Motion capture artist reveals martial arts in ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ combat
By
Huang Lanlan
Published: Aug 21, 2024 11:36 PM
Yin Kai does motion capture for
Black Myth: Wukong. Photo: Courtesy of Yin Kai
In a spacious room approximately five meters high, Yin Kai, dressed in a tight black suit covered with reflective dots, stands in front of a large vertical blue board, surrounded by dozens of cameras positioned in every corner of the room.
Slowly, Yin rises to his feet, rotates his arms, smirks arrogantly, and then performs a motion of pulling something out of his ear - a stick-like weapon that players of
Black Myth: Wukong will see their monkey-shaped protagonist "The Destined One" pull out of his ear in the game, replicating Yin's exact motions.
A professional martial arts actor and one of China's most experienced motion capture artists, 28-year-old Yin embodied nearly 70 percent of the characters in the game.
Its breathtaking, highly-acclaimed combat was made possible by a powerful game engine, the efforts of game animators, and the equally important motion capture work. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Wednesday, Yin shared his experiences and thoughts of being part of this globally trending game.
"Look, this agile movement of rolling forward onto the steps and then leaping down with a split is very nimble, in line with the characteristics of a monkey," praised a user on popular Chinese sports and games site Hupu, who attached a video clip of the game with his comment.
As a big highlight of
Black Myth: Wukong, the thrilling combat has captivated players worldwide with its martial arts-inspired movements that seamlessly blend with the game's combat effects, character personalities, and its overall style.
"The game uses traditional Chinese martial arts, especially monkey-style kung fu," wrote foreign game website GameBuzz on Tuesday.
"You will enjoy quick, acrobatic moves that show off Wukong's speed and skill."
All these can be largely attributed to the motion capture efforts of professional martial arts actors. A key member of the game's motion capture team, Yin himself designed the moves of many characters, from the player-controlled "The Destined One" to the powerful adversaries, or "bosses," and other various non-player characters.
"We tried to flexibly incorporate traditional martial arts moves into combat, taking into account the distinctive traits of characters, as well as the game's strong sense of combat and force," Yin told the Global Times.
"'The Destined One' is a monkey, so we added elements of the martial arts routine 'monkey staff' into his moves, such as one move in which he climbs onto an upright standing staff," he exampled.
Another example is Daoist Mi, an enemy in the game who holds a sword-like weapon in the first stage. "His moves were actually inspired by many swordplay techniques in our traditional martial arts," said Yin.
Motion capture for the game lasted six years, Yin told the Global Times.
He shared some of his most memorable moments during the capture sessions, such as him embodying the enemies Tiger Vanguard and Daoist Mi, or "an old monkey that guides the player at the beginning."
"For a few extremely complicated moves that humans can't do - such as performing multiple somersaults in the air - that will be handled by the animators."
Apart from the moves in fights, Yin also embodied lots of details of characters, including their facial expressions and subtle body movements, so as to make these virtual characters come to life.
Practicing martial arts since 5 years old, Yin had won many awards in martial arts competitions at a young age before he was admitted to the wushu (Chinese martial arts) performance major at the Shanghai University of Sport with the highest score in the country in 2015.
"The experience of systematically learning wushu performance allows me to better apply the basics of martial arts to the processes of shaping roles," Yin told the Global Times.
"Instead of mechanically copying the moves of traditional martial arts, I could be flexible in adapting those moves to the story."
Black Myth: Wukong is becoming a common topic of excited discussions among game players around the world. The surge in the number of players, social media posts and videos, show the big impact that this Chinese game is having on global enthusiasts.
Yin said he is excited to see excellent traditional Chinese culture, such as classic folklore, ancient buildings and martial arts, become better known and loved by more people all over the globe.
"
Black Myth: Wukong is more than a game now, it contains many culture-level values," he told the Global Times. "For me, I feel very proud of being a part of the game to carry forward martial arts in a new way."
