$29.99Nine Sols Deflect, detonate, avenge
Hunt nine rulers through a hand-drawn world of Taopunk ruins, where every duel hinges on a well-timed parry.
Is Nine Sols worth it?
Nine Sols is worth it if…
- you like deflection duels where timing beats button-mashing
- you like dark sci-fi myths with lots of lore to piece together
- you like hand-drawn art, manga cutscenes, and boss themes with chanting
- you like tough 2D platforming with upgrades, secrets, and shortcuts
Screenshots
Parry first, slash second
Combat is built around deflection, in the Sekiro mold. You slash to build pressure, deflect incoming strikes, charge in, then stick a Taoist talisman on an enemy and blow it up for big damage. Yi also carries a bow for distant or flying threats, and an upgraded counter handles attacks a normal parry cannot. Bosses are patient duels against huge guardians and gruesome creatures, where mixing bows, talismans, and timing matters more than mashing. Standard mode is hard, and parrying is close to mandatory.
A revenge story with roots
Yi is an ancient hero woken by a human child, now hunting the 9 Sols who rule the deserted city of New Kunlun. The setting mashes Taoism and eastern mythology with sci-fi, a blend the game calls Taopunk: sacred rituals, forgotten alien gods, and the fate of mankind. Manga-inspired cutscenes carry much of the telling, and the plot keeps reframing what Yi did and what redemption costs. The story is strong, and the cat-eared Solarians give cosmic horror a strangely cute face. Blood and gore come with the territory.
New Kunlun to pick apart
You cross interconnected regions of New Kunlun, opening shortcuts, finding secrets, and piecing together Yi's revenge. Movement grows with double jumps, mid-air dashes, and a grappling hook, alongside charged strikes that break through blocked paths. The map is more guided than sprawling, but each zone brings its own traversal tricks and locked rooms to solve. Friendly inhabitants hand out upgrades, new abilities, and useful technology, and a jade system plus a small skill tree let you tune Yi's build. There is a damage-customizing story mode if bosses wall you.
Drawn and scored with care
Every backdrop and animation is hand-drawn in an anime style, with sprite work and manga-panel storytelling between fights. Chinese instruments, chanting vocals, and electronic beats shift per boss, and the music is a highlight. Sound and image lean into the eerie side too, with grim wombs, blood seas, and memorial candles tucked among neon shrines. It runs well on modest machines, which suits a long game full of detours. Come for the duels and the art more than a cozy stroll; this sanctuary has teeth.
Good to know?
How hard is the combat, really?
Hard in standard mode, fair once the rhythm clicks. You deflect, build talisman charge, stick it on, and detonate. Early bosses punish sloppy timing, and full-health mistakes can snowball because of lingering internal damage. If that sounds miserable, story mode lets you lower incoming damage and raise your own, so you can see New Kunlun without the gauntlet.
What do you actually do besides bosses?
You explore New Kunlun's linked zones, open shortcuts, solve small locked-room routes, and hunt secrets tied to Yi's past. NPCs give upgrades, abilities, and tech, while jades and skills adjust parrying, bows, and talismans.
What is Taopunk?
The game's word for Taoism meeting cyberpunk: shrines and rituals beside implants, robots, and genetic experiments. New Kunlun was left by ancient gods as a promised land, now quiet, forsaken, and full of uncomfortable questions about science, faith, and who gets to be preserved. Cats included. The cats are the ruling class, which explains some of the attitude.
Does the story land?
Yes, the story is strong and often the reason people push through hard bosses. It starts as revenge and turns into something about guilt and what Yi owes the living. Side characters change with day and night, your home base shifts as bonds grow, and the true ending reframes much of what came before. Expect slow early lore that pays off late.
