Sony’s Monkey King: Hero is Back doesn’t look like it’s ready to conquer China

The PlayStation 4 exclusive is based on a hit Chinese movie but the demo we played was weak

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The animation in last year's demo was smooth, but the fighting could have been faster. (Picture: Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Josh Ye

Published: 12:10am, 27 Jul 2019Updated: 9:10am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Monkey King: Hero is Back is supposed to be Sony’s marquee video game for the PlayStation 4 in China this year. But based on what the company is showing off at ACGHK 2019, it’s not enticing.

The game’s release is just three months away, so presumably Sony has a mostly finished game somewhere that it could be showing off. Unfortunately, the world saw a better demo of the game in Shanghai a year ago.

This latest demo has few interactive elements in the environment and odd design choices. For instance, every time you want to climb a ladder, the screen cuts to black, shows a canned animation, then cuts to black again before returning you to gameplay. It’s really jarring… and that’s when you can find a ladder to climb, because there are several that are mysteriously unclimbable.

The thing is, this isn’t supposed to be an afterthought for the China market. It’s described as a AAA-level production co-developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Studio and Osaka-based HexaDrive. It’s also been Sony’s headlining game for presentations and booths at a few conventions in China.

For the uninitiated, Monkey King: Hero is Back is a PS4 exclusive game that’s an adaptation of the blockbuster Chinese animated movie of the same name. The movie premiered in 2015 when it became the highest-grossing animated film in China at the time.

Just like the movie, Monkey King: Hero is Back on PS4 has a uniquely Chinese art style. (Picture: Sony Interactive Entertainment)