When Taiwanese indie studio Red Candle Games revealed that their third game would be a 2D action-platformer with cartoony graphics, I was quite surprised. This is a team known for making two excellent horror games and I kind of expected them to stay in that niche, but I'm glad they did something different because Nine Sols Not only is it a great game, but it rivals some of the best and most beloved 'metroidvanias'.
Yes. I'm talking about “that one” you are thinking of. This game can rival the same Hollow Knight.
100 years after being left for dead by his former companions, Yi awakens. In the past, he tried to convince his companions to change the course of destruction that their land of New Kunlun was on and was branded a traitor. Now is the time not only to finish what started so long ago, but to take revenge against the other Sols.
A 'taopunk' world
That description makes it sound like a traditional revenge story, but it's much more than that. The universe of Nine Sols It has a very detailed mythology that presents us with worlds and characters with intriguing backgrounds. In New Kunlun, high technology and philosophical traditions coexist. taoism. The results are a very original aesthetic and narrative that its creators have called 'taopunk'.
Yi, the protagonist, is perfect for exploring this world because he is a person with a highly scientific mind who strongly opposes ideologies and beliefs that conflict with the use of reason. Initially we do not know what happened in the past with his old companions and as we solve the mystery we become more familiar with him despite his cold personality. The mysteries about this world, the roots on which society is built and the danger it faces are truly intriguing and many of the answers are not given to us directly, but through a very well thought out environmental narrative.
Initially I didn't think that anthropomorphic animals like Yi and his enemy Sols fit well with the idea of 'taopunk'. This is because I was unaware of the shamanistic roots of Taoism and its direct relationship with the Chinese horoscope. I also thought that they looked too “tender” for a story as serious and violent as this one. Of course, I was wrong and I should not have doubted the ability of the creators of Detention y Devotion to perfectly weave all the elements of his work. Yes, they are cartoonish, but the excellent animation work and the stylistic elements it takes from 'anime' and 'manga' (rather from 'manhwa') make them work very well within its dark approach.
'Axe-like'
I hope I have made it clear that Nine Sols It is a work of art on an aesthetic level, but it does not stop at that and is also an example of excellence in its most important playable elements.
As I said at the beginning, this is a high-quality 'metroidvania' – a 2D action, exploration and platform game with an interconnected map – capable of standing up to the greats of the genre like Hollow Knight. But while the level design is excellent, what makes it stand out is its combat system.
One of the pillars of the action is a 'parries' system clearly inspired by the FromSoftware game Axe: Shadows Die Twice. Initially we have the classic movement of “blocking the instant an attack connects” and thus gain talismans with which we can counterattack to cause massive damage, but as we progress we gain new abilities that allow us to “parries” different types of attacks and obtain different results.
This system requires a lot of skill, especially against some of the more complex bosses, and it is normal to 'die' lots of times against an enemy until we finally learn their attack routines to respond correctly. It can be frustrating, but the result can be a perfect and hugely satisfying “dance” of parries and counterattacks.
Yeah, Nine Sols it is a very difficult game but that shouldn't scare you. If you want to enjoy only the fantastic story and magnificent 'taopunk' setting, you can lower the difficulty of the game. The 'story mode' is somewhat challenging and it's not uncommon to die a few times even despite the reduced difficulty, but it makes this great experience available to everyone.
The secrets of New Kunlun
As a good 'metroidvania' that it is, the map Nine Sols It is full of secrets and optional areas that make it a perfect game for those who enjoy exploring and trying new ideas. In addition to collectible items that only serve to clarify details of the lore or provide new conversations with secondary characters, there are items necessary to create upgrades. I have found several very well hidden and very important ones that make me wonder if it is possible to continue the game without finding them. How do those who do not find the catalyst necessary to improve healing survive?
And it is here that I find the only “but” of the game and that is that, despite how well designed the levels are in terms of obstacles, location of enemies, secrets and interconnection, returning to areas already visited to explore them in depth can be a big annoyance, especially if we haven't unlocked fast travel. The routes are long and complicated. The way the map works is not clear and we are not always clear where we are in relation to other areas.
It's clear that I'm in love with Nine Sols and I consider it one of the best games of 2024, but at this time I am not ready to give it a rating in this review. I still have a good chunk of the game left to experience and there is always the possibility of finding an element that makes me change my opinion or even radicalizes what I already think.
If you want to know the grade I will give this game, please come back to this review in the future.
Review under construction.
Review made with a digital copy of Nine Sols for PS5 provided by Red Candle Games. This game is also available for PS4, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch and for PC through Steam.
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