Nine Sols - A Taopunk 2D Action Adventure Inspired by Sekiro, Hollow Knight and Katana Zero!
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Nine Sols - A Taopunk 2D Action Adventure Inspired by Sekiro, Hollow Knight and Katana Zero!
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#Gaming #IndieGames #NineSols
![Nine Sols 九日 - The Fengs Boss Fight + Sol Seals of Fuxi and Nuwa [No Damage]](/img/n.gif)
"are we sure this is developed by red candle games?"
*ritualistic decapitation ensues*
"yup, totally developed by them"
ya i noticed that and had a mintal note of how much detail there was so i knew. somethings not a norm
I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR IT TO PULL OUT A CIGAR TO HEAL
I don't want to try and sound too much like that “um actually” guy, but it's *not* a cigar. It's an opium pipe. Still very unique and unexpected though.
@@octosquid48still very addictive too
I love how charming the art style is
I don't understand why everyone here are complaining the game is "too slow" and everything is "too sluggish".
For once I see a slasher like this that isn't another "one hit - one kill, speedrun everything" a-la Katana Zero. Its differently paced, and I love the fluid animations and how movement turns into movement without a noticable "switch" from running to swinging to flying through the air and et cetera.
Afterall, these are just the first levels and I can imagine how later on we would have to work with enough things on the screen happening to justify not a "break-a-neck" pace.
This game makes the "Human Resource" take quite a different meaning.
This looks amazing in almost every aspect but I can't help but feel the combat is still a bit too slow and apathetic. If it was just a little bit faster-paced - quicker slashes and movements from the player in particular - it would probably feel way more satisfying and would fit the style even better.
The Red Centaur fight is probably the best example here. The boss is amazingly animated and paced but it is frustrating to see how the player's speed lags behind - it's like you need to painstakingly catch up to him after every strike - and each attack feels like it just delicately "flows" through the enemy. A much faster and wider slash - even if it's just about the animation (see: Katana Zero or Ori and the Will of the Wisps) - would add the dynamics and sense of urgency here, much like the blocks+counters do (they look really cool).
The player's move and attack arsenal is very limited, too, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - both Katana Zero and Hollow Knight were able to do amazing things with a limited set of moves and much like in the case of Hollow Knight, I guess we can expect the game to evolve the player's capabilities in time :}
Finally, the bosses and enemies could see some more variety - fighting them feels a bit too repetitive but again, I'm sure it's still a subject to expand!
This is exactly how I feel about it. The combat, outside the counters, doesn't look satisfying. Maybe later on? But the first few minutes in a videogame, especially action oriented ones, are so important, I don't think I'd play this.
Personally, I don't think this is Cyberpunk, like others in the comments seem to think, instead I think it's literally what it says on the tin- Daopunk- and all the technology is what happens with sufficiently advanced magic (or in this case, sufficiently advanced qi)
I havo no idea what Taopunk is, but I love it! (Also, great video, and also, 100th comment)
the enemy attacks seem slow and weak and the enemies are like damage sponges. they should have a block, or faster attacks, but go down quicker when you land a hit. The controls don't seem as tight as any of the three games, the player attacks seem equally as sluggish. the combat looks much more fun at 1.25 or 1.5 speed
You can speedhack the game then lol
TAKE MY MONEY
Never heard of Taopunk before but I love it already.
This could have been really, really good. Damn.
Pretty good overall. My only gripe is with the enemy health values. Their health is just slightly higher than your three hit combo which makes the combat flow less well. I think it would feel better, at least at the start, for a full combo or counter tag to eliminate an enemy.
Other than that, the setting, graphics, and sound design are solid.
Love Hollowlike games and this one is sure to get on my wishlist!
Thx for showing off another sweet one dude!
Can’t wait for the release
Nice job, red candle
Like Hollow Knigh and Sekiro? Two of my all time favorites.
Just take my money, my wife, my kids... even though I am maidenless yohohoho
🤢
Great bones so far but they need to add a good variety of weapons and skills with different animations and an environment thats constantly changing in aesthetic to keep the game fresh throughout and with goals I want to achieve and places I cant wait to see. But so far they are nailing sound and the basics of combat and world design. Great bones but I need to see how they keep the game from going stale too quickly to be convinced. Alot of games like this think they can just do the minimum and people will stick with it. We need the full package like so few get right!
i really really need this game for switch
Wow, can’t wait for this one!
Could use some voice acting, but the animation is amazing!
Red candle is still making games?! Oh thank goodness. After the Devotion debacle with the CCP I thought they would be sunk.
This looks promising
Edit: The artyle is nice but the combat looks stiff, for has as fluid as the characters look you don't feel that at all. The dialogue choices are neat, at least your character isn't another fromsoft silent protagonist.
They need actual combo system to reduce the repetition of the budget-friendly fights.
Edit2: they need to had a stagger or exhaust meter for the player character, deflect blows ups that meter and attack should reduce it, the reason I say this is because the fights lack tension and reflecting is very strong.
Hope they meet their Gofund me goals
At first I wasn't convinced by the cat character but it turns out it's OK and the game looks nice.
Felicidades! luce increíble, sin duda dará mucho de qué hablar más adelante. 👌😎
"низший" Дема Михайлова с японским колоритом.
holy fuck i want to play this game so baddddddddd
This game is so cool, its on my wishlist XD
Getting some Itachi vibes from the main character
Main character reminds me of of Usagi Yojimbo a little bit.
muito bom o jogo
战斗和敌人是不是可以更多样化一些？刚看着美术很有趣，但半个小时看下来一直都是这样重复的操作和敌人，就越来越无聊和犯困了。《黄泉之路》可是前车之鉴啊！
Imo, the gore-effects doesn't fit well to the game ...
Taopunk 🙄
These 2D games look so nice and clean now. Like controlling actual cartoons. What a time to be alive
Nine Sols, Crowsworn & Silksong
@@francisneilsoquino934 wdym, silksong ain't real
Turd, I was thinking the exact same thing!!
Agreed. Completely unlike the shitty pixel graphics that these devs keep using for some reason
@@HitBoxMaster gonna have to disagree with you on the "pixel-sprite" graphics opinion... although, I can see why someone wouldn't like it. I love it when it's done right because it adds a certain old-school aesthetic to new platform! For example, the game "REPLACED" should be landing sometime this year and frankly, it looks OUTSTANDING in my opinion... although, you still may disagree. Have you seen how that game looks? Here's the trailer if you haven't...
ua-cam.com/video/xOvOY4eI_mk/v-deo.html&ab_channel=Punish
... anyway, like I said, I can understand why someone wouldn't like this style.
whoever did the soundtrack definitely did a great job capturing the atmosphere. traditional sounding chanting with volume LFOs and low key drums and percussions is really on point and compliments the world building. the stems from ambient to combat flow seamlessly. the SFX of hitting could be more punchy with short decay and the sword swing more metallic and sharp (higher pitched) but great overall audio mastering. listened on ATH M50X.
the intro music is literally the non copyright infrangement version of ghost in the shells original opening music :D
@@infomanhead it’s a particular style, though in all honesty I forgot what it’s called.
I agree for the most part, but personally I believe the less punchy, less decayed SFX of the attacks and impacts blends nice and smoothly with the flow of the animation and underground metallic sci-fi hallway environment in which the combat takes place, it just all rolls together very well and I think if the sounds were tighter and sword somewhat more metallic, wouldn’t be doing it right/wrong or an improvement, but rather just subjective at this point, because the current combat sound design is great as we both agree on.
Also listened on m50x’s :)
@@DoktrDub If you remember, please let me know.
Red Candle Games always does an amazing job with their audio mastering and soundtracks. The soundtrack and audio mastering in Devotion was also top notch!
Wow, that ceremony got dark! I also like that your character is a bit of an A-hole. He just stood there and did nothing while two people got decapitated!
Well, the developers call their style Taopunk. There is a lot of that renouncing the world kind of thing in Daoism that can be interpreted nowadays as being a bit of an A-hole haha. I can't wait to play this, looks beautiful.
"Eh, nobody I know."
@@vazzeg more like cults orders, that somehow got groups together with main Taoist sect.
The main character is most likely a Maoshan （茅山） exorcist, given the use of a possibly rosewood jian, yellow robe and foo charms and they are trying to rid the world of cultist techno parasites
Also the enermies are dressed like Jinwiyei （锦衣卫）, might alude to immortality and some harvesting to a dying monarch, who knows maybe a ruthless and faceless
I could easily see it as either struggling to decide what to do, or biding his time to save the one he knows he can, without any other complicating factors like being fought by the one you're trying to save.
@@vazzeg I think their style “Taopunk” generally refers more to the combination of sci-fi and Eastern Mythological elements and is not to be taken as philosophically as that.
This is from the developers who also made “Devotion” and “Detention “, Red Candles Games!
Wow, that’s cool. Devotion and Detention were good too
@@SassafrasTee7366 Except for the attempt to slip in political stuffs as easter eggs. Never a good move for any game devs.
@@FlameRat_YehLon True, politics is already annoying in real life, i dont want it to ruin my game time to
Yeah their games has quality!
Too bad people are salty about it.
@@cyncynshop People are salty because they did shit before. I mean, is there any excuse to put political stuffs of any sort in any game? Not to mention doing it in a personal harassment way which is even less acceptable than doing politics.
The concept of combining Taoism and cyberpunk is really cool.
I can't wait to give it a try.
It honestly feels like a first for the science fantasy genre, especially considering the fact that the studio behind this is from Taiwan and not a western studio using east asian aesthetics
@@octosquid48 also check out OPUS and Dungeon Munchies
that exposition dump between the playable character and the little boy was hard to watch. why repeat so plainly what we just saw. even if we didn’t see what happened, the dialogue just felt really unnatural. prime example of “show, don’t tell”. maybe it’s just me though. lately i’ve really grown fond of games that let you draw your own conclusions, games that don’t spell everything out, with people who talk to you as if you exist within that world. also yeah i’m aware this is just a small snippet there could be tons of hidden lore in the game and that’s what i’m hoping for! i’m really drawn in by the music and art so far. visually it looks like two different games i really love so i’m already invested. (i also agree with others about the combat looking dull 😅 but i think that can be fixed too)
Exactly. I loved it in Sekiro, a line or two in the beginning and during the fight feels badass. Longer dialogues suck the energy out of high action scenes. Imagine if Kuro started to give exposition dialogue when we first feet Genichiro in the field. Nope, Sekiro motions him and the fight begins.
That's what makes FromSoft stand out from most Japanese media. The worst examples are shounen anime where exposition, obnoxious inner monologues, and non-stop flashbacks rob the experience of any nuance and subtlety.
They don't handhold the viewer. They straight up forcefully grab the viewer and shove the narrative down the viewer's throat.
IMHO, it's why media literacy is so low these days. People need some type of SparkNotes for the most basic interactions of characters in media.
As a hollow knight player, the “no contact damage” is something that both shocks me and I envy
Love to see games with that Thunder Lotus aesthetic. Though I would say that this title could improve a lot more if it had directional input attacks, similar to Sundered. The three-hit-combo gets a little grading after seeing it for the 50th time.
Otherwise, I got high hopes for this one!
とても好きな世界です。主人公が格好良くて、可愛い！！UIも洗練されていて素晴らしいです！！見ているだけでワクワクします！！！！！
I'm a bit disappointed by the actual gameplay. Seems like the deflect mechanic is mainly for charging up talisman shots instead of softening up enemies. But the world, music and environmental storytelling is incredible enough that I'd play the game regardless.
The devs have gone through a lot and these game feels like them shouting at the world, "This is who we are and this is what we want to make." I wish them the best.
I've seen others' fight with the Red Centaur and the deflect mechanic actually can stun the boss and I'm afraid that wasn't shown in this gameplay
I love how you heal by puffing a pipe lol
Yeah, that's one of the coolest healing methods I've seen in a long time!
@@AlphaBetaGamer same for me too XD
I like to think with all the sci-fi stuff that it's just a medicinal vape pen.
Thats an opium pipe... Getting a hit of that old painkiller~
This looks absolutely stunning!
Sadly, bosses don't feel great (in terms of weight of their attacks and their speed + repetitive combat flow makes boss fights quite rough), but I'm quite intrigued nonetheless to see how it's going to evolve considering how much effort is put in animations!
I think the centaur needs just a little more impact
it's just a demo bro, calm down..
@@nathanvonritter You get dropkicked as a baby?
@@nathanvonritter Their comment wasn't even really passionate, why are you telling them to calm down?
I think the current demo wants players to block and counter as much as possible, the normal attack seems to only serves to recover the damage received from the imperfect block. But the block-counter mechanic is really satisfying.
I am in love with this art style.
To all those complaining about enemies reminder that this is the starting area. You think a bug charging to you is strong? Ofc not bc starting enemies are never strong (talking about the Husks in HK)
This is so beautiful ! The hand-to-hand attack at 8:34 remind me a lot the video game "Sundered". And also a bit of "Narita Boy".
I was so infatuated and sucked into Narita Boys atmosphere. Such an underrated game, im really hoping for a sequel. Definitely one of my top indie experiences.
But there it's inspired by hollow knight
@@magicbufo4277 I started playing it but haven't finished it yet. And indeed the atmosphere is incredible !
@@kuro4493 nice man i envy you for still experiencing it for the first time lol absorb it all man and enjoy it, some awesome boss battles ahead in you journey, godspeed.
I've never heard of "taopunk" before. I thought it was just gonna be pure eastern oriental fantasy like jadepunk or silkpunk.
I didn't know this was sci-fi until that AI started talking through the intercom. I already have so many questions about this world. Is it post apocalyptic? Is it dystopian? It's definitely Cyberpunk, but is there actual magic or just sufficiently advanced tech? What's with the roots? Why are people being farmed like cattle? What do they do with the heads? Who or what are these "gods" and what's their agenda? Are they an evil corporation? Rogue AI? Aliens? Or is it something else?
That along with the visuals and the music have definitely put this on my radar.
I suggest you visit their facebook page and have a look. There is a short comics (English link in the comment session) about what happened before and it should answer some of your questions 🙂
Sounds like a marketing buzzword to be honest. Why would a game with a sci-fi setting with asian theme elements thrown in there being called "Taopunk" lol
@@oogleye2749 if it actually engages with Daoist philosophy and has all of that mysticism fused with technology, then I'd definitely say it's not just a buzzword.
@@PhyreI3ird it somehow grinds my gear I had to Google the word "Taopunk" and found it being associated with nothing but this game. I think they're trying to ride the cyberpunk hype, find some asian-y sounding word which sound good and slap it on the "punk". They could have come up with "Sinopunk" or "Chinapunk" lol
Is it a *legal* term? "taopunk"? Daosism IS actually real religion in China. What about Jesuschristpunk, how about that? Or muhammadpunk may be?
Looking good so far. Excited to watch the development
Way better than what I expected. Their trailer made the game look very gameplay-LIGHT.
Reminds me of "Dust: The Elysian Tail."
Is there a playable demo of some kind?
I'd love to give it a go
Hi! This demo will be released in April (not sure the exact date).
@@AlphaBetaGamer thanks for the info, and of course, for showing the game
You're welcome! Thanks for watching! :)
@@MadogBrand it has released
Looking cute but being very serious and cool. Pretty nice!
I love the evocative and mysterious setup. Gorgeous animation. This looks a lot of fun
Looks really good. Hope they come with the full version soon!
Machine: “Decapitated 2 people”
MC: I sleep
Machine: “Grabs the boy”
MC: REAL CRAP
Haha, yeah I honestly was starting to think he was just gonna let the boy get decapitated too!
@@AlphaBetaGamer I can’t believe you replied me. i also have the same thought of yours
but also thinking that “Is he going to save the boy?” at the same time
I think this game looks so beautiful, the animation so clean, and the tone so haunting like if cartoons were allowed to go as dark as old folk tales… but man, the writing was pretty forced, like the whole beginning dialogue I was thinking “show don’t tell show don’t tell SHOW DON’T TELL” or even if it was delivered in a more believable way. Maybe if you wanted to hint at the main dude’s agility (I don’t even think it was a necessary line because we already could assume he had agility based on the fact that we’d be playing as him…. Whiiich I also think after that cutscene there could’ve been a way to start playing the actual game immediately while still having character moments to make the ceremony more tense), you could have something small like “oh also… I accidentally got my toy on the roof again… I know we should’ve bought a ladder a while ago… though I guess this’ll be the last time you have to worry about it!” Or SOMETHING like that. Just make it sound less like a wiki article and more like a young character who’s most likely about to die. Maybe they wanna hide the fact that they’re scared to show how much they’ve grown to the big bro. You could do it by having small contradictions, or little hints about their true feelings. When we talk about something that makes us stressed, we usually hesitate to fully state what it is. So maybe he could comment on how he messed up the food or something, maybe he didn’t add enough salt on it and is trying to laugh it off, stating how he doesn’t get why the gods would choose someone who can’t even cook for themselves… then get quiet and hint at maybe wishing they’d choose someone else. You could show that they’re having a hard time swallowing anything, then you get to the the ceremony and see why. Just something instead of “did you know this is my character backstory? I know you probably already know, but I wanna tell you anyway.” Anyway great looking game :)
In the demo, there is a short gameplay section before the dialogue cutscene (maybe they added it after this video was made), but yeah, that dialogue is pretty exposition heavy.
This is beautifully animated
Thanks for sharing dude, this looks super interesting. Will definitely try and keep an eye out for this one
Holy crap this is amazing art design.
Yo! Wasn't expecting something new from Red Candle! Glad to see this!
Gameplay looks really cool and story-wise really intriguing! Can't wait for the full game.
The audio design is pretty great! Among almost everything
taopunk that's new, can't wait for steam release!~
Seems really cool. The fighting is a bit kn the simple side, but I assume more abilities and upgrades get tacked on over the course of the game.
if you attack a guy like at 14:57 when they've got their guard up like that they ought to block it
Gotta thank you for informing me of the existence of this game. It came out fully a few months ago and is excellent.
Everyone has too much health. I want to die in one shot while tearing through a room at Mach 10.
definitely gonna keep an eye out on this game
So, after detention and devotion. Red candle games create this one...
As soon as this game is available on consoles
Am pressing that buy button
Or maybe depending on things I’ll get it on pc
I know this is inspired in katana zero and hollow night but the vibes remind me of Dust: An Elysian Tail so bad, what a great game that was, and I still believe it was important to help the growth of hand drawn 2D games
I agree
Omg, inspired by Katana Zero too??? Fk yeah
at first glance i thought they wanted humans for their meat.
But it seems to be Necrotech.
This look interesting. I love the creative themes. I can’t recall seeing a game inspired by Taoism before.
“Inspired by Hollow Knight”?
Oh yeah. This is definatly gonna scratch that hollow knight itch I've been having.
So the artstyle and aesthetics are great especially the UI but in terms in combat and the NPCs animation speed as fast paced combat is needed (Speed is the Key!) because it doesn't feel impactful but I'm sure others in the comments have more details about that. So I hope this is not the final product, it needs more to expand more on the ideas.
OH MY GOD IT LOOKS SO COOL!!!
I fucking love the music of this game really
Fuuuunded
I think the speed is good. The swings need to have stronger impact. and hopefully I'll get to try out all the moves such as deflecting. Thanks for showcasing this!
Other games: *uses potions or other consumables to heal*
Nine Sols: *BLUNT*
This looks great. Love the combat system.
backed it and excited for it
That first dialog was such an "as you know" bit and REALLY set my expectations back. I would have rather that entire description of hunting and fixing things be our tutorial. At the end of the day Big Bro speaks and the kid starts asking questions like a normal kid and opens up about thier parents. If it's the most important thing, show it to us.
Edit: okay, intrigue is back. But like many others said, the player attacks need a little tightening. I also feel like the heal animation could use a little exaggeration in the movement and speed, even if it's a smear motion when bringing up the pipe. Something to sell how it "feels". For example, Hollow Knight has the sound and particles, or Souls has that exaggerated drinking motion. Something between those might do the trick.
THIS IS FUCKING GREAT
What is taopunk?
The music around 6:00 minutes gives me Akira vibes big time. Nice.
Reminds me a lot of Dust: An Elysian Tail
This is awesome kinda reminds me of Sundered
Feels really nostalgic like that flash player from the childhood days, but with polish. Can't wait!
Taopunk is a nice concept!
Amazing game!
Holy shit! I love everything shown here!
This... this is beautiful
Extremely pretty. But I do hope the gameplay gets refined a bit more. I don't think I could have fun with the combat feeling so samey. The bosses are quite slow, and the glint almost every attack makes when it's about to land makes them extremely well telegraphed. You don't really have to learn the boss patterns to beat them it feels like, just pay attention.