Highlights

  • Nine Sols redefines Metroidvania with Sekiro-inspired combat and verticality, setting a new standard in the genre.
  • The game's arrival in 2024 coincides with a resurgence in Metroidvanias, challenging the highly anticipated Silksong.
  • Nine Sols' passion-filled design, challenging gameplay, and compelling narrative make it a standout in a sea of Metroidvanias.

The Metroidvania sub-genre of action platformers has been experiencing something of a renaissance in the last few years, but Red Candle Games' Nine Sols is the kind of pivotal entry that only comes around once every so often. As fans continue to wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong, several other developers have stepped in to try their hands at crafting the next big Soulslike/Metroidvania hybrid, with some of them even coming close to the same level of quality as Team Cherry's critically acclaimed Hollow Knight. But Nine Sols' arrival feels less like a salve for the absence of Silksong and more like a triumphant return for Red Candle Games and an essential Metroidvania in its own right.

Red Candle Games has traditionally tried its hand at the survival horror genre, developing and releasing noteworthy titles like Detention and then Devotion. Devotion was subject of controversy thanks to its veiled criticisms of the Chinese government, leading to Steam eventually delisting the title entirely. Nine Sols is Red Candle Games' first major title in 7 years, and the level of passion inherent in its design, mechanics, and storytelling point to it being a new gold standard in the Metroidvania sub-genre and the exact kind of title capable of outflanking Silksong.

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Nine Sols' Soulslike Influences Come From the Other End of the FromSoftware Spectrum

Classic Metroidvania entries like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night would end up becoming one of many titles influencing the development of Dark Souls and the pioneering of the mechanics and elements of what are now known as Soulslikes.

It makes perfect sense that the Soulslike genre would come full circle and influence Metroidvania design, with several of the most critically acclaimed and beloved Metroidvania titles owing a debt of gratitude to the FromSoftware catalog and Hidetaka Miyazaki. But where most Metroidvanias tend to pull from either Dark Souls or Bloodborne, Nine Sols definitively wears its love for Sekiro in every aspect of its gameplay.

Combat in Nine Sols is the exact kind of deflection and parry-heavy swordplay from Sekiro and Lies of P, but that it works as well as it does in 2D is a testament to the amount of polish and thought that have gone into Nine Sols' balance and fluidity of movement. Traversal is another area in which Nine Sols borrows liberally from Sekiro, with the design and layout of its interconnected map placing a greater emphasis on verticality and encouraging the player to use the handy grappling hook they have access to right from the game's outset.

The Arrival of Nine Sols Couldn't Have Been More Perfectly Timed

2024 is already shaping up to be one of the most stacked years for Metroidvanias, with Nine Sols joining other critically acclaimed and noteworthy releases in the genre such as Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ultros, Animal Well, and many others. February 2024 also marked 5 years since the official announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong, with the hype surrounding the potential release of what might be the most highly anticipated Metroidvania title of all time now reaching a fever pitch. Nine Sols' arrival as a competing Soulslike/Metroidvania hybrid and one of the many landmark releases in the Metroidvania subgenre positions it as Silksong's best alternative.

Between its intricate hand-drawn visuals and fluid animations, interesting and varied level and map design, engaging and challenging combat, and compelling sci-fi narrative, Nine Sols is the full package as far as Metroidvanias are concerned. It's clear that a lot of passion has gone into every aspect of the game, and its arrival hot on the heels of some of the best Metroidvania titles in years could potentially tee up Team Cherry for a home run announcement and release of Hollow Knight: Silksong. It may be a competing title, but Nine Sols' success could prove that a rising tide lifts all ships.