Research Scholar, Department of English, and Cultural Studies, Punjab University, Chandigarh
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21659/jsae/v3n1/v3n116
[Article History: Received: 15 April 2026. Accepted: 18 August 2026. Published: 02 November 2026]
Abstract
First published in the sixteenth century, Journey to the West has persisted for centuries through retellings, adaptations, and reimagining across literature, theater, animation, and popular culture. While many of these forms reinterpret the epic within the confines of adaptation, Black Myth: Wukong, developed by Game Science (2024), advances its narrative by functioning as an archontic extension that continues the story beyond the original. This paper argues that the game preserves the epic’s mythological and philosophical core while extending its narrative and moral dimensions through digital gameplay. An archontic extension is a work that situates itself within the same story world as its source while extending its archive through new additions rather than reproducing its structure. This paper builds on Abigail Derecho’s idea of archontic literature, which is based on Jacques Derrida’s idea of the open archive. The paper suggests that archontic extension is a more accurate framework to explore works that go beyond the limits of adaptation. This framework is further strengthened by Henry Jenkins’ concept of extension, which emphasizes how new media contribute distinct layers of meaning rather than reproducing existing narratives. By employing this method, the paper examines how the game retains core elements of the epic, including Sun Wukong, the celestial order, and the tension between authority and freedom, while advancing the narrative through player agency, interactive systems, and digital world-building. It argues that Black Myth: Wukong demonstrates itself as an archontic extension of Journey to the West by expanding its archive through new modes of engagement and storytelling and displays how digital games can function as sites of narrative continuation.
Keywords: Journey to the West, Archontic Extensions, Black Myth: Wukong, Digital Games, Transmedia Storytelling.
