MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK

About

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK is a single player role playing game. It was developed by D4 Enterprise Co., Ltd. and was released on October 16, 2019. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" is an action-adventure game based on the Chinese legend of Journey to the West and the 2015 animated film of the same name. The deluxe edition includes the main game, a season pass, and additional content like extra skins and in-game items. The first DLC episode is set to release in November 2019, with the second following in December 2019. In the game, players control the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, as he embarks on a new journey with a young boy named Liuer.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 107 reviews

story14 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and entertaining experience, especially for fans of the Monkey King legend.
The graphics and animations are impressive, providing a colorful and vibrant world to explore.
The combat system, while simple, can be enjoyable and humorous, making it suitable for younger players or those looking for a casual gaming experience.

The game suffers from repetitive gameplay, with limited enemy types and a lack of variety in combat encounters.
There are significant technical issues, including a 30fps cap on PC and bugs that can disrupt gameplay.
The story and overall content feel lacking, with many players noting that it doesn't offer enough depth or challenge for the price.

story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The game's story, based on the popular movie about Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, has received mixed reviews. While some players appreciate its connection to Chinese culture and find the narrative engaging, others criticize it for being slow-paced, lacking depth, and relying heavily on cutscenes that detract from gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as a decent adaptation with potential, but it struggles with execution and coherence, leaving some players disappointed.
- “The story of the game is based on the hit movie of the same name, the story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King who was captured by Buddha after trying to battle against him by being imprisoned for 500 years. After being awakened by a child, he starts on a journey to help them.”
- “The story, the characters, the setting, all work in unison together to paint a world for you to wonder about as you learn more and more about the Monkey King universe.”
- “Great storytelling from a Chinese studio.”
- “Why stop there though when you can, after a 45-minute long fight with a boss, leave the game after watching 5 cutscenes that are just JPGs and be in a completely new map area but not have it auto-save, nor the option to manually save because there are save screens instead of proper save buttons? This game's idea of a new enemy is to change the color, this game's idea of a boss is to change the color, and this game's idea of an interesting story is to just kidnap everyone possible for the plot, which makes literally 0 sense. Why would I even care about this little kid who just won't shut up during the entire game? F-, -35$/10, ★☆☆☆☆. Monkey King? More like monkey annoyance that should have stayed asleep in the first place. The first cutscene should have had this kid die and the end credits roll; at least that would be worth more than $5 compared to the entire game.”
- “A big part of the game consists of rather slow cutscenes for simple actions like using a ladder or even narrative fragments where you have to walk while a dialogue takes place. At least later on, the storytelling relies more on cutscenes showing some backstory, which is a big improvement over the few weird initial scenes. Excluding such elements, I'm not even sure if there will be 6 hours of actual gameplay.”
- “I finished the game in about 7 hours, so excluding 1 hour+ cutscenes and the slow storytelling parts, it truly is below 6 hours of actual gameplay.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the fun and smooth mechanics, particularly in combat, while others criticize the heavy reliance on slow cutscenes and dated mechanics reminiscent of early 2000s titles. Many players noted that the actual gameplay time is significantly less than the total game length due to lengthy cutscenes, leading to a feeling of underwhelming content for the price. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments and beautiful environments, it suffers from repetitive mechanics and a lack of depth in gameplay variety.
- “The gameplay of the game is really fun, smooth, and fast. When I bought it, I was considering a refund due to many negative reviews, but after 30 minutes in the game, it caught me, and I couldn't stop playing it.”
- “The truth is that this game is entertaining, but it lacks some things to improve. On the other hand, the gameplay that it has is very good. I liked the battle system, and the fights with the final bosses are challenging, which is great. The whole environment is very beautiful, and from my point of view, the general system of the game is excellent.”
- “The gameplay can be a mash of button presses, like many hack and slash games, but it has oddly satisfying parts like purging and countering attacks. The animations and effects are flashy, and you feel good about defeating the enemies. The music is average overall, but there are two great pieces of soundtrack during boss fights. A smaller detail is that the NPCs are not very annoying; they stay out of the way when you fight, which is a nice touch.”
- “A big part of the game consists of rather slow cutscenes for simple actions like using a ladder or narrative fragments where you have to walk while a dialogue takes place. Excluding such elements, I'm not even sure if there will be 6 hours of actual gameplay.”
- “Mechanics-wise, it's a title you would expect to see in the early 2000s, and the graphics aren't enough to compensate for the dated gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is really like playing an old PlayStation One game, with some fights, 3D cutscenes, storyboard cutscenes, and sometimes it is only about walking and talking, with loading screens to go in and out of buildings.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a lighthearted and humorous tone, evident in its dialogue, character interactions, and cartoonish art style, making it particularly enjoyable for players with a good sense of humor. The one-on-one gameplay and quirky attack combos add to the comedic experience, although some players find the voice acting, with its British accents, to be a bit odd. Overall, it offers a relaxing and entertaining experience filled with humor and adventure.
- “There is a bit of humor in the dialog and character interaction.”
- “Hilarious cartoonish style is a big plus, too; I will recommend it to my kid.”
- “Sometimes it's nice to play a game that's relaxing and just trying to be funny.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the level soundtracks and character voiceovers, while others find them repetitive or annoying. Notably, two boss fight tracks stand out as exceptional, but overall, the soundtrack is often described as mediocre or even headache-inducing, with issues related to volume levels.
- “The soundtrack in each level, as well as the voiceovers of the characters, are nice.”
- “The soundtrack is not the best, but it's not bad if you ask me.”
- “I like the music, but it gets repetitive after a while.”
- “Soundtrack is bad, voice acting is annoying, animation combat loops can't be broken, very limited enemy types and attacks.”
- “Horrible soundtrack (gives you a headache).”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the decent visuals and art style for the price, others find them reminiscent of early 2000s titles, lacking modern enhancements. Additionally, the limited graphics options and forced anti-aliasing have drawn criticism, suggesting that the overall visual experience could be improved.
- “The game has a good plot, the graphics are pretty decent for the price at which it is published. I totally recommend it.”
- “It's pretty fun and the art style of the game is amazing.”
- “I finished the game minutes ago and I love it; the graphics and gameplay are good and the story follows the movie very closely.”
- “Mechanics-wise, it's a title you would expect to see in the early 2000s, and the graphics aren't enough to compensate for the dated gameplay.”
- “It's like something you'd find on the PS2, but with slightly better graphics.”
- “There are zero graphics options whatsoever besides resolution and brightness/gamma, and while there is forced temporal anti-aliasing, it could have done better in that department.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a fun experience with some replayable elements, although it diverges slightly from the movie's plot, such as character changes. This variation in storyline contributes to its replayability, encouraging players to explore different outcomes.
- “Good game, plot points differ from the movie slightly, such as both the boy and girl being taken and the lack of the sufu character. Overall, it's a fun experience with some replayable elements.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its authentic traditional Chinese elements, enhanced by the incorporation of various Southern Shaolin martial arts moves, such as Hung Kuen and Choy Lay Fut, which contribute to an immersive cultural experience.
- “The traditional Chinese atmosphere really enhances the experience, making every moment feel authentic and immersive.”
- “The game beautifully captures the essence of its setting, creating a rich and vibrant atmosphere that draws you in.”
- “The atmospheric design is stunning, with intricate details that transport you to another world.”
- “The traditional Chinese atmosphere is overshadowed by a lack of depth in the environment, making it feel lifeless.”
- “While the martial arts moves are impressive, the overall atmosphere fails to immerse me in the world.”
- “The game attempts to create a traditional Chinese atmosphere, but it feels more like a backdrop than a living, breathing world.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report significant stability issues, particularly noting frequent freezes that can severely disrupt gameplay.
- “The lesser but almost game-breaking issue was the freezes.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes that made it impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “The game is plagued by stability issues, with constant lag and unexpected shutdowns.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional response to the game, noting that while the original evoked feelings of empathy and sadness, the new installment elicits frustration instead.
- “The original made me want to cry in empathy; this one makes me cry with frustration.”

Skip Critic Reviews

51%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews

Skip Game Offers

Buy MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK

10h Median play time

13h Average play time

7-22h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK

89%101.1kreviews

Black Myth: Wukong

2024

Role Playing

79%2.8kreviews

Icey

2016

Casual Hack and Slash

+11

81%1.6kreviews

Sword and Fairy 7

2021

Role Playing

65%567reviews

VALKYRIE ELYSIUM

2022

Hack and Slash

66%4.6kreviews

Forspoken

2022

Open World Role Playing

More games like MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK is a role playing game.

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 13 hours playing MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK.

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK was released on October 16, 2019.

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK was developed by D4 Enterprise Co., Ltd..

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK is a single player game.

Similar games include Black Myth: Wukong, Icey, Sword and Fairy 7, VALKYRIE ELYSIUM, Forspoken and others.

MONKEY KING: HERO IS BACK

Platforms