Game Science's next Black Myth game finally shows off gameplay, with a very different protagonist taking centre stage.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui has finally resurfaced with a lengthy 15-minute gameplay trailer, giving players their first proper look at combat, exploration, boss fights, and the mythical world of Game Science's next action RPG.
The footage arrives exactly a year after Game Science unveiled Black Myth: Zhong Kui during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025. At the time, the project was still so early in development that the studio said it had virtually no gameplay to show.
There has been one substantial glimpse since then. Game Science released a six-minute in-engine video for the Lunar New Year in February, although the studio made it clear that the Year of the Horse special was non-canon and created purely for the holiday. The new trailer is considerably more revealing, with all footage captured in-game from a work-in-progress build.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui
Release date: TBD
Platforms: PC and unannounced consoles
Developer: Game Science
Black Myth: Zhong Kui gameplay trailer explained
The trailer follows a young swordsman travelling through a forest with an elderly companion. After triggering an explosion beneath the rocks and escaping by raft, he later carries the old man on his back before setting him down to fight a group of grey, armoured enemies.
The old man then appears to disintegrate into a swarm of butterfly or insect-like creatures, sending the swordsman on a chase through the forest. It eventually leads into the water, where a creature with huge clam shell-like wings emerges for a boss fight. Partway through the battle, control seemingly switches to a hooded figure wielding a long jian (a Chinese straight sword) before returning to the main protagonist. Game Science has not explained who the second swordsman is.
Other snippets of gameplay include more potential boss encounters, the protagonist playing traditional Chinese music with an ensemble, a woman applying make-up to a man, what seems to be a spirit-catching activity, walking mushroom-like creatures, and other spirits like a little one bathing in a boiling pot. The trailer ends with a figure, likely Zhong Kui, riding a large tiger-like beast across the landscape.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui and Black Myth: Wukong gameplay differences
Combat looks noticeably different from Black Myth: Wukong. Instead of the Destined One's staff and acrobatic movement, the new protagonist uses a sword, martial arts and heavier strikes, alongside dodges and counters. He can also imbue his sword with fire and use paper talismans. The apparent switch to the hooded swordsman during the boss fight also suggests there could be more than one playable character, although Game Science has not confirmed this.
Who is Zhong Kui?
Zhong Kui (鍾馗/钟馗) i is a legendary Taoist deity and ghost-hunter in Chinese folklore, commonly depicted as a demon queller and protector against evil spirits.
One of the best-known versions of his legend describes him as a brilliant scholar who excelled in the imperial examinations but was denied an official position because of his frightening appearance. He subsequently killed himself before becoming the King of Ghosts. Sotheby's traces his history in Chinese culture, while The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates legends surrounding him to the Tang dynasty.
The paper talismans seen in the trailer also have roots in Taoist traditions. Known as fu (符), they have traditionally been used for protection and exorcism.
Zhong Kui also has a strong connection to Lunar New Year. According to Mythopedia, his image is traditionally pasted on doors during the festival as a protective guardian against bad luck and malevolent spirits.
Zhong Kui in Chinese literature
Unlike Sun Wukong, whose adventures are most famously recorded in Journey to the West, Zhong Kui does not originate from one definitive literary work. His mythology developed across folklore, religion, art, theatre, and literature over centuries.
He later became the focus of works including Zhong Kui Quan Zhuan (Zhong Kui: The Complete Chronicles), Zhan Gui Zhuan (The Tale of Slaying Ghosts), and Ping Gui Zhuan (The Tale of Quelling Ghosts).
That gives Game Science different source material after Black Myth: Wukong, which drew heavily from Journey to the West. The 2024 game sold 10 million copies in its first three days, peaked at more than 2.4 million concurrent Steam players and has since surpassed 30 million copies sold worldwide.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui still has no release date. Gamescom 2026 begins next week, however, with Opening Night Live set for 25 August. Game Science has not confirmed an appearance, but the game was originally unveiled at Gamescom last year.
