It’s been over 4 years since we talked about the demo for Nine Sols, the most recent game from Red Candle Games.

It came out in 2024, and since I backed the crowd-funding campaign, I got a copy at launch.

But since my backlog is large and terrifying, I put it off and put it off (aside from briefly starting it)… until this year I finally started it properly and played it through to completion.

And you know what? It’s a hard game.

Nine Sols is a 2D action platformer. I’m not sure if it strictly meets the definitely of being a Metroidvania, but it’s definitely got some of those elements as well. There’s a lot of exploration, with upgrades to find and items to return for later.

Combat, meanwhile, has a strong emphasis on parrying. You will learn how to parry. Especially for bosses, learning the timing to parry each attack and then countering with a talisman attack often became the core of the fight. And it’s quite a challenge; I quickly got used to dying over and over.

(Nine Sols uses the Souls-like system where you lose your exp and money upon death and need to retrieve it from the spot where you died or the enemy that killed you, but fortunately, once you’ve gained enough exp to earn a skill point, the point stays even if you haven’t spent it yet.)

The gameplay is fun and challenging, and just like I noticed from the demo, there’s a good amount of story here, too. Early in the game, you reach a hub area, and a few different characters join the hub as you progress. Different conversations with these characters unlock as you give them gifts, and I loved returning whenever I had a new item to give someone (especially Shuanshuan, whose interactions with the main character are adorable).

There are a lot of bittersweet moments in the story, but also many heartfelt ones. The ending even made me tear up. I’ll probably be thinking about these characters for quite a while.

My one criticism is that I wish it was just a little shorter, since right about the point where I felt it had been a good length for this sort of game, I realized I still had a few more areas left to go. Still, that’s a minor complaint.

Overall, I’m happy I backed Nine Sols, and I’m happy I finally played it. I’ll be looking forward to whatever Red Candle Games makes next!