Nine Sols Review – A Warrior’s Sol

Nine Sols by RedCandleGames

After winning hearts (and courting controversy) with their horror games Detention and Devotion, the folks at Taiwanese developer RedCandleGames have opted to try something different.

Their first crowdfunded game, Nine Sols, is a 2D Metroidvania set in a lush, Eastern mythology-inspired animated world.

If it’s a sign of their capabilities, they should try their hands at any genre they feel like.

Sol of a New Machine

After awakening in the science-fantasy land of New Kunlun, Yi, a cat-like warrior of few words, is on a quest for revenge. His targets? The Nine Sols, the mysterious rulers of the land that have been absent for centuries. Revenge for what exactly? Only he seems to know.

Sol Asylum

Metroidvania titles are commonly light on story and dialogue, usually opting for imparting information and tone through their environments and art design.

Nine Sols, meanwhile, opts to give its protagonist a personality, a goal, and interactions with plenty of others. A lesser studio could easily fumble this, but thankfully, RedCandleGames has delivered a compelling, nuanced story with genuinely interesting characters.

Sol-Stirring Odyssey

Yi’s quest isn’t anything new to games, but his journey reveals a lot of twists and turns thanks to his relationship to the world around him. Bolstered by absolutely stunning visuals and world-building, Nine Sols presents you with a world you’ll want to discover even just to learn more about.

Sol Affliction

However, the true star of Nine Sols isn’t Yi, but rather the game’s action. Citing FromSoftware‘s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as an influence, the developers have crafted a combat system as razor-sharp and vicious as most character action games.

Mindlessly hacking and slashing at enemies will only get you killed. Instead, parrying, exploiting weaknesses, and hitting them with debuffs is the name of the game. Far from being overwhelming, the game introduces these systems in a natural and inviting way, challenging you while also making you feel like a master for pulling off every move.

It’s profoundly satisfying.

The cornerstones of any Metroidvania game, exploration and backtracking, are a joy as well. Thanks to Yi’s speedy movement and an array of abilities, every moment feels great, even just moving through the world. That may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s shocking how many other games never learn this lesson.

Sol Searching

In terms of flaws, there are small ones at worst. Some of the dialogue scenes can feel overly drawn out, well-written as they may be. Also, while I generally loved the difficulty curve, there was the occasional enemy that felt like a more significant spike in difficulty than was necessary.

The Verdict:

The fact that this is the developers’ first foray into the genre is genuinely impressive. Far from being a diamond in the rough, Nine Sols is a shining gem of a game that genre fans, new and old, will be talking about for a long time.

Nine Sols is available via Steam.

Watch the trailer for Nine Sols below:

Related