Man, let me tell you, finally booting up Black Myth: Wukong on my Xbox Series X last month felt like… well, kinda like meeting a legendary hero who showed up wearing foggy glasses. We’d heard the whispers, the delays blamed on the little Series S brother holding things up. After that year-long wait watching PC and PS5 folks frolic in Huaguo Mountain, the anticipation was thick. But then, the game arrived, and honestly? My first reaction was squinting. Hard. That promised visual feast? More like trying to appreciate a masterpiece painted on a wet napkin – the ambition was clear, but man, was it blurry. It wasn't just me; the whole Xbox community was basically yelling, 'Hey Game Science, where’d the sharpness go?!'
Thankfully, it seems someone was listening. Patch 1.0.20.21518 just dropped, specifically for us Series X players (sorry, Series S folks, hang tight... more on that gut punch later), and the headline act? Fixing that cursed blur!
What Did the Patch Actually Do? (Beyond the Big Blur Fix)
Okay, so the patch notes on Game Science's site spell it out: the main culprit for our collective squinting was "global illumination ghosting" messing things up in both Quality and Balanced modes. Basically, the lighting tech was smearing Vaseline on the lens. This patch aimed to wipe that clean. But it wasn't just about seeing clearly again. They tossed in some other much-needed fixes too:
| Fix Focus | What Got Patched | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| The Big Blur | Fixed global illumination ghosting causing blur in Quality/Balance modes (Series X) | Finally! Clearer visuals for the flagship console |
| Crash Landing | Fixed crashes and errors under certain conditions | Fewer unexpected trips back to the dashboard! |
| Quest Breakers | Fixed side quests becoming unprogressable or erroring after abnormal dialogue exit | No more getting locked out of juicy side stories |
| Sinking Bosses | Fixed certain Huaguo Mountain bosses sinking abnormally if you moved away | Bosses staying put where they belong... mostly |
| Menu Sluggishness | Fixed slow controller response in Text Language dropdown menu (Settings) | Tiny thing, but oh-so-annoying fixed! |
Did It Actually Work? (Spoiler: It's... Better)
Booted it up post-patch, heart pounding a little. First impressions? Yeah, it’s noticeably cleaner. Like, the Series X finally got its prescription updated. YouTubers like Fuzion Xbox Testing showed solid footage – smoother frames, crisper edges. Exploring Huaguo Mountain doesn’t feel like I’m battling through a perpetual mist anymore. The detail in the armor, the foliage, Wukong's fur – it pops now. It’s closer to what I imagined during that agonizing year-long wait.
But (there’s always a 'but', right?)... scrolling through comments online, it's clear not everyone's doing cartwheels. Some folks still aren't completely satisfied with how it looks on X. Maybe it’s residual disappointment after the long delay and rough launch, or maybe there are still subtle hiccups. It’s better, definitely playable and enjoyable now, but perhaps not the absolute knockout visual showcase some were dreaming of. The 'ghosting' might be gone, but has the specter of 'good enough' settled in?
The Elephant (or Should I Say Monkey?) Still in the Room: Series S
Here’s the real kicker, the bit that sticks in my craw. This shiny new patch? It’s only for Series X right now. Us X owners breathe a sigh of relief, but our Series S comrades? They're still stuck in Blurry Town, population: increasingly frustrated players. Remember, the whole reason for the year-long delay was supposedly the S struggling to run the game. And when it did launch? Frankly, it looked rough on S – rougher than on X. Now, X gets patched first. It makes sense logistically, maybe, but it sure makes the Series S crowd feel like second-class citizens in this particular mythical journey. 🐒💔
Game Science has to fix the S version, and quick. Why? Because looming on the horizon is Black Myth: Zhong Kui. If Xbox players, especially those who only own the affordable Series S, feel burned by the Wukong experience – the delays, the rough launch, the ongoing issues on S – why would they trust the studio with their cash next time? Microsoft won't be thrilled either if this sours the platform's reputation for big third-party action titles.
So, yeah, the blur is mostly gone on my Series X. The crashes seem less frequent. I can finally tackle those side quests without fear. It’s a good patch! But... it also feels like a band-aid applied after letting the wound fester for too long. And seeing the Series S players still waiting? That leaves a bitter taste. It begs the question: Was bending over backwards for the Series S's limitations ultimately worth the cost in goodwill and time? And more chillingly... for Zhong Kui, will Game Science even bother with the Series S this time around?