Nine Sols Review: A Near-Perfect Fusion of Hollow Knight and Sekiro

When I first saw gameplay footage of Nine Sols, I was instantly captivated. The game promised a fusion of Hollow Knight and Sekiro; two iconic franchises renowned for their combat, intricate worlds, and punishing difficulty, which was right in my wheelhouse. While the game delivered on much of its promise, calling it flawless would be a bit of a stretch.

The reasons for this are multifaceted, and while you’ll get what you’re looking for if you love the games Nine Sols is inspired by, you’ll also quickly notice some flaws that can’t be ignored. 

A Journey Through the "Taopunk" Fusion of New Kunlun

The journey in Nine Sols begins with a gripping, gory introduction, where our main character, Yi, is betrayed and left for dead by his mentor on the outskirts of New Kunlun. Yi survives and is revived coincidentally by Shuanshuan, an Apeman child from a nearby village.

Shuanshuan brings Yi to their village, where he hides for two years, preparing to exact his revenge on the council. However, disaster strikes when Yi is forced to save Shuanshuan from a ritualistic sacrifice and flee the village.

On the run, Yi establishes his base at the Four Seasons Pavilion, the hub area of Nine Sols. Here, Yi will unlock NPCs, trade, upgrade gear, and dive deeper into the lore. And it's here where the game kicks off in full as Yi embarks on a quest to hunt down the remaining eight council members of New Kunlun, each holding the Sol Seals necessary to thwart their plans—whether they surrender willingly or by force.

As you explore different areas of the game, you’ll experience the unique "taopunk" aesthetic, which is a fusion of Taoism and cyberpunk. This blend of sci-fi elements and Eastern mythology is impressively executed in places like the Empyrean District and Power Reservoir, though other areas, such as the Grotto of Scriptures and the Agricultural Zone, feel somewhat bland in comparison.

The game’s soundtrack is another highlight, seamlessly mixing Eastern influences, tribal melodies, and modern synth-wave with dubstep-like beats. There are moments when standing still just to listen to the music feels like a reward in itself. So needless to say, there’s a gorgeous journey ahead.

A Gorgeous Combat System That Nears Perfection

For a game striving to join the ranks of Metroidvanias and Souls-likes, Nine Sols needs to nail one core aspect—combat. Starting with Yi, an anthropomorphic cat-like creature who wields a powerful sword, an energy-type bow, talismans, and, of course, his paws for parrying enemies. Initially, the game introduces basic platforming and combat mechanics reminiscent of Hollow Knight, but with a slightly weightier feel.

The combat starts with a simple three-swing combo, but as you progress, Yi gains the ability to charge attacks and unleash devastating strikes. His Azure Bow can be modified to fire three types of projectiles unlocked throughout the game: a burst shot, an electrical ground spread, and a homing arrow that circles and strikes enemies multiple times before dissipating.

One of the core combat mechanics in Nine Sols is the parry system, which serves as the foundation that ties the combat together, though it also introduces some issues due to its heavy reliance (more on that later). In essence, you can parry an attack by pressing a button just before the enemy strikes, allowing you to block it completely.

Layered on top of the parry system is the Talisman mechanic. Each successful parry charges up a Talisman slot, and once you have a charged slot, you can place talismans on enemies to trigger an explosive attack, consuming one or more charges depending on the type of talisman used. Adding to this is the Tai Chi kick, similar to the aerial parry from Sekiro, which allows Yi to parry attacks from any direction while airborne, unlike ground parries that only work in the direction Yi is facing.

Later in the game, you unlock the "focused parry," allowing you to block heavier crimson attacks that normal parries or dodges cannot counter. These mechanics work nearly flawlessly, creating a seamless combat flow with smooth transitions between abilities.

The game introduces these mechanics gradually, allowing you to practice them against enemies and bosses that require using your newly acquired abilities. However, Nine Sols offers combat flexibility, giving you the agency to handle most enemies your way, which is refreshing.

Unfortunately, the combat isn't perfect. You’ll quickly notice that some enemies are poorly designed, with janky hitboxes where attacks seem to miss you, only to clip and deal damage unexpectedly—this is especially frustrating during boss fights. 

While the parry mechanic is enjoyable, it feels as though enemies were designed specifically to be parried, rather than having robust move sets that work with or without the parry. As a result, enemies often have unfairly long or fast combos, or their attack animations are so large that dodging becomes ineffective, forcing you to rely heavily on parrying.

I understand the intent behind encouraging parrying, but offering a choice between dodging and parrying, each with pros and cons would create a more balanced experience. Instead, parrying feels mandatory due to the enemy's design, especially in the late game where more aggressive enemies are introduced.

But if I take my critical glasses off for a moment, I admit that even with these flaws, Nine Sols delivers a gold-standard combat system. It's fluid, intuitive, and incredibly rewarding once you master its mechanics, making every encounter feel like an accomplishment.

A Cast of Worthy Foes to Defeat in Battle

Armed with your weaponry and skill, you’ll face the eight Sol Seal holders scattered throughout the city of New Kunlun, who serve as the game's main bosses. In any game inspired by FromSoftware or Hollow Knight, the bosses play a crucial role in the overall appeal. Thankfully, Nine Sols excels in crafting memorable and challenging boss encounters, striking a difficult balance.

The first few bosses, such as General Yingzhao and Xingtian, are generally more manageable, incorporating only a few moves. However, the difficulty ramps up significantly with bosses like Yanlao and Jiequan. Many players have voiced frustrations with the tough difficulty, particularly with bosses like Jiequan, Lady Ethereal, and the final boss Eigong. 

I've had moments like this myself, and they're often due to screen clutter from massive boss attacks, occasional hitbox issues, and attacks that offer little room for error (sometimes unfairly). These factors can make some fights feel more frustrating than challenging. However, it’s certainly not impossible. 

The developers have equipped you with all the tools necessary to succeed, it’s just a matter of patience and mastering each enemy’s move sets. For an easier experience, you can switch to story mode, which reduces the damage Yi takes in battle. However, this shouldn't be seen as a fix for the frustrating boss mechanics, but rather an alternative way to enjoy the game.

Of course, there’s always room for improvement. Perhaps adding more breathing room between attacks to allow for healing or limiting how many actions a boss can perform at once would help. But overall, you’re in for some stellar boss fights in Nine Sols. If challenging and intense battles excite you (as they do for me), you won’t be disappointed by this cast of powerful foes.

A Worthy Tale We Know Too Little About

As you journey through the world and slay your former council members for their Sol Seals, you uncover more about their stories, revealing depth and nuance in the game’s character writing. One standout is Lady Ethereal, my favorite boss. Her fight blends dark, twisted horror elements reminiscent of Undertale’s Flowey, while her tragic descent into madness adds emotional weight.

Unfortunately, Nine Sols suffers from a fatal flaw in its storytelling. The narrative events we hear about, and even some key moments we witness, feel hollow because the world itself is weakly established. New Kunlun feels stagnant, failing to convey much through its design, which undermines the story the developers aim to tell, and since much of the storytelling is done indirectly through small character moments and item descriptions, the impact feels even weaker.

If you explore online discussions, item descriptions, and lore videos, you’ll find that Nine Sols contains a deep narrative rooted in themes of rebirth, spirituality, philosophy, and politics. However, these elements are scarcely touched upon or explicitly communicated within the world. Even when the game hints at larger themes during dialogue, it often abandons them, leaving you to piece together the story from items.

The characters can't save the narrative either, as our main character, Yi starts as a serious, edgy warrior focused solely on revenge. By the game’s end, he softens, having grown through his relationships with Shuanshuan and the other NPCs. However, because the game fails to ground this arc in a fully fleshed-out world, his “redemption arc” feels disconnected and less impactful.

This makes it hard to get invested or excited about the lore of Nine Sols. Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Hollow Knight told compelling stories through their worlds, leaving players eager to dive into lore and connect the dots. Nine Sols, on the other hand, reveals almost nothing through its world and forces players to hunt for its rich narrative, both inside and outside the game.

Of course, there’s no exact measure for how a story resonates, and Nine Sols will affect each player differently. Red Candle Games has done an amazing job providing a narrative thread to follow throughout the journey, but I can’t help wishing they gave us more. After uncovering the full story upon completing the game, it’s clear that Nine Sols deserved more depth and exploration.

A Masterful Platformer With Little To Be Desired

Nine Sols is a fantastic 2D action-platformer with a Souls-like twist. While the story may not meet everyone’s expectations, it excels in nearly every other aspect, particularly combat and mechanics. If you don’t mind doing some lore research yourself or have a higher tolerance for minimal in-game storytelling, the experience remains incredibly rewarding.

With some polish to the core combat mechanics and minor narrative tweaks, Nine Sols could be a perfect experience. For a game boldly aiming to blend Sekiro, Hollow Knight, Eastern culture, and cyberpunk aesthetics, Nine Sols executes its vision excellently.