This game is nothing like Hollow Knight, yet absolutely everything that made you fall in love with it all these years ago: rich world, stunning visuals, satisfying combat, compelling central mystery, etc. You owe it to yourself to experience Nine Sols.

Inspired by Sekiro's deflection-oriented combat, it may not have Miyazaki’s aesthetics, but it certainly inherits his principles and elevates them to an absolute level.
There is no easy way around.
No over-leveling.
No broken builds.
No running away!
Everything’s perfectly balanced.
So there’s only you and your weaknesses. You must confront them, overcome them, and master your skills to near perfection in order to triumph over the final challenge.
But this game never feels like too much (except maybe the final boss, and especially one attack in the final phase).
Just when you think, “Oh, this is too much,” it suddenly ends, and you realize it wasn’t really hard—and it’s always fair.

The bosses in Nine Sols are incredible: unique, challenging, and each with their own theme. But beyond the perfect combat system and unforgettable boss fights, Nine Sols explores profound questions:
What does it mean to be alive?
Can all of us say that we’re truly alive, or are most of us just living by algorithms?

Life may look simple for some of us. Games, movies, and books are just entertainment.
But maybe we don’t think at all—maybe we only react to certain things, never seeing the whole picture or what lies beyond it.
So how are we different from a poorly functioning AI?
Nine Sols explores this theme beautifully:
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Yi
So you think only creatures with free will can be considered alive?

Chiyou
Indeed! He who is unable to live for himself is just a dead man walking.
---
Yi
You shouldn’t be too harsh. Artificial beings like you are a special case.

Chiyou
Ohoho! I understand. After all, I couldn’t think when I first opened my eye.
In the beginning, I was kept in the Jie family’s vault.

At the time, my senses were obscured. I could only see the objects displayed in that room.

Placed before me were the last written words of the great Jie patriarch.

The poem initially appeared to me as just a collection of symbols, but those ink strokes accompanied me year after year...

Until one day, I suddenly understood its meaning. A surge of emotions poured into my brain...

It was as if I woke up from a reverie. Everything in this world began to brim with meaning!
---
Yi
To think that a poem could create self-awareness... It’s nothing short of a miracle.

Chiyou
Ohoho! It is your choice whether to believe it or not, Sir Yi!
But the world is much too colorful to not listen to one’s heart and waste time on tasks assigned by others.

If I can’t grant this experience to my brother, then I’m afraid it will all have been in vain...
---

Nine Sols also explores themes of the lust for eternal life and the monstrosities it can lead to, or a perfectly happy life without any worries or pain—and its consequences.

The only drawbacks are that the form of the dialogues looks like comics, which makes it hard to take seriously despite the serious themes the game explores. As a result, the drama touches you—but not too deeply.

That said, I love the art style of Nine Sols. In fact, it was the reason I bought the game in the first place. Still, I think it lacks the kind of atmosphere that would make it truly distinct—something dreamy, fairy tale-like, or even grotesque to make it more immersive.

Aside from that, Nine Sols is an almost perfect game, and I’d give it a 9.5/10.

ps: Good luck, and may you all have a meaningful, wonderful experience!!

"It’s a pity that, for centuries, both of us gazed in the same direction, yet he never understood that poem..."

Studio known for horror walking simulators actually made a really good 2D Sekiro. I highly recommend this game. The combat system is just the right balance of challenging where after you get good at it, it doesn't become boring. Story and characters are entertaining too. I was really positively surprised.

Only negative I can give this game is that exploration sometimes feels more of a chore than something rewarding. Finding money is not as exciting as when you find an actual upgrade or item for an NPC. But that is the only nit I can pick.