The most anticipated game of the year drops in just three days. Black Myth:Wukong has had gamers on the edge of their seats since its announcement one year ago, promising an epic rooted in Chinese mythology (watch trailer, runtime: 4:45). You, the Destined One, set out into a breathtaking world to decipher the secrets of an ancient legend.

The review embargo placed on the game (which will be lifted sometime today) is usually a positive indicator, as the developer readies audiences for a slew of raving critic evaluations. Speculators have been touting the game as a Soulslike, but developer Game Science says it’s not. They would prefer it if you thought of the game as an action RPG.

The details: Your primary weapon is a staff that extends and shrinks in size, used for attacks of different stances that allows for multiple styles of strike patterns and levels of power. You accumulate Focus through well-timed dodges and landing light attacks, and consume it through heavy attacks (most of the time).

But the art of war is not just violence. You can cast spells that include transformation into different creatures and beings. Each transformation comes with its own movesets and stats.

A worthy challenge? You can change the difficulty level if you prefer to take the scenic route, but it’s worth mentioning that the difficulty throughout the game fluctuates anyway throughout your playthrough — especially when the bosses shift into their second phases. You can track your progress through a skill tree.

You can pre-download the game starting Sunday, 18 August.

? Rating: TBD.

⌛ Hours of gameplay: TBD.

? Replay value: TBD.

? Platforms: Pre-purchase on Steam and Epic Games for PC, and Playstation. It will be available on Xbox after its official release.

? Price: USD 59.99 for the standard version, USD 69.99 for the deluxe version.

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