Review [Video Game]: Nine Sols by Red Candle Games

A parry system to make Sekiro blush

Yi hangs off a cliff as an imposing figure points her energy sword down toward his disheveled form. He eases off into the abyss only to be absorbed and placed in a hibernation state by Fusang (a world-tree-like organism). Fast-forward five hundred years later and our protagonist awakens from his unwanted slumber, wounds healed, hellbent on putting things right. And perhaps a bit of revenge. But what is right? And what is Yi hiding from his friends, from the player?

Nine Sols immediately grabs the eye with its fetching art style. Crisp, bright colors with clean linework. Bold, charming character design and detailed environments fuel this sci-fi tao-punk adventure. The setup is accompanied by a solid score that follows throughout and hooked me right from the get-go. Yi’s bipedal, cat-like character design is, honestly, adorable, even if he can kill hordes and hordes of enemies. Most of the characters have a rather cartoony feel to them, even some villains, which all work within their characterization. The ones that are more serious seem to have a more balanced design that works within the artistic framework. One of the few Metroidvania games I’ve played that rivals Hollow Knight in execution. Red Candle Games has some good artists on staff.

It’s hard not to mention the indie juggernaut Hollow Knight when comparing Metroidvania titles, but alas, when one is at the top, all others shall compete for a bit of that spotlight. But here’s the thing: Nine Sols stands on its own and even surpasses the king in some places. Each takes its own focus and hones it to a sharp point. While Hollow Knight excels in exploration and lore, Nine Sols focuses on story, character work, and combat. Let’s get into each of these.

The story and characters are intertwined, as with any piece of media, though one of my favorite parts of Nine Sols are the extra bits sprinkled in. As you move through your adventure, new characters will join you at your base. Different collectibles will allow you to interact with these characters and grow your relationships with them. Completely collecting almost every item in the game will even give you the true ending (more on this later). Forging a bond with Shuanshuan is as satisfying as offering the conspiracy theorist Shennong a new poison to endure. And boy, does he like his poison. The more, the better. These relationships were satisfying enough to drive me to unlock all the hidden items on the map for a chance at more dialogue. And while I don’t think every character moment is earned, the ones that are land solidly.

Speaking of hits, let’s get to the combat. Fast, intense, precise, challenging. The game, at least on standard mode (there is a story mode that will essentially allow you to breeze through the game), offers the player plenty of trials. The game relies on a parry system, not dissimilar to the highly acclaimed From Software darling, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Parrying is the bread and butter of the game. Every parry fills a ki charge (you can get up to five), and these allow you to do more damage, either through talisman application or through other jade upgrades (for instance, one jade allows every third hit on your three hit combo to use two ki charges to do extra damage). Besides parrying, Yi can dodge, and eventually, use a different type of parry as well. These combined mechanics, along with the traditional sword slashes, create fun, frenetic gameplay that challenges you even against regular enemies. No matter how much I leveled, I always felt the heat.

The boss and mini-boss battles add an extra test of both player patience and mechanical learning. But each boss encounter, while initially frustrating, takes an appropriate amount of practice before you feel you’ve mastered a phase. And each of the battles feels appropriately boss-like without pushing me out of the range of total discomfort. All except one. The final boss is, to put it mildly, a horrendous difficulty spike of massive proportions. You don’t even want to hear what I really think. I respect making the final enemy the most difficult by all means, but that was a nightmare. It left a rather sour taste in my mouth right near the end of a rather enjoyable adventure. I’m surprised that difficulty spike got through play-testing. Unless you’re a masochist, go for the true ending on story mode so you can see the game through without wanting to delete the game (something I actually considered during my multi-hour bout). It’s unfortunate because the combat choreography of the fight is brilliant and would be otherwise enjoyable with some tweaks.

But back to the story. Red Candle Games made a solid effort in creating a flowing narrative, with ancient lore and other worldbuilding. While the translation doesn’t always align perfectly, and there are quite a few expository dialogue interactions, the game is comprehensive and enjoyable. If you prefer an alternative to the more subtle, environmental storytelling like in a From Software game, or the previously mentioned Hollow Knight, Nine Sols may offer what you’re seeking. While there are plenty of chances for exploration, the game focuses on its narrative, creating a slightly more linear feel. Something I preferred over Hollow Knight’s more enigmatic traipsing.

Nine Sols still has some of the Metroidvania staples I could do without, like mindless exploration (towards the beginning). Once multi-way teleportation opens up, everything flows much better. I understand the desire to push the player to explore the map, but it eventually feels a bit like drudgery. For some, this is one of the best parts of a Metroidvania, but I must admit, it is not this humble reviewer’s favorite thing to do. Luckily, Nine Sols isn’t the worst offender in this category, and, like in Hollow Knight, the world is beautiful and the puzzles can distract from the small irritation. Also, toward the beginning, when I ran into a boss that had a small cut scene, or a difficult stretch of enemies between the respawn area and the boss, I was displeased. Thankfully, these issues disappeared as I progressed.

Nine Sols should be revered for its slick, enticing combat, its story, its world, and its fun characters. It’s a great compliment to some of the best in the genre and deserves the attention of any fans of the genre. Considering Red Candle Games only made two horror games before this, I must say this was quite the pivot. My few frustrations with Nine Sols aside, I look forward to seeing what this developer does next. Now go out there and feed Yi’s bloodlust, teach Shuanshuan how to code, and dammit, find Shennong as much poison as you can. He deserves it. And you deserve to hear the stupid drunken conversations that emerge from the transaction.

The Math

Objective Assessment: 8.5/10

Bonuses: +1 for solid, intense combat. +1 for storytelling and character.

Penalties: −1 for final boss difficulty spike. −0.5 for some translation errors. −0.5 for typical Metroidvania exploration irritations.

Nerd Coefficient: 8.5/10.

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.