Nine Sols Comes to Consoles Today!
2D action Soulslike ‘Nine Sols’ finally arrives on PS5, Xbox Series consoles and the Nintendo Switch today November 26th after being stuck on PC since May of this year. Taiwanese developers Red Candle Games (who are also known for the acclaimed horror release ‘Detention’) have managed to bring one of the best Indies of the year to all major consoles. What’s better- you’ll be able to play this for free as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate right now.
Image by Red Candle Games
Nine Sols has already had a bunch of praise heaped onto it in the months after its release on PC. With hollow Knight inspired atmosphere and visuals and slick Sekiro-like combat, this package just feels great to play. As you explore an abandoned space station inspired by Buddhist and Taiwanese history, you unravel a deep story with some heavy themes. A little more direct than Hollow Knight but no less impactful, this narrative has quite a few gut punches and insidious revelations that you may not expect.
Image by Red Candle Games
Thankfully, Nine Sols’ combat doesn’t slack either. An almost 1 to 1 rendition of Sekiro’s combat in a 2D plane, fights feel responsive and, when pulled off flawlessly, incredibly clean. Much like Sekiro, you feel completely useless at the beginning while slowly building to mastery as the difficulty creeps up. Blocks, parries and counters are the name of the game here and charging up powerful attacks creates a great risk/reward system that makes this system miles more complex and addictive than many other 2D combat models.
Image by Red Candle Games
Much like Hollow Knight, Nine Sols is also a metroidvania spanning a huge space station. As you hunt down the titular ‘Nine Sols’, you explore gardens, creepy labs, and simulated villages in your search for vengeance. The worldbuilding and writing is top notch in this release and getting lost in the twisty corridors comes close to the eerie atmosphere offered in Hollow Knight. If you’re intrigued by what may be many people’s indie release of the year, you can pick this up on all major consoles now.
