If you're not sure about the game, you can check out my streams to watch some more gameplay! ua-cam.com/play/PLfkLKB8O1Ff3r5o7ehf3VBDNPedxliSEm.html Nine Sols on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1809540/Nine_Sols/ (still not sponsored, unless...? @RedCandleGames) Also want to note that I spoke about Red Candle Games using a lot of Taiwanese culture in their storytelling, but I wasn't trying to erase that the mythology is (from what I've been told) Chinese is origin, so I kind of misspoke there. Apologies for that.
One of the must suprising things about Nine Sols and Red Candle is that their first two games were philisophical horror games. The fact that they went from that to a high energy combat game is incredibly impressive.
@@michistig9761and the whole section with the pretty pink lady, like god damn, way to turn something seemingly innocent to traumatic experiences. like I immediately felt like something ain’t right the moment I entered her soulscape.
@@jamesonmcmullan5722 In a recent interview red candle said they were a bit tired after making 2 psychological narrative horror game in a row, so they made a game in a whole new different genre. They were so happy that they finally being able to make some jokes on the protagonist😂😂
In their interview, they also explained that they have added story elements as the game development progress, and as the story was fleshed out, they fall back to their strength in telling a story, which explains the immense amount of stories in the game. I agree that it’s not a right or wrong choice whether a metrovania game should have this much of story elements, but simply a matter of opinion and style the game developers opt with
I'm really glad you mentioned the way the pavilion evolves throughout the game. Honestly haven't seen much mention of that elsewhere, but it was absolutely one of the most endearing aspects of the game for me, just watching it go from a sterile hideaway to, as you said, a home. Noticing new paintings appear on the wall, the pottery around, and especially the Yi plushie, it all felt special in a way I haven't really seen in too many games.
I thought about it a lot and honestly, I think that the connection with Shuanshuan in the game is like, the one piece that really makes the entire game fit together. In a way, you as the player are experiencing the story like him: Yi is going on all these badass adventures and fighting people and winning, and despite understanding all the terrible things he took a part in, you love him anyway. It really makes the true ending (no spoilers!) hit the hardest out of just about any game.
(spoilers) And thinking of Shuanshuan’s responsibility to pass on the knowledge of solarian on the pale blue planet, it explains why we as Yi kept giving and teaching him so much skills and culture😢😢
@philipp_mn I made it yes, I have no idea what I'd price them since they take a lot of hours so I'll have to look at what similar items are priced at. It took me a few weeks to make the first one.
The developer said that they have been rushed for the last 3 bosses due to the time and budget. They wanted to make a phrase 3 for Ji (even have to fight Ji in two different locations) and more content in the last laboratory. The dragon boat was supposed to be a Boss fight too. Hope they will make a DLC for some of the abandoned contents. But still, the ending is great and enjoy every monent of it. Thanks for the playthroguh and review. *What a coincidence that all three protagonists from Red Candle are on the road of redemption.
I do wish to see some more Nine Sols stuff, as complete as the narrative is the gameplay is just too excellent to be contained within that one story. A DLC, new difficulty (akin to Terraria's expert mode) or extra mode (like a boss rush) would be perfect for that.
@@kevinchan661 honestly, that makes a lot of sense in that I felt a decent drop off after Lady Ethereal and was a little upset Ji wasn't given more time based off of being set up for a lot of the game. (Also that was the one boss that I beat in 3 tries). I think DLC can go in a couple ways. Unless I missed it, they could actually give the guru a quest line (assuming I didn't miss some data entry hinting at them) Obviously, it could just revamp a few bosses that were a bit lackluster. New side characters would be cool, even adding new items for Shuanshuan would work.
I am seriously so insanely glad you streamed this, otherwise I likely would not have played it or even have known about it. Yeah, while it does have some issues, holy hell I enjoyed every damn second of this game (ye I know I've already said this but it's seriously one of, if not my top favourite games this year by far). Once I got the feel of the combat the bosses were some of the most fun fights I've experienced in any game. It just has such a fun rhythm to it and it's intensely satisfying once you learn how to parry everything. I also really love how different every fight felt. Not just with combat, but with overall tone. The devs did a really good job making each boss' motive and personality come through in the fights, some of the later game fights in particular. Also holy hell that Yi amigurumi is amazing!! Vampy is so goated!
Yesss I'm glad you enjoyed the game so much, Rua! That's also a great point that the bosses all felt very different. I think that's probably why I didn't feel too bad about the boss difficulty curve being kind of flat in parts of the mid-game, since even though the difficulty wasn't quite perfect, the bosses were all still thematically interesting and unique. Definitely get what you mean about their personality coming through, too!
I absolutely adored nine sols, the combat is some of the best Metroidvania combat I’ve seen in a long time, it’s difficult and so satisfying to pull off. Some of the boss fights in this game are absolute masterclasses in design. The story made me cry. If you’re watching this and haven’t played nine sols yet please do so. It quickly became one of my favorite Metroidvanias of all time.
@@DanielIskrov depends! Personally I like finishing games before moving on but it’s up to you. I don’t think you have to be in a rush to start playing nine sols though so play it whenever you feel is a good time.
I'm so glad you mad a video on Nine Sols, this game deserves more attention. I think its only a matter of time before it pops off and eventually it will be regarded alongside the likes of Hollow Knight and Ori. I bought this game a few weeks ago after I saw your first video on it where you talked about your experience with the tutorial, and it is now one of my favorite games, so thank you for giving this game the praise it deserves.
I also like how DOWN TO EARTH the story of Nine Sols is for this story-driven Metrodvania. Most of the Metrodvania that tries to present a deeper story tend to make the story-telling as complicated/ as confusing as most of the Soul series, for example, Blasphemous and many imitation of Souls-like Metrodvania games. Those games may have good setting, but the way they tell their story are so convoluted/ confusing to the point most people stop caring about it. Nine Sols and Ender Lillie are some of the few exceptions which tells a coherent, relatable and touchy story .
@@Ventus_S I absolutely agree. One does not require an extended exposition to understand the culture, the drama is what pulls everything in. The last dialogue "When the curtain falls, none of us are really at fault" encapsulates the philosophical attitude of Taoism entirely. There are so many layers to each of the 9 souls, it demands from me the desire to research into them even after completing the game. I have been changed entirely along with my perspectives towards Taoism.
I'm glad you didn't give the title of a "New Hollow Knight?" or "Hollow Knight Killer?" Hope that Nine Sols will get more attention, in part thanks to videos like these, in part through other word-of-mouth. Got myself more interested in it than I thought I would be when I learnt about it. There's a lot to offer. (That said, where hand-drawn 2D MVs are concerned, Cookie Cutter is one i'm personally very, very fond of).
How the hell do you kill a single-player game? The monatization model is the purchase itself, and HK has already sold well over 3000000 copies already.
@@jacobesterson a month late, but if you’re still curious, it’s less like “killing” and more like “dethroning”, as many consider Hollow Knight as one of if not the best metroidvanias made.
I love this game so much and (spoilers ahead) after a second playthrough, knowing what you learn in the endgame, everything is framed differently and you understand things that seem to be off-hand lines. My favorie character has to be Lady Ethereal because her theme is dealt with incredibly, and since her work is so closely related to Yi’s, you dont understand a lot of what she says the first playthrough. Incredible game, one of my favorites of all time.
fun fact: the red candle developers said in the interview that their plan was to save up budget on lady ethereal, and are very surprised to find so many players say they love this part a lot. The devs said the level of lady ethereal is the most easy part to make in the whole game-developing process, from the dreaming-horror art design, heaven-hell invert things, to boss fight gimmic ect, everything just comes together without issues, even the beautiful theme music is made by their musician who after discussion simply compose it out without further talking or second thought. They said even themselve don't understand why the horror theme goes so well and smooth in nine sols, and taiwanese players make fun about it said that red candle suddenly forgot they were a company made two nice horror games.
@@LudgerProd Honestly one of the things I like the most about 9S is that the parry frames feel _exactly_ like they do in Sekiro, at least to me. It also somehow manages to have smoother combat than Hollow Knight over all, and HK was already known for having some of the smoothest combat in the genre.
This games combat was so good that after I beat the true final boss I was ITCHING for more, so I went and played Sekiro and am now currently fighting the final boss Edit:beat him
I’m probably one of the biggest Sekiro stans out there but Nine Sols honestly did the parry mechanic even better. Just having these tiny details like mid-air parries being omnidirectional, unbounded counters, talismans as a secondary form of offense and internal damage (although Sekiro’s posture is obviously way more realistic) adds an insane amount of layers
I enjoyed Nine Sols so much, I have to give Sekiro a second chance. I was really annoyed by the fact the game doesn't offer you enough opportunities to improve -- the first boss being surrounded by enemies, having to deal with them then the boss... meaning you're wasting so much time for each tries.
I found this game through Steams upcoming releases section when there was an available demo and I was hooked just by art style alone. I was not expecting this game to be as good as it was, and it was a surprise, albeit a welcome one, from a developer who made 2 horror games in the past, that being Devotion (good game but I am a pansy and spent more than 50% of its runtime as a pausing simulator) and Detention. For such a huge departure in genre in comparison to their previous games, they knocked it out of the park. I enjoyed nearly every second of this game. Parts I did not enjoy was the stealth prison section, how some areas are just empty spaces and you will never return to them besides some collectibles, and the very jarring difficulty spike in bosses. Up until Lady Ethereal, I found the game to be very easy only for it to spike up drastically starting from Lady Ethereal onwards. I am good at these kinds of games that involve platforming and a parry mechanic, so I did not find Nine Sols too challenging personally, but there is a huge spike in the endgame, ESPECIALLY for the true ending boss fight. Despite all this, this game is a masterpiece in art design, music score, boss fight design, and storytelling in a metroidvania. It starts out with a huge mystery that only gets more compelling as time goes on and I loved every second of the narrative. The relationship Yi had with his sister and the realization at the end that she has actually been dead for hundreds of years and Yi is just now getting her phone calls because they had to travel through space gutted me and I have not felt that much emotion from a game in a long time. I adore this game and it is a strong contender for my 2024 GOTY so far
Something that I feel worked to the benefit of Nine Sols having a linear series of bosses is that boss design was able to accomodate the abilities of the player. Hollow Knight is famously very open ended but most bosses were not able to tune their movesets around the player having skills such as double jump or the shade dash because the player may not have them.
So glad to see you cover this amazing game!! It's my personal GOTY so far and it definitely deserves more recognition than it's had, absolute masterpiece of a game
It came for xbox free on game pass, and i picked it up to play just the day it arrived, and man i was itching to play this game. And not disappointed at all by my expectations. Everything, from the deep combat, rich scenarios, beautiful characters with diverse nuances, memorable dialogue, rich history and character growth. Everything is immaculate, i already knew it wasn't silksong, and it was so so much better because of it, been playing for only half of the game now, and is surely one of my favourite metroidvanias out there. 10/10 game
@dexnacorn7807 my first playthrough took a bit 24 hr and my 2nd playthrough seems like it's gonna end in 14-16 hrs. I spent 3 -15 attempts on main bosses and I spent 2.5 hr on final boss so it can def get longer or shorter depends on how much time you spend on bosses.
Absolutely loved this game and kudos to you for rewriting the review as well. I thought each of your criticisms were fair and well stated. This was my first metroidvania in a very long time and I never considered myself a fan of the genre. I fell in love with it so much that I picked up Hollow Knight and have been playing and enjoying that as well.
I think I'd need a way to insta-skip dialogue AND cutscenes to consider speedrunning this game. Even then, I'm not sure if it'd be as fun as Hollow Knight to speedrun. A lot of the level design is just very horizontal when you rush through it.
@@fireb0rn Understandable, hopefully a skip option after a first game completion will be added and otherwise perhaps the any glitches people can find a way around it :-))
I absolutely enjoyed playing through Nine Sols for the first time and it can comfortably be GOTY. A solid 9/10 for sure with my only gripe being a lack of replayability for some reason
Another similarity to sekiro, imo (two of my fav games). I did replay it, but the emphasis on story / dialogue hampers the second experience since you've heard all already and while you can skip dialogue in chunks, it can still be tedious doing that constantly. That said, I made my second playthrough a challenge run and, if yr into that kind of thing, that can make for quite an enjoyable experience! A boss rush would definitely be welcome. A loooot of people have asked the devs for it so I'm kind of expecting we'll get that and/or NG+ in a future update.
Yay! Great review. I pretty much agree with most of what you say here, you hit on all the big points in a very balanced way. This is the first time I've found myself buzzing with euphoria over a game, despite being very aware of its "shortcomings". I started another play-through immediately after beating the final boss, and then had to delete the game to prevent myself from starting a third. 😅 Great review, great stream VODs, thanks so much for lending this amazing game your platform. Also wtf...I've lately been (re-)learning how to crochet _specifically_ so that I could make myself a Yi plushie...and your wife just one-ups me with that adorable thing! Grrr...
This is my personal GOTY. I hope they make dlc or a sequel because the game always left me wanting more, not in that i wasnt happy with what the game did offer, but rather because i simply didnt want the experience to end.
I loved playing nine sols so much even with the absolute hell the final boss was for me, it was an absolute blast to beat the game (except for exactly one achievement, damn fortune teller machine)
The final boss seems to be really polarizing. To some people it's an amazing game nearly ruined by a final boss that is way too hard. To others the final boss is a welcome challenge. I can understand both perspectives. I wonder what they can do about it. I'm on the side where I'd rather they not nerf the fight because I enjoyed myself a lot... it's not just about liking punishing gameplay, though that's part of it, for me it's actually that fight where you have your whole kit and jades to try and can finally explore a lot of different builds to find one that works for you, in a demanding fight that really forces you lean into the build you chose and see if it pays off. Some of those jades just don't get a real chance to shine before then, they're not meant for exploration and you get them pretty late. but maybe there has to be an option for people who find it to be an unfair fight (besides "switch to story mode" at the end of the game, which doesn't feel like a good solution since it marks the whole save file as "story mode"-even though you played most in standard).
I also wonder if "people who find the bosses not too hard" and "people who realized what you can do with cloudpiercer arrows" are mostly the same group though. lol
@@silphv don’t get me wrong, it was hell but i absolutely loved the final boss except for 2 hit boxes being just a little too large, her down slash after multiple talismans, and the talisman cause I swear it has melee marth grab range In the end, I accidentally beat all 3 phases technically “damageless”
@@LuxIsACatGirl Yeahh hitboxes. My feeling throughout most of the game was that a lot of the weird hitboxes were the only thing stopping you from just constantly "walking into" enemies (or abusing dash) as you kill them and avoiding everything.... BUT her talisman hitbox, damn yeah that is just wack when she can grab you out of mid-air behind her own head. (I think Fuxi's are kinda insane too but he's not got much else going for him, so I'll let him have it lol)
I am soooo happy this video is up! My first stream was when you were getting close to the end and even though I didn't understand half of what was going on, it was so fun to watch and I grew to love the game quickly.
I played this game after seeing an earlier video you posted about it, and it has easily become my favorite game I've played this year. Thanks for sharing it!
What a great review! I fell in love with the game the moment it released. The storytelling, and overall more narrative approach, is exactly what I was missing on other Metroidvanias. If I had to pick out one flaw I had with the game. It would definitely be map navigation. I once missed where the second boss was, and ended up fighting the 3rd without increasing max HP, but the amazing parry mechanic makes it possible. (Took a while tho xd). I really hope this game gets more attention, so thanks for sharing your opinion on it!
I agree so much with what you said in the video, both the compliments and criticism. In such a short time this has become one of my favorite games. I can't wait to see what else comes with it and I'm so glad it's getting the attention it deserves.
I am terrible at these kinds of games. I beat Nine Sols 4 times. It took me hours to beat a lot of the bosses...but by my later playthroughs I was beating them sowmtimes first go. The absolute joy you feel at hust getting better is real in this game.
I find it similar to Celeste as well. Death is never punishing enough to deter you from playing, instead it feels like an opportunity to do better next time, as you learn the enemy moves and be able to parry well
The whole reason I found out about this game was because of your video about the demo. And I am so glad I played it because it was incredible. Sekiro was one of my favorite games of all time, so this game was so special. The story, the combat, the soundtrack, all of it was incredible, and I can’t wait to see more of what Redcandle games has to offer.
I first heard about this game on your channel and I am so glad I gave it a try. I am just in love with it. Also thanks for this review, as someone who can struggle with expressing my thoughts and feelings towards a certain thing, it's nice to hear someone say out loud what I think almost exactly. I think I only missed one thing that I would have been very happy to have in my first playthrough, that being a way to mark the map, like the pins in HK. I wasted so much time running into segments that I thought I forgot to check during my last session just to be reminded that there was a door I couldn't open. Spectacular game.
I also found this game not too long ago from a friend's recommendation and wow is it stellar. I do want to call out some stuff about the parry system: (spoilers) The mix of needing dash, regular parry, air parry, and Unbounded Counter (what I call "negative parry," since it's a button release, which fighting games sometimes call "negative edge") makes the parry system feel way more alive. Not only are you calling out the timing of the enemy attack, but you have to know what kind of attack is coming as well. You end up developing a thorough knowledge of enemy attack patterns, culminating in the complex attack sequences Eigong throws at you that don't always end when you expect. There's also a bit more openness to the game than you might expect, judging by the any% run I saw, though some of that is due to bugs--there's only a couple spots I can think of that are more like the intended (or intended-ish) skips you can do in HK. I guess if anything I just wish there were more. Eigong and Lady Ethereal felt like the two best bosses in the sense that mastering the combat system was the main sticking point--honestly if you showed me LE out of context I would believe she were the game's final boss--where the others felt a bit more like I was just muddling through. If my biggest complaint about the game is "please give me more of this" that's a really good sign, eh?
This game is truly awesome, and I think it's the best MV since Hollow Knight. The combat and bosses are extremely good, and the story and themes are compelling. Really, the only complaints I have are the minibosses, which felt annoying and repetitive. The end credit song by Collage might genuinely be my favorite song of the year.
It is amazing how many fantastic Metroidvania games have been released this year and this game belongs on top of the list. Glad you covered this, God...Gamer.
I really relate to what you said about rarely caring for video game stories/characters. Most games are severely underwritten genre fiction. But I was totally blown away by the emotion, themes, and characters of Nine Sols. And that’s no mention of its visual aesthetic and fantastic combat system. A true masterpiece!
A very comprehensive review! Probably where I noticed the hitbox problem the most was near the end, which the devs, to my knowledge, isn’t as comprehensive as they wished due to simply running out of production money.
I also bought the game as soon as it released thanks to this channel, and it was amazing. The difficulty curve was very strange indeed, around half of the bosses are really easy, and the final boss was really brutal (harder than any boss in any game I ever played, took me like 6 hours of attempts, but I may be stupid). But that gameplay was really good, I love the depth. And of course, the story. I never could have expected the hub to get so much development during the game.
@@sycamorph what other hard bosses have you fought? Just curious so I can gauge how difficult it is. I've beaten sekiro multiple times so I'll probably be fine but I was just curious
To be fair, the Final Boss fight in this game is such an insane and perfectly made fight that the game is well worth playing just to experience that fight. It's one of the hardest fights I've ever seen in a video game, that challenges you with using all the abilities and tricks you'll learn throughout the game. The boss is HARD, but not unfairly hard. It's a beautiful conclusion to the game, and the feeling of beating the game is undescribable thanks to that fight. It was one of those games that after playing, I couldn't stop thinking about and replayed it just 2 weeks after original playthrough.
Yi the only character to officially smoke more than me. Glad you reviewed this game as I am currently playing through it and loving the shit out of it!
3:38 You and I dear sir are on different levels, I just got to the first boss, the horse guy, and he is absolutely demolishing me! I thought I would be somewhat competent after having finished Hollow Night, but boy oh boy was I wrong. I was not ready for combat on this level since I've never played a souls game before. But I'm liking the game so I'm pressing forward!
Your earlier video is what brought the game to my attention and I very much enjoyed my playthrough of it. I was pretty pissed off at the endings but the atmosphere and way they told the story was great (kind of how I felt about neir:automata come to think of it). Also one of the best final bosses gameplay wise. Up there with sword saint IMO. That fight and the entire lady ethereal section were the highlights of the game for me.
That's the beauty of Sekiro's combat system. The parry is actually way more forgiving than you'd expect, especially from a FromSoft game. Something like half a second or something. Sekiro had a system that would shrink this window if you kept spamming the parry button, but it would reset back to the full size if you did parry, so it was usually at the full size. But without making spamming *too* effective. Its a really nice combat system and I'm glad to see other games are using it.
I remember fighting the final boss at like 5 AM after not being able to quit for the night after the story got intense. I made so many delirious, giggly jokes to myself at the crack of dawn about how I was gonna beat the final boss because of the power of bong hits and fat rips/vapes every time I healed. 2024 game of the year imo..(right behind Persona 3 Reload, but I'm biased on that one cuz p3 was already in my top 3 of all time.)
This game has my whole heart, I think it's a masterpiece, but one major flaw of the game imo that you didn't mention is that the enemy variety is lacking. They made such an awesome combat system and some of the enemies that are in the game are super cool, I just wish they made room for more types of enemies
@ This is true, there were just a couple of enemies in the game that felt like they were used in almost every area, which is why I think I feel the way I feel about the enemy variety. No matter how you spin it though, it's an incredible game and it's criminal that it didn't get an indie GOTY nomination
Perfect review, Fire. You told me everything I could possibly want to know about the game without spoiling a single thing or overhyping it. It’s been on my wishlist for a long time and I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but this review has moved it up a few notches in my backlog.
fantastic game! bought it on your recommendation and I couldn’t be happier. art style gameplay story music etc are all top notch. I watched a streamer rage quit this title yesterday about half way through it so I suppose it’s not for everyone. I did feel like some casual gamers might find the difficulty frustrating
Nine Sols got me with that Sekiro itch, it's a must-play for anyone who has fun parrying and into grueling fights. Definitely worth the play and thank you so much for reviewing the game! 💖
I just wanted to say that I learned about the game because of this video, bought it three weeks ago and finished it recently. Thank you for showing it to me, it was amazing
Thank you for vouching for the game 3 weeks ago or so. I wouldn't have given it a chance due to some reviews claiming the mechanics were clunky (lol?) and due to the steep price. It's no in my all time favourites list.
I love 9sols for allot of the same reasons I recommend Ender Lilies over Hollow Knight. Yes, HK will always be the better game, but I am a person that needs that storyline that helps me cling to a game harder. I've honestly only got to finish HK because my friends were there with me. Also I felt more freedom in 9sols combat, learning how to make your combos longer, more efficient is so nice. Me and my cousin were racing 9sols and it was fascinating to see how I opted for an air heavy combo since I got skull kick early, then my cousin was using slower charge backstabs. (Ofc I had a way easier time on a certain floating boss) This game is great but definitely not for everyone. 10/10
Thank you for covering this masterpiece ..the game really also made me a fan of the studio for life and i will be buying whatever they make no questions ask.. They are the fromsoft of the indie space imo
I am not good at games and I am pretty slow learner. That baing said, story mode is just godsend and I'll definitely at least try to finish game in regular mode after this one: I really love combat, less so platforming, and nine sols in general is just plain gorgeous. Also thanks for not spoiling final boss, in this one I have a slim chance to meet them, unlike in dead cells, and I'm really looking forward to them.
As one of the people that bought this game on launch day thanks to your video, thanks! I'm glad you're giving this beautiful game some more well deserved exposure
Thank you so much for talking about out this before it released. I played the demo several times afterwards and got the game the day it released. I then 100% the game and want to do a deathless run, plus the credits song is my new favorite. If not for you I never would've found this game. Once again, thanks fire
I'm about to fly from London to NZ. The journey is over 24 hours long and so I discovered this game in the perfect time. Cant wait to play it on my steam deck!
I had hesitation whether I should buy this game or not initially because I wasn't sure whether i would enjoy things like linear structure, heavy dialogue and difficult combat system (yes i suck at parrying).But after hearing high praises from you and Ongbal I decided to give it a shot. And it def was fantastic experience! Most of dialogues were well executed that it didnt feel like a chore at all and i was invested into story. Combat was hard enough to force me to learn but not too difficult to brick wall me just because Im a slow man whos bad at percise parry. As fireborn said it isn't perfect game by any means and it is definitely very different from other metroidvanias but I would strongly recommend it to people. For me its Hollowknight with mods and content updates>9 Sols> Hollow Knight on release.
Yep. Agreed to a T. It's why I like the metroidvania genre. If it's one thing I noticed? It has more direct story telling. Lore sure, but it plays into the story and vice versa to know why things are happening.
Im typing this right after getting the true ending and holy shit man this game was so good. I was hooked from the second I booted up the game and got every single thing in the entire game, and I almost never do that! One of the best experiences I've had playing a game, only one that rivals it is Hollow Knight for me. Im so glad I found this game.
If you enjoyed this game, I highly recommend you to try Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, it’s such a wonderful game too. Even if it doesn’t compare to Nine Sols, it’s still a beautifully crafted game. I personally had a lot of fun with it and wholeheartedly recommend it to you, but also others who might be looking for another game to scratch that itch!
I’ve thought of getting Nine Sols, since it looks so fun to play. The parry system, the talisman system and the combat in general looks so fun to master. At first when I saw that every time you enter another room, you get a loading screen, I was like ”Wha? Why do we get a loading screen every room?” But I do get it now. Also, if I ever do buy it, I will voice act the character, just because it’s fun to play the characters yourself.
The downward dash jade made me fall in love with the movement. The way you can zip around by chaining it with air dashes and ground dashes makes it so good for positioning. You can also cancel it into a spin parry that actually makes you fall faster if you time it right. That thing stays on me at all times.
Have to say, i saw this game floating around and didn’t think too much of it at first, but after how you described the themes, combat and story surrounding the game, I definitely have to give it a chance
Awesome, now I'm convinced it's a must-play for me. I love metroidvanias, 2D platformers, and souls games. I really hope your review pushes the sales on this game as much as it seems to deserve.
This game really wears it's history and Taoism influence on its sleeve, which made the narrative and it's Taoist themes so rich and interesting to me -- everything relates back to the message of that flow of energy, how the Sols wish to burn forever and refuse to set to let the cycle continue, and how, just like in the legend that Yi is based on, those Sols have to set to bring order once more. Loved the lore and if you view it through the lens that it was written, and appreciate the themes, I think it's an amazing piece of Taoist media, that introduced a layman like me to themes that I find really beautiful ☯️
I had never heard of this game before! I’ll definitely add it to my ‘games to play’ list, especially since I currently have quite a backlog. But your video definitely bumped it to the top of the list for my next purchases!
I bought this game months ago after you talked about in one of your videos and only finally played it a few days ago and absolutely loved it in every regard, my only wish for the game is that it could be harder, as I felt the bosses were easier to learn and beat on a first playthrough than bosses of other games were
I'm currently using 9 sols to practice my Chinese lol but i'm scared i'll miss the lore the dialogue in the native language to me is so much more elegant, ancient and regal than in english
I'm really enjoying the game despite getting my ass whipped on the daily by this game. Someone who I guess beat this game told me if I could beat Hollow Knight I could do this game. And I had a lot of fun with HK, I wanna play it over again, that said I never could finish P5. But this game does indeed not quite feel like HK and more of it's own kind of thing, still I recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge.
I played it after you and an IRL friend both recommended it. I thought that the concept and the art style were extremely appealing. I then proceeded to binge and 100% it within a week, crying quite a bit near the end. The story and gameplay were near perfect to me, and I can't wait to play it again to get the missable achievements eventually. My only gripe is that when reverting to before the point of no return and on replays, there's not any option to skip cutscenes and the like. It made getting the bad ending a tad annoying.
I had to stop and remind myself that this guy is one of the best hollowknight speedrunners around when he said some of the bosses should be made harder. Talk about a hot take.
Recently started playing 9 sols so can’t say I have enough experience but while I did struggle a shit ton on the first big two phase boss dude I can say I’m struggling significantly less than on some of the first hallowknight bosses (most notably that broken vessel fuck that sucked 2 hours of my time before I got good). I’m sure I’ll meet my broken vessel on 9 sols eventually tho
I will definitely buy this game, however I’m extremely burnt out for difficult games after Shadow of the Erdtree. Seems absolutely amazing tho, and you did a great job reccomending it!
If you're up for some games with more managable, tough-but-not-super-difficult combat and a sweet art direction and cool world, i can warmly recommend Cookie Cutter (hand-drawn 2D metroidvania with 2D beat-em-up combat and unusual weapons) and Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (3D brawler/beat-em-up adventure where you can find different martial arts styles). Clash: AoC especially has fantastic music too. People have complained about the parry in Cookie Cutter, but it's really not central to the combat. If you want, you can use any of the weapons you get through the game (like the big metal fist, the electric guitar, the chainsaw, some more), or the spells, or sometimes knockback them around into environment obstacles. There's some tougher encounters but overall it's managable.
@@SSuser-go7jm I'm glad they look interesting for you! Could give many more titles to look into, but for now, i hope that Zenozoik and the Megastructure may prove good experiences. Are there any games besides Nine Sols that you would like to see people talk about more?
I've been enjoying your playthrough, but haven't finished it yet. I'd love to see an anime adaptation since the story is interesting, and that's pretty rare for a Metroidvania.
If you're not sure about the game, you can check out my streams to watch some more gameplay! ua-cam.com/play/PLfkLKB8O1Ff3r5o7ehf3VBDNPedxliSEm.html
Nine Sols on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1809540/Nine_Sols/ (still not sponsored, unless...? @RedCandleGames)
Also want to note that I spoke about Red Candle Games using a lot of Taiwanese culture in their storytelling, but I wasn't trying to erase that the mythology is (from what I've been told) Chinese is origin, so I kind of misspoke there. Apologies for that.
Have u heard of Haak? Its a really cool metroidvania. But it doesn't get much attention.
Hey do you plan on releasing an edited playthrough of nine sols ?
now is it a good souls like
@@shiny-piplup yes 100%
9 out of 10? Wait a minute-
One of the must suprising things about Nine Sols and Red Candle is that their first two games were philisophical horror games. The fact that they went from that to a high energy combat game is incredibly impressive.
that explains the prison break level
philisophical horror, is this a real thing or did you misspell psychological
@@michistig9761and the whole section with the pretty pink lady, like god damn, way to turn something seemingly innocent to traumatic experiences. like I immediately felt like something ain’t right the moment I entered her soulscape.
@@jamesonmcmullan5722 In a recent interview red candle said they were a bit tired after making 2 psychological narrative horror game in a row, so they made a game in a whole new different genre. They were so happy that they finally being able to make some jokes on the protagonist😂😂
In their interview, they also explained that they have added story elements as the game development progress, and as the story was fleshed out, they fall back to their strength in telling a story, which explains the immense amount of stories in the game. I agree that it’s not a right or wrong choice whether a metrovania game should have this much of story elements, but simply a matter of opinion and style the game developers opt with
I'm really glad you mentioned the way the pavilion evolves throughout the game. Honestly haven't seen much mention of that elsewhere, but it was absolutely one of the most endearing aspects of the game for me, just watching it go from a sterile hideaway to, as you said, a home. Noticing new paintings appear on the wall, the pottery around, and especially the Yi plushie, it all felt special in a way I haven't really seen in too many games.
Ashen is another game that did that type of thing great..
@@makaires I am really glad you mentioned how much you like kissing men
@@dizzlegrizzle1919 right? its a blast
I thought about it a lot and honestly, I think that the connection with Shuanshuan in the game is like, the one piece that really makes the entire game fit together. In a way, you as the player are experiencing the story like him: Yi is going on all these badass adventures and fighting people and winning, and despite understanding all the terrible things he took a part in, you love him anyway. It really makes the true ending (no spoilers!) hit the hardest out of just about any game.
THE ONE PIECE!!!
I honestly thought I would hate how much talking I have to go through but most of dialogues were surpringly good.
(spoilers)
And thinking of Shuanshuan’s responsibility to pass on the knowledge of solarian on the pale blue planet, it explains why we as Yi kept giving and teaching him so much skills and culture😢😢
The one peice!?
@@wave-zd5smhe's supposed to represent the yellow emperor in Chinese mythology and he was the creator of everything
I also want a Yi plush. I want to hug and squish the edgy pipe cat so bad.
bro I feel you. I am quiet jeallous of the plush XD
I'm thinking of making more if people are interested in them, or maybe making a pattern so people can crochet their own?
@@vampycatyou absolutely should! (i say with no vested interest whatsoever)
@@vampycat you made them? :o any pricing range to expect?
@philipp_mn I made it yes, I have no idea what I'd price them since they take a lot of hours so I'll have to look at what similar items are priced at. It took me a few weeks to make the first one.
The developer said that they have been rushed for the last 3 bosses due to the time and budget. They wanted to make a phrase 3 for Ji (even have to fight Ji in two different locations) and more content in the last laboratory. The dragon boat was supposed to be a Boss fight too. Hope they will make a DLC for some of the abandoned contents.
But still, the ending is great and enjoy every monent of it. Thanks for the playthroguh and review.
*What a coincidence that all three protagonists from Red Candle are on the road of redemption.
I do wish to see some more Nine Sols stuff, as complete as the narrative is the gameplay is just too excellent to be contained within that one story. A DLC, new difficulty (akin to Terraria's expert mode) or extra mode (like a boss rush) would be perfect for that.
@@kevinchan661 honestly, that makes a lot of sense in that I felt a decent drop off after Lady Ethereal and was a little upset Ji wasn't given more time based off of being set up for a lot of the game. (Also that was the one boss that I beat in 3 tries).
I think DLC can go in a couple ways. Unless I missed it, they could actually give the guru a quest line (assuming I didn't miss some data entry hinting at them) Obviously, it could just revamp a few bosses that were a bit lackluster. New side characters would be cool, even adding new items for Shuanshuan would work.
I am seriously so insanely glad you streamed this, otherwise I likely would not have played it or even have known about it.
Yeah, while it does have some issues, holy hell I enjoyed every damn second of this game (ye I know I've already said this but it's seriously one of, if not my top favourite games this year by far). Once I got the feel of the combat the bosses were some of the most fun fights I've experienced in any game. It just has such a fun rhythm to it and it's intensely satisfying once you learn how to parry everything. I also really love how different every fight felt. Not just with combat, but with overall tone. The devs did a really good job making each boss' motive and personality come through in the fights, some of the later game fights in particular.
Also holy hell that Yi amigurumi is amazing!! Vampy is so goated!
Yesss I'm glad you enjoyed the game so much, Rua! That's also a great point that the bosses all felt very different. I think that's probably why I didn't feel too bad about the boss difficulty curve being kind of flat in parts of the mid-game, since even though the difficulty wasn't quite perfect, the bosses were all still thematically interesting and unique. Definitely get what you mean about their personality coming through, too!
@@fireb0rnwe're you born in a fire
there were issues?
Would you upload the edited version of your gameplay?@@fireb0rn
I absolutely adored nine sols, the combat is some of the best Metroidvania combat I’ve seen in a long time, it’s difficult and so satisfying to pull off. Some of the boss fights in this game are absolute masterclasses in design. The story made me cry. If you’re watching this and haven’t played nine sols yet please do so. It quickly became one of my favorite Metroidvanias of all time.
@@Stridey-gal should I finish hollow knight first or should I just start playing ns anyway?
@@DanielIskrov depends! Personally I like finishing games before moving on but it’s up to you. I don’t think you have to be in a rush to start playing nine sols though so play it whenever you feel is a good time.
@@Stridey-gal yea I'll probably finish hollow knight first thx
@@DanielIskrov Hollow Knight is a masterpiece.
@@dukerx ikr
I'm so glad you mad a video on Nine Sols, this game deserves more attention. I think its only a matter of time before it pops off and eventually it will be regarded alongside the likes of Hollow Knight and Ori. I bought this game a few weeks ago after I saw your first video on it where you talked about your experience with the tutorial, and it is now one of my favorite games, so thank you for giving this game the praise it deserves.
I also like how DOWN TO EARTH the story of Nine Sols is for this story-driven Metrodvania.
Most of the Metrodvania that tries to present a deeper story tend to make the story-telling as complicated/ as confusing as most of the Soul series, for example, Blasphemous and many imitation of Souls-like Metrodvania games.
Those games may have good setting, but the way they tell their story are so convoluted/ confusing to the point most people stop caring about it.
Nine Sols and Ender Lillie are some of the few exceptions which tells a coherent, relatable and touchy story .
@@Ventus_S I absolutely agree. One does not require an extended exposition to understand the culture, the drama is what pulls everything in. The last dialogue "When the curtain falls, none of us are really at fault" encapsulates the philosophical attitude of Taoism entirely. There are so many layers to each of the 9 souls, it demands from me the desire to research into them even after completing the game. I have been changed entirely along with my perspectives towards Taoism.
@@Ventus_S I thought it was just me that had the singular response “Eh?!” to Blasphemous’s story 😅
I'm glad you didn't give the title of a "New Hollow Knight?" or "Hollow Knight Killer?"
Hope that Nine Sols will get more attention, in part thanks to videos like these, in part through other word-of-mouth. Got myself more interested in it than I thought I would be when I learnt about it. There's a lot to offer.
(That said, where hand-drawn 2D MVs are concerned, Cookie Cutter is one i'm personally very, very fond of).
How the hell do you kill a single-player game? The monatization model is the purchase itself, and HK has already sold well over 3000000 copies already.
@@jacobesterson a month late, but if you’re still curious, it’s less like “killing” and more like “dethroning”, as many consider Hollow Knight as one of if not the best metroidvanias made.
I love this game so much and (spoilers ahead) after a second playthrough, knowing what you learn in the endgame, everything is framed differently and you understand things that seem to be off-hand lines. My favorie character has to be Lady Ethereal because her theme is dealt with incredibly, and since her work is so closely related to Yi’s, you dont understand a lot of what she says the first playthrough. Incredible game, one of my favorites of all time.
fun fact: the red candle developers said in the interview that their plan was to save up budget on lady ethereal, and are very surprised to find so many players say they love this part a lot.
The devs said the level of lady ethereal is the most easy part to make in the whole game-developing process, from the dreaming-horror art design, heaven-hell invert things, to boss fight gimmic ect, everything just comes together without issues, even the beautiful theme music is made by their musician who after discussion simply compose it out without further talking or second thought.
They said even themselve don't understand why the horror theme goes so well and smooth in nine sols, and taiwanese players make fun about it said that red candle suddenly forgot they were a company made two nice horror games.
You said “soulslike” and “metroidvania” and “punishing” and I said I’m in. I’m going to get this game as soon as possible
Yeah its combat is even better than sekiros imo, which used to be the pinnacle of satisfying game mechanics for me
Correction, it's a sols like
@@LudgerProd Honestly one of the things I like the most about 9S is that the parry frames feel _exactly_ like they do in Sekiro, at least to me. It also somehow manages to have smoother combat than Hollow Knight over all, and HK was already known for having some of the smoothest combat in the genre.
did you like it
@@fbn7683 I’ve played it like 3 times in the past month, I loved it
I’m happy I played it alongside you. This game is really special.
@@Zyckro I agree! I loved this game! It's so amazing. I'm replaying it right now to get 100% achevements
This games combat was so good that after I beat the true final boss I was ITCHING for more, so I went and played Sekiro and am now currently fighting the final boss
Edit:beat him
I’m probably one of the biggest Sekiro stans out there but Nine Sols honestly did the parry mechanic even better. Just having these tiny details like mid-air parries being omnidirectional, unbounded counters, talismans as a secondary form of offense and internal damage (although Sekiro’s posture is obviously way more realistic) adds an insane amount of layers
@@pouihurmen I feel like this comment is just a bit disingenuous.
@@UndeadMerchant i agree with him nine sols has the best combat of any game to date
I enjoyed Nine Sols so much, I have to give Sekiro a second chance. I was really annoyed by the fact the game doesn't offer you enough opportunities to improve -- the first boss being surrounded by enemies, having to deal with them then the boss... meaning you're wasting so much time for each tries.
How does the difficulty of Sekiro's final boss compare to Eigong? Is Sekiro much harder or is the difficulty similar?
I found this game through Steams upcoming releases section when there was an available demo and I was hooked just by art style alone. I was not expecting this game to be as good as it was, and it was a surprise, albeit a welcome one, from a developer who made 2 horror games in the past, that being Devotion (good game but I am a pansy and spent more than 50% of its runtime as a pausing simulator) and Detention. For such a huge departure in genre in comparison to their previous games, they knocked it out of the park. I enjoyed nearly every second of this game. Parts I did not enjoy was the stealth prison section, how some areas are just empty spaces and you will never return to them besides some collectibles, and the very jarring difficulty spike in bosses. Up until Lady Ethereal, I found the game to be very easy only for it to spike up drastically starting from Lady Ethereal onwards. I am good at these kinds of games that involve platforming and a parry mechanic, so I did not find Nine Sols too challenging personally, but there is a huge spike in the endgame, ESPECIALLY for the true ending boss fight. Despite all this, this game is a masterpiece in art design, music score, boss fight design, and storytelling in a metroidvania. It starts out with a huge mystery that only gets more compelling as time goes on and I loved every second of the narrative. The relationship Yi had with his sister and the realization at the end that she has actually been dead for hundreds of years and Yi is just now getting her phone calls because they had to travel through space gutted me and I have not felt that much emotion from a game in a long time. I adore this game and it is a strong contender for my 2024 GOTY so far
I cried so much during this game, I didn’t expect any metroidvania to ever do that to me ;-;
i honestly commend u for playing devotion LOL i am super jumpy too so i could never
+ so far nine sols is for real my '24 GOTY as well
Something that I feel worked to the benefit of Nine Sols having a linear series of bosses is that boss design was able to accomodate the abilities of the player. Hollow Knight is famously very open ended but most bosses were not able to tune their movesets around the player having skills such as double jump or the shade dash because the player may not have them.
So glad to see you cover this amazing game!! It's my personal GOTY so far and it definitely deserves more recognition than it's had, absolute masterpiece of a game
It came for xbox free on game pass, and i picked it up to play just the day it arrived, and man i was itching to play this game. And not disappointed at all by my expectations.
Everything, from the deep combat, rich scenarios, beautiful characters with diverse nuances, memorable dialogue, rich history and character growth. Everything is immaculate, i already knew it wasn't silksong, and it was so so much better because of it, been playing for only half of the game now, and is surely one of my favourite metroidvanias out there.
10/10 game
I'm so so happy that a relatively big youtuber like you is talking about this game! More people need to hear about this masterpiece!
Found out about the game through Fireborne, bought it, 30 hours later absolutely fell in love with it.
the game is 30 hours long??????
Is it really 30 hours long?
@@dexnacorn7807 that's on the higher end, it took me around 25 hours to 100%
@@Palemis yeah, my first playthrough was over 26 hours
@dexnacorn7807 my first playthrough took a bit 24 hr and my 2nd playthrough seems like it's gonna end in 14-16 hrs.
I spent 3 -15 attempts on main bosses and I spent 2.5 hr on final boss so it can def get longer or shorter depends on how much time you spend on bosses.
Man I love this game. So glad you are covering it! Definitely deserves way more praise then it gets.
Absolutely loved this game and kudos to you for rewriting the review as well. I thought each of your criticisms were fair and well stated. This was my first metroidvania in a very long time and I never considered myself a fan of the genre. I fell in love with it so much that I picked up Hollow Knight and have been playing and enjoying that as well.
Red Candle Games put their heart into Nine Sols and stole mine ♡♡ Awesome review and I'm curious whether you intend to speedrun the game :-D
I think I'd need a way to insta-skip dialogue AND cutscenes to consider speedrunning this game. Even then, I'm not sure if it'd be as fun as Hollow Knight to speedrun. A lot of the level design is just very horizontal when you rush through it.
@@fireb0rn Understandable, hopefully a skip option after a first game completion will be added and otherwise perhaps the any glitches people can find a way around it :-))
@@BattleFolly small world 😅
@@ThaOrthodoX Aha, yeah, fellow YT-bubbleganger :-D
I absolutely enjoyed playing through Nine Sols for the first time and it can comfortably be GOTY. A solid 9/10 for sure with my only gripe being a lack of replayability for some reason
Totally agree. I don't really feel much desire to replay it either, even though I absolutely loved my first playthrough.
I might be weird but I’m replaying it like 3rd time lol
I wish they really add a bossrush with boss modifiers or a dlc prior to new kunlun showing how YI was left to die ...
@@fireb0rn the only reason I’m replaying is so I can get all of the achievements 😂
Another similarity to sekiro, imo (two of my fav games). I did replay it, but the emphasis on story / dialogue hampers the second experience since you've heard all already and while you can skip dialogue in chunks, it can still be tedious doing that constantly.
That said, I made my second playthrough a challenge run and, if yr into that kind of thing, that can make for quite an enjoyable experience!
A boss rush would definitely be welcome. A loooot of people have asked the devs for it so I'm kind of expecting we'll get that and/or NG+ in a future update.
Yay! Great review. I pretty much agree with most of what you say here, you hit on all the big points in a very balanced way. This is the first time I've found myself buzzing with euphoria over a game, despite being very aware of its "shortcomings". I started another play-through immediately after beating the final boss, and then had to delete the game to prevent myself from starting a third. 😅 Great review, great stream VODs, thanks so much for lending this amazing game your platform.
Also wtf...I've lately been (re-)learning how to crochet _specifically_ so that I could make myself a Yi plushie...and your wife just one-ups me with that adorable thing! Grrr...
This was one of the greatest games I have ever played, the combat is perfect and the world is not far behind. Thank you for the recommendation
Picked up Nine Sols on launch day and am so glad that I did, genuinely amazing experience and is definitely in my top 3 games of all time right now.
Such a genuine review. I rate it 9 sols/10 😂
Seriously though, this game deserves way more spotlight than it does now. Thank you for covering it!
This is my personal GOTY. I hope they make dlc or a sequel because the game always left me wanting more, not in that i wasnt happy with what the game did offer, but rather because i simply didnt want the experience to end.
I loved playing nine sols so much even with the absolute hell the final boss was for me, it was an absolute blast to beat the game (except for exactly one achievement, damn fortune teller machine)
The final boss seems to be really polarizing. To some people it's an amazing game nearly ruined by a final boss that is way too hard. To others the final boss is a welcome challenge. I can understand both perspectives. I wonder what they can do about it.
I'm on the side where I'd rather they not nerf the fight because I enjoyed myself a lot... it's not just about liking punishing gameplay, though that's part of it, for me it's actually that fight where you have your whole kit and jades to try and can finally explore a lot of different builds to find one that works for you, in a demanding fight that really forces you lean into the build you chose and see if it pays off. Some of those jades just don't get a real chance to shine before then, they're not meant for exploration and you get them pretty late.
but maybe there has to be an option for people who find it to be an unfair fight (besides "switch to story mode" at the end of the game, which doesn't feel like a good solution since it marks the whole save file as "story mode"-even though you played most in standard).
I also wonder if "people who find the bosses not too hard" and "people who realized what you can do with cloudpiercer arrows" are mostly the same group though. lol
@@silphv don’t get me wrong, it was hell but i absolutely loved the final boss except for 2 hit boxes being just a little too large, her down slash after multiple talismans, and the talisman cause I swear it has melee marth grab range
In the end, I accidentally beat all 3 phases technically “damageless”
Speaking of that final boss, I really should finish editing that video of all of my attempts
@@LuxIsACatGirl Yeahh hitboxes. My feeling throughout most of the game was that a lot of the weird hitboxes were the only thing stopping you from just constantly "walking into" enemies (or abusing dash) as you kill them and avoiding everything.... BUT her talisman hitbox, damn yeah that is just wack when she can grab you out of mid-air behind her own head.
(I think Fuxi's are kinda insane too but he's not got much else going for him, so I'll let him have it lol)
That part about the bosses hit boxes resonated with me a little too much lol. They need to fix that
can’t wait to see your play throughs of Detention and Devotion! Detention will always has a special place in my heart, it’s so beautiful and tragic.
I am soooo happy this video is up! My first stream was when you were getting close to the end and even though I didn't understand half of what was going on, it was so fun to watch and I grew to love the game quickly.
I played this game after seeing an earlier video you posted about it, and it has easily become my favorite game I've played this year. Thanks for sharing it!
What a great review! I fell in love with the game the moment it released. The storytelling, and overall more narrative approach, is exactly what I was missing on other Metroidvanias. If I had to pick out one flaw I had with the game. It would definitely be map navigation. I once missed where the second boss was, and ended up fighting the 3rd without increasing max HP, but the amazing parry mechanic makes it possible. (Took a while tho xd). I really hope this game gets more attention, so thanks for sharing your opinion on it!
I agree so much with what you said in the video, both the compliments and criticism. In such a short time this has become one of my favorite games. I can't wait to see what else comes with it and I'm so glad it's getting the attention it deserves.
Thank you so much for recommending this game, it IS a masterpiece, one of the best I've ever played! The final boss is a perfect 10/10 fight
I am terrible at these kinds of games. I beat Nine Sols 4 times. It took me hours to beat a lot of the bosses...but by my later playthroughs I was beating them sowmtimes first go. The absolute joy you feel at hust getting better is real in this game.
I find it similar to Celeste as well. Death is never punishing enough to deter you from playing, instead it feels like an opportunity to do better next time, as you learn the enemy moves and be able to parry well
The whole reason I found out about this game was because of your video about the demo. And I am so glad I played it because it was incredible. Sekiro was one of my favorite games of all time, so this game was so special. The story, the combat, the soundtrack, all of it was incredible, and I can’t wait to see more of what Redcandle games has to offer.
the yi plushie took my attention during the whole video😭
I first heard about this game on your channel and I am so glad I gave it a try. I am just in love with it. Also thanks for this review, as someone who can struggle with expressing my thoughts and feelings towards a certain thing, it's nice to hear someone say out loud what I think almost exactly.
I think I only missed one thing that I would have been very happy to have in my first playthrough, that being a way to mark the map, like the pins in HK. I wasted so much time running into segments that I thought I forgot to check during my last session just to be reminded that there was a door I couldn't open.
Spectacular game.
Thank you for introducing one of the best Metroidvania's I've ever played to me XD
I also found this game not too long ago from a friend's recommendation and wow is it stellar. I do want to call out some stuff about the parry system:
(spoilers)
The mix of needing dash, regular parry, air parry, and Unbounded Counter (what I call "negative parry," since it's a button release, which fighting games sometimes call "negative edge") makes the parry system feel way more alive. Not only are you calling out the timing of the enemy attack, but you have to know what kind of attack is coming as well. You end up developing a thorough knowledge of enemy attack patterns, culminating in the complex attack sequences Eigong throws at you that don't always end when you expect.
There's also a bit more openness to the game than you might expect, judging by the any% run I saw, though some of that is due to bugs--there's only a couple spots I can think of that are more like the intended (or intended-ish) skips you can do in HK.
I guess if anything I just wish there were more. Eigong and Lady Ethereal felt like the two best bosses in the sense that mastering the combat system was the main sticking point--honestly if you showed me LE out of context I would believe she were the game's final boss--where the others felt a bit more like I was just muddling through. If my biggest complaint about the game is "please give me more of this" that's a really good sign, eh?
This game is truly awesome, and I think it's the best MV since Hollow Knight. The combat and bosses are extremely good, and the story and themes are compelling. Really, the only complaints I have are the minibosses, which felt annoying and repetitive. The end credit song by Collage might genuinely be my favorite song of the year.
It is amazing how many fantastic Metroidvania games have been released this year and this game belongs on top of the list. Glad you covered this, God...Gamer.
I really relate to what you said about rarely caring for video game stories/characters. Most games are severely underwritten genre fiction. But I was totally blown away by the emotion, themes, and characters of Nine Sols. And that’s no mention of its visual aesthetic and fantastic combat system. A true masterpiece!
A very comprehensive review! Probably where I noticed the hitbox problem the most was near the end, which the devs, to my knowledge, isn’t as comprehensive as they wished due to simply running out of production money.
I also bought the game as soon as it released thanks to this channel, and it was amazing. The difficulty curve was very strange indeed, around half of the bosses are really easy, and the final boss was really brutal (harder than any boss in any game I ever played, took me like 6 hours of attempts, but I may be stupid). But that gameplay was really good, I love the depth. And of course, the story. I never could have expected the hub to get so much development during the game.
@@sycamorph what other hard bosses have you fought? Just curious so I can gauge how difficult it is. I've beaten sekiro multiple times so I'll probably be fine but I was just curious
I respect fireb0rn so much for not being afraid to speak politics.
To be fair, the Final Boss fight in this game is such an insane and perfectly made fight that the game is well worth playing just to experience that fight. It's one of the hardest fights I've ever seen in a video game, that challenges you with using all the abilities and tricks you'll learn throughout the game. The boss is HARD, but not unfairly hard. It's a beautiful conclusion to the game, and the feeling of beating the game is undescribable thanks to that fight. It was one of those games that after playing, I couldn't stop thinking about and replayed it just 2 weeks after original playthrough.
Yi the only character to officially smoke more than me. Glad you reviewed this game as I am currently playing through it and loving the shit out of it!
Honestly the part that I didn’t like the most was how it took so long to unlock certain abilities. Other than that, this game is fucking sick!
ALSO, this game gets a ton of updates, seems like they truly care about this work of art
3:38 You and I dear sir are on different levels, I just got to the first boss, the horse guy, and he is absolutely demolishing me! I thought I would be somewhat competent after having finished Hollow Night, but boy oh boy was I wrong. I was not ready for combat on this level since I've never played a souls game before. But I'm liking the game so I'm pressing forward!
Your earlier video is what brought the game to my attention and I very much enjoyed my playthrough of it. I was pretty pissed off at the endings but the atmosphere and way they told the story was great (kind of how I felt about neir:automata come to think of it). Also one of the best final bosses gameplay wise. Up there with sword saint IMO. That fight and the entire lady ethereal section were the highlights of the game for me.
That's the beauty of Sekiro's combat system. The parry is actually way more forgiving than you'd expect, especially from a FromSoft game. Something like half a second or something. Sekiro had a system that would shrink this window if you kept spamming the parry button, but it would reset back to the full size if you did parry, so it was usually at the full size. But without making spamming *too* effective. Its a really nice combat system and I'm glad to see other games are using it.
Im like 8 hours or so in and loving it! Heard about this game from you and an another creator. Keep up the great recommendations!
This game made me feel every emotion. There is so much to love about it. Currently stuck on the final boss...
I did a full playthrough of this, and I haven't had a game wreck me emotionally that hard since the Ori series.
ive been looking for a good description on nine sols like EVERYWHERE!! you just earned a new sub
I remember fighting the final boss at like 5 AM after not being able to quit for the night after the story got intense. I made so many delirious, giggly jokes to myself at the crack of dawn about how I was gonna beat the final boss because of the power of bong hits and fat rips/vapes every time I healed. 2024 game of the year imo..(right behind Persona 3 Reload, but I'm biased on that one cuz p3 was already in my top 3 of all time.)
This game has my whole heart, I think it's a masterpiece, but one major flaw of the game imo that you didn't mention is that the enemy variety is lacking. They made such an awesome combat system and some of the enemies that are in the game are super cool, I just wish they made room for more types of enemies
I think it's pretty good for the length of the game, plus the different environments also vary the combat.
@ This is true, there were just a couple of enemies in the game that felt like they were used in almost every area, which is why I think I feel the way I feel about the enemy variety. No matter how you spin it though, it's an incredible game and it's criminal that it didn't get an indie GOTY nomination
Perfect review, Fire. You told me everything I could possibly want to know about the game without spoiling a single thing or overhyping it. It’s been on my wishlist for a long time and I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but this review has moved it up a few notches in my backlog.
fantastic game! bought it on your recommendation and I couldn’t be happier. art style gameplay story music etc are all top notch. I watched a streamer rage quit this title yesterday about half way through it so I suppose it’s not for everyone. I did feel like some casual gamers might find the difficulty frustrating
Nine Sols got me with that Sekiro itch, it's a must-play for anyone who has fun parrying and into grueling fights. Definitely worth the play and thank you so much for reviewing the game! 💖
I just wanted to say that I learned about the game because of this video, bought it three weeks ago and finished it recently. Thank you for showing it to me, it was amazing
SPREAD THE NINE SOLS AGENDA!!
Thank you for vouching for the game 3 weeks ago or so. I wouldn't have given it a chance due to some reviews claiming the mechanics were clunky (lol?) and due to the steep price.
It's no in my all time favourites list.
I love 9sols for allot of the same reasons I recommend Ender Lilies over Hollow Knight. Yes, HK will always be the better game, but I am a person that needs that storyline that helps me cling to a game harder. I've honestly only got to finish HK because my friends were there with me.
Also I felt more freedom in 9sols combat, learning how to make your combos longer, more efficient is so nice.
Me and my cousin were racing 9sols and it was fascinating to see how I opted for an air heavy combo since I got skull kick early, then my cousin was using slower charge backstabs. (Ofc I had a way easier time on a certain floating boss)
This game is great but definitely not for everyone. 10/10
Thank you for covering this masterpiece ..the game really also made me a fan of the studio for life and i will be buying whatever they make no questions ask..
They are the fromsoft of the indie space imo
I am not good at games and I am pretty slow learner. That baing said, story mode is just godsend and I'll definitely at least try to finish game in regular mode after this one: I really love combat, less so platforming, and nine sols in general is just plain gorgeous.
Also thanks for not spoiling final boss, in this one I have a slim chance to meet them, unlike in dead cells, and I'm really looking forward to them.
As one of the people that bought this game on launch day thanks to your video, thanks! I'm glad you're giving this beautiful game some more well deserved exposure
After 100% this game, I can confirm it is indeed a masterpiece. Easily the best game I’ve played all year.
Thank you so much for talking about out this before it released. I played the demo several times afterwards and got the game the day it released. I then 100% the game and want to do a deathless run, plus the credits song is my new favorite. If not for you I never would've found this game. Once again, thanks fire
I'm about to fly from London to NZ. The journey is over 24 hours long and so I discovered this game in the perfect time. Cant wait to play it on my steam deck!
i was a bit hesitant about this game at first, but now im definitely trying it out. thanks for the great review!
I had hesitation whether I should buy this game or not initially because I wasn't sure whether i would enjoy things like linear structure, heavy dialogue and difficult combat system (yes i suck at parrying).But after hearing high praises from you and Ongbal I decided to give it a shot.
And it def was fantastic experience! Most of dialogues were well executed that it didnt feel like a chore at all and i was invested into story. Combat was hard enough to force me to learn but not too difficult to brick wall me just because Im a slow man whos bad at percise parry. As fireborn said it isn't perfect game by any means and it is definitely very different from other metroidvanias but I would strongly recommend it to people. For me its Hollowknight with mods and content updates>9 Sols> Hollow Knight on release.
I really wish this game had a ng+ or boss rush, but its story and especially its combat are still the best I've seen in such a long time
I'm gonna be honest, Nine Sols has sated my hunger for Silksong. It's that good. I'm not really waiting anymore. Just will be glad when/if it comes.
I played this as soon as I could afford it after seeing your first let's play and it might be in my top 5 games now
I personally prefer this type of direct story telling, over the theories-bait vagueness of souls-like games (which included Hollow Knight).
Yep. Agreed to a T. It's why I like the metroidvania genre. If it's one thing I noticed? It has more direct story telling. Lore sure, but it plays into the story and vice versa to know why things are happening.
Womp womp
Im typing this right after getting the true ending and holy shit man this game was so good. I was hooked from the second I booted up the game and got every single thing in the entire game, and I almost never do that! One of the best experiences I've had playing a game, only one that rivals it is Hollow Knight for me. Im so glad I found this game.
If you enjoyed this game, I highly recommend you to try Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, it’s such a wonderful game too. Even if it doesn’t compare to Nine Sols, it’s still a beautifully crafted game. I personally had a lot of fun with it and wholeheartedly recommend it to you, but also others who might be looking for another game to scratch that itch!
I’ve thought of getting Nine Sols, since it looks so fun to play. The parry system, the talisman system and the combat in general looks so fun to master. At first when I saw that every time you enter another room, you get a loading screen, I was like ”Wha? Why do we get a loading screen every room?” But I do get it now. Also, if I ever do buy it, I will voice act the character, just because it’s fun to play the characters yourself.
The downward dash jade made me fall in love with the movement. The way you can zip around by chaining it with air dashes and ground dashes makes it so good for positioning. You can also cancel it into a spin parry that actually makes you fall faster if you time it right. That thing stays on me at all times.
Have to say, i saw this game floating around and didn’t think too much of it at first, but after how you described the themes, combat and story surrounding the game, I definitely have to give it a chance
Awesome, now I'm convinced it's a must-play for me. I love metroidvanias, 2D platformers, and souls games.
I really hope your review pushes the sales on this game as much as it seems to deserve.
This game really wears it's history and Taoism influence on its sleeve, which made the narrative and it's Taoist themes so rich and interesting to me -- everything relates back to the message of that flow of energy, how the Sols wish to burn forever and refuse to set to let the cycle continue, and how, just like in the legend that Yi is based on, those Sols have to set to bring order once more. Loved the lore and if you view it through the lens that it was written, and appreciate the themes, I think it's an amazing piece of Taoist media, that introduced a layman like me to themes that I find really beautiful ☯️
I had never heard of this game before! I’ll definitely add it to my ‘games to play’ list, especially since I currently have quite a backlog. But your video definitely bumped it to the top of the list for my next purchases!
I bought this game months ago after you talked about in one of your videos and only finally played it a few days ago and absolutely loved it in every regard, my only wish for the game is that it could be harder, as I felt the bosses were easier to learn and beat on a first playthrough than bosses of other games were
I'm currently using 9 sols to practice my Chinese lol but i'm scared i'll miss the lore
the dialogue in the native language to me is so much more elegant, ancient and regal than in english
The best part of nine sols is the devs can scale challenge of bosses as high as they want, and bosses would feel fair anyway
I'm really enjoying the game despite getting my ass whipped on the daily by this game. Someone who I guess beat this game told me if I could beat Hollow Knight I could do this game. And I had a lot of fun with HK, I wanna play it over again, that said I never could finish P5. But this game does indeed not quite feel like HK and more of it's own kind of thing, still I recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge.
I played it after you and an IRL friend both recommended it. I thought that the concept and the art style were extremely appealing.
I then proceeded to binge and 100% it within a week, crying quite a bit near the end. The story and gameplay were near perfect to me, and I can't wait to play it again to get the missable achievements eventually.
My only gripe is that when reverting to before the point of no return and on replays, there's not any option to skip cutscenes and the like. It made getting the bad ending a tad annoying.
thank you for introducing me to this game!
I bought the game a week ago, and am a few sols in, I got the game because of you and I do not regret it.
A gem of a game and a well deserved review of a god gamer.
A GOTY contender for sure
I had to stop and remind myself that this guy is one of the best hollowknight speedrunners around when he said some of the bosses should be made harder. Talk about a hot take.
Recently started playing 9 sols so can’t say I have enough experience but while I did struggle a shit ton on the first big two phase boss dude I can say I’m struggling significantly less than on some of the first hallowknight bosses (most notably that broken vessel fuck that sucked 2 hours of my time before I got good). I’m sure I’ll meet my broken vessel on 9 sols eventually tho
I will definitely buy this game, however I’m extremely burnt out for difficult games after Shadow of the Erdtree. Seems absolutely amazing tho, and you did a great job reccomending it!
If you're up for some games with more managable, tough-but-not-super-difficult combat and a sweet art direction and cool world, i can warmly recommend Cookie Cutter (hand-drawn 2D metroidvania with 2D beat-em-up combat and unusual weapons) and Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (3D brawler/beat-em-up adventure where you can find different martial arts styles).
Clash: AoC especially has fantastic music too.
People have complained about the parry in Cookie Cutter, but it's really not central to the combat. If you want, you can use any of the weapons you get through the game (like the big metal fist, the electric guitar, the chainsaw, some more), or the spells, or sometimes knockback them around into environment obstacles.
There's some tougher encounters but overall it's managable.
@@jurtheorc8117 They seem super cool, thanks for the suggestions!
@@SSuser-go7jm I'm glad they look interesting for you! Could give many more titles to look into, but for now, i hope that Zenozoik and the Megastructure may prove good experiences.
Are there any games besides Nine Sols that you would like to see people talk about more?
I've been enjoying your playthrough, but haven't finished it yet. I'd love to see an anime adaptation since the story is interesting, and that's pretty rare for a Metroidvania.
I waited for release of this game since the demo first came out, and the final game was just so amazing...