Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
Nine Sols is a barely released and already highly acclaimed indie action game, which many compare to Hollow Knight. The reason for the popularity of the title is not easy to understand – previously the developers were involved in horror, and in the news they wrote several posts about Nine Sols a year. Let’s figure out why this game is contending for the title of indie of the year.
- Developer: RedCandleGames
- Publisher: RedCandleGames
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: May 29, 2024
A cute little fox in a yellow cloak is our main character. True, in the first minutes of Nine Sols we see his death – defeated in battle, he falls from a cliff into the abyss. But the unexpected happens – the roots of a mysterious tree do not allow his life to fade away.
After some time, the fox comes to his senses and discovers that his house has been captured by the mysterious creatures “sols”. We have to get even with them, and also figure out who is in front of us – a hero or a monster .
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
The story will seem as simple as possible – here are nine Sols, they need to fight in order to return peace to their lands. However, it is interesting to follow thanks to its unusual comic book style presentation and characters that quickly become relatable. For example, the boy we meet in the first minutes will be saved from a terrible ritual in half an hour, and we can exchange a couple of phrases with almost everyone we meet.
The game also has a dialogue system; we are free to react to events as we see fit.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
The world itself is eccentric but charming, combining the styles of feudal Japan and futurism. We are convinced of this already in the first half hour, when we first walk through a strange village, the inhabitants of which ardently worship someone, and then go down into the dungeons of this place, in which temples and intricate corridors with automatic doors and kilometers of massive cables are hidden.
This mixture looks harmonious, although sometimes the transitions are quite abrupt.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
However, the main thing that affects the perception of Nine Sols is the graphics. I will not hesitate to say that the game is a visual masterpiece. The picture turned out to be not too sharp and cartoonish, which is reminiscent of high-quality animation. The animations, the actions of the characters, the battles look so smooth that you really think that in front of you is a very mesmerizing cartoon, from which it is difficult to take your eyes off.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
Gameplay-wise, Nine Sols looks like a cross between Hollow Knight and… Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice . This is not quite a metroidvania : in the process of passing we discover the hero’s abilities, but there is no desire or reason to return to previously passed places. The exploration falls short of the action that the game announces at the very beginning.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
The authors of the title do not hide that they looked in the direction of Sekiro when creating the combat system , so in battles you will often have to parry and dodge. But still parry more often. Successful execution of this action not only protects the hero from damage, but also gives him charges that are spent on the ability. For example, the first one is teleportation through an enemy and placing a “scroll” on him, which explodes after a while. This looks epic.
The combat unfolds gradually – at first you get used to it, then you get carried away in battles with dummies and experience real delight in the bosses , especially the later ones. Battles turn into mesmerizing dances , from which you experience aesthetic pleasure.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
At the same time, this is not to say that the battles are hardcore – Nine Sols is not souls-like , no matter how much one would like to voice this stigma. Nevertheless, there are elements of “that same game” – “souls” needed for leveling up drop from enemies , and checkpoints-bonfires are scattered around the world, where you can relax or study the skill tree. There are a total of 54 skills you can unlock: funnily enough, they measure your progress through the game when you select a save from the menu.
There are also artifacts that can be found as you explore the world. There are a lot of them, but it won’t be possible to equip them all due to restrictions. We can change them, thus adapting to the game environment.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
Adventures are often interrupted by dialogues and cut scenes, which proves that the authors of Nine Sols value the plot very much. Thanks to this, we can say that the title will equally appeal to both fans of interesting stories and those who prefer complex and stylish fights. The only thing is that to fully immerse yourself in the plot you will need to know English; there is no translation into Russian.
You can only find fault with the little things: the checkpoints located far from each other, some confusing locations, the lack of the Russian language and not the widest variety of enemies. However, these shortcomings certainly do not affect the overall impression of the passage.
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
As for the controls, when I tried to play on the keyboard , the very next day I forgot which button was which, so I had to relearn it again. It’s better to connect the gamepad right away .
Review of Nine Sols – Silksong can’t wait
