Game Science has unveiled a substantial 15-minute gameplay trailer for Black Myth: Zhong Kui, the anticipated follow-up to their mythology-infused action-RPG Black Myth: Wukong. The new footage offers a comprehensive look at the game's combat, protagonist, and world a year after its initial reveal at Gamescom 2025.
The trailer depicts the new protagonist engaging in challenging battles against various grotesque creatures, reminiscent of the style seen in its predecessor. These encounters emphasize the "roll, parry, slice" combat mechanics that have become a hallmark of the series. Beyond the intense combat, the trailer also shows narrative moments, including the protagonist assisting an elder in building a raft and a dive into a submerged location to retrieve a figure from a lake.
Assisted by either a companion or a powerful summoned form, the protagonist confronts a boss. The encounter concludes with the boss being attacked by the very figure retrieved from the water, suggesting a complex narrative unfolding. The latter part of the trailer features a montage of lighter moments, showing the protagonist attempting to catch a large fish and undergoing a cosmetic preparation.
Accompanying the trailer, Game Science included a poem that reads:
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.
The game is named after Zhong Kui, a deity from Chinese Taoism. According to Game Science's lore, Zhong Kui was a brilliant scholar who, due to his unconventional appearance, was rejected during imperial examinations. Enraged, he died by striking his head against palace pillars. Subsequently, he was appointed by an emperor fearful of spirits as an "evil-dispelling judge" and later became the "great marshal for dispelling evil and pacifying ghosts" for the King of Hell. This backstory may shed light on the poem's references to dreams and the Underworld.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui currently has no release date or confirmed platform availability. Its predecessor, Black Myth: Wukong, was initially released on PC.