior turned chaotic after he began wearing a crown that granted him exceptional abilities. It seems that donning the crown corrupts the wearer's heart, as Wu's misdeeds and brutalities ultimately resulted in his capture and punishment: being frozen in a bio-static solution.
After spending many years in a near-conscious, immobile state, Wu eventually breaks free from his confinement and discovers a world in decline. To make matters worse, his crown has been stolen and is being employed to create a vibration that will culminate in a massive explosion, threatening the extinction of all life. In order to save the world and redeem himself, Wu must retrieve his stolen crown and assist those whom he previously punished. His ultimate goal is to achieve peace.
Here are some of the features:
The game world - Immerse yourself in a great land that is both ancient and new. Inspired by Chinese mythology and created to tell a new story of Sun's journey from anti-hero to hero, this is a world where legend meets reality.
Combat System - Discover a fresh and simple combat system that grants you incremental powers as you travel through this terrible land to solve the mystery of the stolen Crown. Get ready to jump, run and parkour your way through this new world as you solve intricate puzzles and overcome increasingly complex trials as you progress through the levels.
Attributes and abilities - Harness the powers of air, fire, earth and lightning. Each of your powers gives you a way to work with the environment or against your enemies. Attack with Air, Fire and Lightning. Defend with Earth. Summon your powers to defeat enemies and cross dangerous chasms.
I have been playing The Crown of Wu for a few days now, and considering it was created by such a small studio, I was very impressed at the detail that has gone into this game.
There are vast areas to explore, as well as some very challenging enemies to overcome.
You can run, jump and parkour your way across the levels while solving puzzles and fighting enemies. As you progress through the game you will unlock new powers that will help you. You will first unlock an Air attack, but later on you can also attack with Fire and Lightning and defend with Earth powers.
The Good
The general feel of the game is very good, the voice acting, the music, the look of the game itself. I liked the method of healing yourself after or even during a fight, attack some conveniently placed crystals, then use the power from them to heal, all the while keeping an eye out for your enemy. The boss fights were well designed. And even on the easiest settings, the game offered a decent challenge.
There is a good story being told, which is inspired by Journey to the West, a classic Chinese novel about the Monkey King, Sun Wukong.
Also a special shout out to the awesome soundtrack, that you can buy now on Amazon at https://amzn.to/42T0YCT
The Bad
As mentioned above the game is challenging, even on the easiest setting, and that might put some people off.
Overall
This is a very enjoyable game, very old school in its feel.
Definitely worth checking out. I score The Crown of Wu a solid 8/10
The Crown of Wu is now available digitally on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, with the Xbox digital version coming soon.
Buy now at
The Crown of Wu - Legend Edition for PlayStation 5 will include a set of stunning art postcards and an introduction letter from the protagonist, Wu, all packaged in a specially designed case with exclusive game artwork and be available across European retail stores.
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