Black Fable Wukong was a phenomenon. The UE5-powered motion epic bought hundreds of thousands of copies when it launched earlier this yr, impressing with its quick gameplay and complicated visuals. Nevertheless, its configuration on PS5 left one thing to be desired, using weird frame-rate locks and body technology with a 30fps base frame-rate. Developer Sport Science has addressed no less than a few of these points as of the most recent patch – and the studio has additionally added PS5 Professional help, utilizing PSSR to enhance picture high quality for Professional gamers. So is the console model lastly in cheap form? And will we anticipate any points from the Professional improve?
Let’s begin by taking a fast take a look at the patched PS5 code. The obvious superficial change right here is that there’s a sharpening slider now. With no sharpening utilized, the picture appears tender however comparatively freed from aliased edges. Dialing it as much as 5, which is the default, offers the picture a glance that’s fairly typical for lower-res current-gen console titles. Ramping up the slider to 10 offers most crispiness, for gamers who need to max out on native distinction. In comparison with the launch code, a worth of about seven matches the bottom PS5 in its efficiency configuration.
Outdoors of the sharpness tweak, the obvious visible change is that the sport’s Lumen GI presentation is barely altered. There’s extra apparent occlusion current in sure elements of the sport world, primarily. The shadow maps typically seem barely completely different as effectively. The opposite modes even have some GI variations relative to the launch code, although they’re affected much less clearly.
Different visible settings seem comparable, no less than in my checks. That features decision, which stays at 1080p internally, with no obvious upsampling to the next output decision. Body-gen is, sadly, nonetheless a actuality right here, and efficiency is mostly comparable in my checks as effectively, normally holding 60fps pretty effectively. The sport’s intro runs with frame-gen disabled and largely hangs within the 40s and 50s, and there are some occasional dips throughout different segments as effectively. I believe the sport could also be disabling frame-gen throughout particularly sudden modifications in digital camera place, which is probably going the supply of a few of these dips. Whichever approach you slice it, basing a efficiency mode on body technology – which impacts enter lag – isn’t an incredible match for a quick motion sport operating at solely 60fps – and it is possible not even vital for 60fps gameplay, as we demonstrated in checks a number of months in the past. Lean extra closely on FSR or TSR and an inexpensive 60fps expertise ought to be achievable, even on the PS5’s CPU and GPU.
Efficiency mode is analogous then – however the different two modes differ extra dramatically. The standard mode takes an apparent hit to picture high quality, with much less definition and element in foliage and effective geometry. It is a substantial loss relative to the sooner code. A fast pixel depend reveals the difficulty: the standard mode seems to be rendering at 1080p, down from roughly 1440p on common earlier than. The outdated high quality mode was upsampling to 4K, whereas the brand new high quality mode appears extra like 1440p or 1620p. It is a baffling alternative.
Different visible settings do appear to have been bumped although. Shadows are clearly of a better decision and have much less aggressive cascades, whereas the draw distance for foliage is improved considerably. Basically, you are buying and selling the next decision within the launch model for higher visible settings within the present model. Body-rates are improved over the bottom sport, no less than in a way. The unique high quality mode ran with an unstable frame-rate, typically operating within the low-to-mid 30s. Now, the standard mode has a extra smart straight 30fps cap, producing an evenly frame-paced expertise with out dips.
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Steadiness mode will get a really completely different visible remedy although. The brand new picture clearly has extra element, and finer geometric traces handle to current with out artifacting. A pixel depend reveals an analogous setup to high quality mode: a 1080p inside decision, with a subjectively 1440p-like output. Efficiency-wise, it spends most of its time at or near 45fps, which stays – bafflingly – the default frame-rate cap on this mode. Which means an unsteady procession of frames at 60Hz output, with a mixture of 16ms and 33ms frame-times in typical play.
New on this patch is another model of the steadiness mode. With the PS5 set to mechanically allow 120Hz output, the steadiness mode now goals for a flat 40fps studying, with every body primarily tripled to evenly match a 120Hz refresh. In my expertise, this truly holds a secure 40fps, with comparatively uncommon – and small – dips. This small change makes this mode extremely helpful in my view. The opposite modes also can run at 120Hz output with a appropriate show, however they nonetheless goal 60fps and 30fps respectively.
To wrap issues up, the standard mode and steadiness mode look very comparable now, although the standard mode has the next setting for shadows. Nevertheless, the standard mode and steadiness mode have a really comparable Lumen GI presentation, with the efficiency mode showing somewhat coarser. Then there are the anticipated picture high quality variations: the efficiency mode is visibly 1080p-like, whereas the standard and steadiness modes have larger readability. Of those modes, I actually suppose the 40fps steadiness mode at 120Hz is greatest. It has good enter response, constant body pacing, and feels moderately easy. The standard mode is ok, although the hit to frame-rate is somewhat steep, and the efficiency mode’s frame-gen continues to be a bit an excessive amount of for my tastes. I would choose a non-frame-gen 60fps focusing on mode although, if one was accessible.
On PS5 Professional, let’s begin with the standard mode. The largest change right here is the introduction of PSSR, which works from roughly a 1296p enter decision usually, however produces a 4K-like remaining picture. It is perceptibly sharper, particularly throughout motion, and holds up actually properly on a 4K TV set. Some components that weren’t successfully anti-aliased with FSR are cleaner right here, just like the noisy hair on the primary boss and just lately disoccluded element basically. There’s a little bit of that signature PSSR noise when you look carefully, although it is not apparent from regular viewing distances.
Even though this can be a UE5 sport, the lighting is mostly secure and constant right here with PSSR, with out Silent Hill 2-like shimmer. That mentioned, the lighting was already fairly secure with FSR, so maybe that is simply much less of a problem basically for the content material on this title. I did observe some Lumen modifications once more between the PS5 code and PS5 Professional, although these appeared extra substantial than the tweaks I famous between the assorted PS5 variations. Efficiency is consistent with the bottom console at a locked 30 frames per second in my checks, which feels all proper on a controller with movement blur maxed.
The steadiness mode is sort of much like high quality mode, with a roughly 1296p typical inside res taken to 4K utilizing PSSR. Essentially the most conspicuous visible distinction right here comes right down to the shadows, that are of a better decision within the high quality mode. The setup is much like the PS5 cut up then, with a reasonably conservative improve for the 30fps-targeting mode variant. There are some Lumen tweaks although that do mirror the standard mode somewhat as effectively. Body-rates hovering round 45fps are typical at 60Hz output, and the sport delivers a kind of straight 40fps at 120Hz output. I am not a fan of the way in which the sport appears on a 60Hz panel on this mode, however at 120Hz you get regular body pacing and constant controller response.
The efficiency mode hasn’t modified a lot. It is nonetheless a 60fps-targeting mode utilizing frame-gen and nonetheless runs at a 1080p decision. In contrast side-by-side, it seems similar to the outdated efficiency mode, minus some Lumen discrepancies. This mode nonetheless seems to make use of FSR 3 as effectively. It additionally performs very equally to the bottom console efficiency mode. Once more, we see the identical procession of 33ms frames if the digital camera place modifications quickly and non-linearly, suggesting body gen could also be turned off in these moments.
It is unlucky that this mode hasn’t been considerably revised, as a result of that is in all probability the mode on the bottom console that I discover most missing. Between the PS5 Professional’s bigger GPU and boosted CPU, I would hope the sources can be there for a good 60fps-targeting mode with out frame-gen. Maybe that is one thing Sport Science can contemplate for a future replace although we’re nonetheless baffled as to why body producing from a 30fps baseline may be thought-about a good suggestion in any respect.
All instructed, I am moderately happy with Black Fable: Wukong’s technical evolution on PS5 since launch, as each the standard and steadiness modes really feel like they make cheap trade-offs and might obtain secure frame-rates. There are nonetheless some uncommon components within the combine – like frame-gen at 60fps, and 45fps frame-rate targets – that do mar the sport and make sure mode and refresh price combos troublesome to make use of. That is not a loss of life sentence for extra subtle gamers, however it is going to negatively have an effect on the overwhelming majority of gamers who depart the sport on its defaults, or who do not perceive what the mode toggles are supposed to obtain.
The Professional improve is on the conservative aspect, however does characterize a transparent enchancment from the bottom sport. The standard and steadiness modes go from a 1440p-like picture to a 4K-like one, with PSSR offering a pleasant improve for Professional customers. There are not any wild settings bumps right here or makes an attempt at further ray tracing, however the picture high quality does look clearly higher in typical play, which is one thing we will not at all times say for Professional upgrades. So, Black Fable: Wukong has taken a number of steps in the best course, even when I believe a number of configuration calls stay misguided. I am fairly snug recommending the PS5 and Professional variations of the sport now, simply with a number of caveats.
