When you reach the desolate, sandy region of Yellow Wind Ridge in Chapter Two of Black Myth: Wukong, it won’t be long until you encounter the tiny, rat-like King of the Flowing Sands and his two gigantic sons.
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Later on, you’ll meet the Third Prince in Chapter Three, locked up in a cell in the Pagoda Realm. He appears startlingly different to his kin in Chapter Two, maintaining his human appearance while his brothers and father have turned into rats. There’s quite a bit to dive into to lay out the lore behind the three Rat Princes, and how this royal family could have fallen from grace so severely.
The Kingdom Of The Flowing Sands And The Yellow Wind Sage
The story of the three Rat Princes can’t be told without looking back at the Yellow Wind Sage.
The Kingdom of the Flowing Sands – otherwise known as the Kingdom of Sahali – was ruled by the Princes’ father and was once entirely made up of humans. This suggests that the small Rat King and the First and Second Princes were once humans themselves.
However, their kingdom was plagued by the beetle Fuban (likely sent by Bodhisattva Lingji, aka the headless singer) not long after the Rat King outlawed Buddhism. This is where the Yellow Wind Sage and the Destined One come in, the latter travelling to the past to defeat Fuban together.
After Fuban’s defeat, the King and his subjects began worshipping the Yellow Wind Sage as a god to mixed reactions from the Princes.
Despite no explicit in-game confirmation, it’s assumed that the denizens of Sahali were cursed and transformed into rats by Bodhisattva Lingji as punishment for, once again, turning their backs to Buddhism.
The Kingdom Of Sahali In Journey To The West
In the book, the King of the Flowing Sands changed his kingdom’s name to Sahali after outlawing Buddhism. Zhu Bajie mentions Sahali, saying that it’s the country where the sun sets.
Every time the sun sinks into the ocean, a loud hissing noise erupts, which is powerful enough to kill the kingdom’s children. As a result, the people beat the drums every evening to drown out the hissing noise and avert calamity.
Although the King and the Third Prince are mentioned in the novel, the First and Second Prince are not.
Who Is The First Rat Prince?
The first and eldest son of the King of the Flowing Sands, the First Prince of the Flowing Sands was once a celebrated general. Not only was he the king’s favourite son, but his feats in battle against Fuban granted him the title of ‘Brave General’.
His happiness didn’t last long, however, as the First Prince grew jealous of the attention paid to the Yellow Wind Sage. He doesn’t like the special rights given to the rat guais and begins acting out, causing his father to jail him.
In the lore provided in-game, the First Prince breaks out of his cell, only to find his father and his human subjects have turned into rats. He attacks the king and, after being handed a mirror by the Yellow Wind Sage, discovers he himself has turned into a massive rat.
Possibly in denial and growing maddened over his transformation, this could explain why he ended up eating his father as he believed him to be an impostor.
Who Is The Second Rat Prince?
The Second Prince of the Flowing Sands is the second and least favourite son of the King. He is considered the least remarkable of his brothers and not particularly smart. Out of all the brothers, there’s the least amount of information about him.
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However, he’s the only one of his brothers who never left his father’s side. According to in-game lore, the strength and might of his mace caught the attention of the Yellow Wind Sage, and he became one of the Yellow Wind Sage’s followers.
Who Is The Third Rat Prince?
The youngest son of the King of the Flowing Sands, the Third Rat Prince is certainly far away from home.
Bright, studious and an avid follower of Buddhist teachings, the Third Prince left his homeland after his father began killing ministers after they protested his edict. He ran before the rat curse beset his kingdom, which is an explanation as to why he still looks human.
Sometime after he left, he became a disciple of Bodhisattva Guoshiwang. He had faced Yellowbrow alongside Sun Wukong before, but the trickster escaped after Sun Wukong’s defeat, stealing Bodhisattva Maitreya’s artefacts once again.
Intent on defeating Yellowbrow for good, the Third Prince travels to the New West with his four captains. However, they are defeated by Yellowbrow’s magic bag.
The Third Prince was tossed into a cell in the Pagoda Realm; one captain was dismembered and killed; two were corrupted and served Yellowbrow; another was remade into an abomination.
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By the time you meet him, the Third Prince has lost himself to madness. He had gouged his eyes out and destroyed his hearing, riddled with guilt over what happened to his captains.
If you obtain all the spirits of his captains after defeating them, the Third Prince will gift his Chu-Bai spear to you. He disappears not long after, though it’s uncertain if he’s returned home or has found eternal rest.
The Third Prince In Journey To The West
In the novel, the Third Prince is known as Little Prince Zhang. He did not leave his homeland because of political strife like in the game, instead leaving to find a cure for his sickly body. Zhang was cured by Bodhisattva Guoshiwang and became his disciple.
Zhang leads a group of four divine generals, all of whom go to assist Sun Wukong in his battle against Yellowbrow. Unfortunately, they were sucked into Yellowbrow’s bag, with only Sun Wukong able to slip by.
They were released from the bag after Maitreya and Wukong successfully tricked and defeated Yellowbrow.
- Released
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August 20, 2024
- Developer(s)
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Game Science
- Publisher(s)
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Game Science
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- OpenCritic Rating
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Strong
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
- How Long To Beat
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39 hours