This game has latched onto my brain like a parasite, I was watching hollow knight gameplay of someone without dash and they got hit and I subconsciously thought "Why are you not parrying!?!?"
Why do we have hands? There are many reasons. Pat the Shuanshuan. Hold the Shuanshuan. Cherish the Shuanshuan. Forfeit all mortal possessions to Shuanshuan.
A recent patch made it so the map is detailed by default, you only need chips to reveal item counts. Just wanna point that out for anyone interested, I'm guessing he beat the game before that update.
I actually hate this change, it's sad that RCG folded to complainers rather than staying true to their vision. Time to press the map button every five seconds!
I still have complaints about the map even tho I got it after the patch. My complaint is that the map data says there are items in a certain zone, but doesn't say where the items are. That made some items tricky to find, so I spent unnecessary time running around from one place to another in the same zone, which was boring.
The personal story about Yi and Heng hit me harder then the grander tale of how an entire species and civilization unintentionally killed itself off in a quest to achieve immortality. On one hand, if Yi had actually listened to Heng about her ability to listen to the Fusang and it's cries and pleas over the abuses they were doing to it, it might've changed the entire outcome of the game. Sadly, the same protective nature Yi had to her, and his refusal to accept anyone else's judgement but his own meant he never would've stayed with Heng when the chance to cure the Tianhou virus was something he thought he could achieve. Frankly, his total refusal to accept any kind of spirituality when it pretty clear it existed and his sister was in tune with it made things worse. It's also why his bonding with Shaunshaun is like a kind of second try for him, and his final sacrifice in the true ending works as well as it does.
I was confused when I'd already gotten the Shuanshuan achievement that every guide said was achieved after giving him all artifacts, but still had artifacts to give him lol
I am so excited to get into this one, I generally don't mind spoilers, but this was the first review of yours that I skipped the spoiler section. Being a bit of a tryhard, I love all the the accessibility options and would love to see them pretty much in every game. It makes training on bosses so much easier when you can turn off their damage and just learn their patterns. I honestly believe, anyone, who does speedruns/challenge runs in games, has to actually be insane if they're not using a cheat engine to practise, before the actual runs.
(History lesson) Back before the discovery of yeast, many cultures that made fermented drinks achieved said fermentation and production of alcohol by making "spit/chewing wine". As its name implies, it involves the brew master chewing grain/fruit/whatever the main ingredient to ferment was into a vat of water with said ingredient. The bacteria in human saliva would then initiate the fermentation process, and after a suitable amount of time passed: presto! Booze time. The issue with "chewing wine" is that you take your chances. Both to initiate the fermentation and the end product. Mostly because the composition of saliva changes depending on the diet of the brew master. Shennong is a callback to all those ancient brew masters that went so far as to eat certain things only so as not to "taint" their products. Of course, in here, he is more a bit of... morbid humor. Y'know, with all the ungodly stuff he chews that has Yi constantly question what kind of aberration Shennong is to be able to eat that stuff with a (semi) straight face. This days, the practice has largely disappeared, mostly due to health concerns (the brew master has to spit in the brew, after all). Only places you could probably find "chewing wine" is in very specific rituals of certain ethnic groups, or in old religious practices from Asia that also involve a whole ritual around it (for example, Japanese "kuchi-kami sake", lit. "spit sake", made by miko in very remote areas of Japan). Hope this clarifies this piece of culture.
Amazing game. I really liked the art direction, gameplay and story. Thank the nerd gods for indie games, they're the ones carrying the gaming industry.
Amazing content! Most beautifully arranged one I have watched about Nine Sols. We are so glad to see the Red Candle Games and the Nine Sols bring Taiwan to the world.
For me it's better then hollow knight. Although it has more issues than HK just the fact that it has actual story makes it better for me. I'm sorry but i just like to know what's going on without watching an hour long mossbag video. Also has better art (in my opinion).
@@arkhanok6329 I’m not ready to commit to saying it’s better than HK, but the fact that I’m even considering it is big. And I’m with you on Nine Sols having the superior narrative and art 👑
Agree on the second phase part. It would definitely be cool to notice the boss has some new moves under certain percentage of health, and would freak me out to see a second phase, if it weren’t used in every boss. Part of me think that maybe the devs are trying to add more weight to Sols other than the final one, so that Sols have a clear distinction to mini-bosses? It did make those fights stand out more, but is this measure necessary? Dunno, but this game is still a solid 9.5/10 for me btw fortune cookie LMAO
Personally I think it might be more to allow a better understanding of your progress if you’re beating your head against a particular boss. The multiple bars give you a more granular understanding of how far your current skill level will take you.
If you advance Shennong’s quest to the part where he makes an antidote for a poisoned villager, it’s revealed how the “Tea” is made, and Yi reflects on the “Tea” he’s drank with Shennong and is a little apprehensive, to say the least 😆
12:40 - A circle fills up around your heart in the top left corner of your HUD to indicate your level progression, also the number bellow is how many unspent skill points you have. 26:30 - The solarians did not create the initial strain of the virus, it just sorta appeared someday and caused havoc, their attempted solution was what failed resulting in the mutants. 28:30 - For the final ending you need Shennong to be the village chief not because Yi trusts him but because in the process of making Shennong the chief and drinking his medicinal brew with him Yi builds a stronger relationship, understanding, and empathy towards the Apemen. The drinking of all of the medicinal brew is a bit cumbersome but I think it is because they wanted Shennong to have a character arc where he takes responsibility for the village, and part of that is not being wasted all the time, I agree that for a casual player it might be a bit much to find all the poisons to drink with Shennong and it might've been better if you only had to drink with him, say, 3-4 times instead. One important critique I think you missed is that there is no option to skip cutscenes and exposition, this is fine on the first playthrough but when speedrunning the game/on a second run through its quite a pain; 10/10 game.
I appreciate the detailed response! I agree with everything you’ve said except on what you’ve said on the origin of the virus: “The solarians did not create the initial strain of the virus, it just sorta appeared someday and caused havoc, their attempted solution was what failed resulting in the mutants.” In the Research Institute, you can find Log #0113. It states: “All test subjects have developed symptoms of rejection and are dying one after the other. The cause is a hitherto unknown virus that was accidentally synthesized during the gene editing process. It has been codenamed ‘Tianhuo.’” Then, once you go into the Database and check Eigong’s bio. The entry has been undated. This update states: “Eigong devoted her life to research aimed at improving the well-being of her fellow Solarians. Unfortunately, a mistake in one of her experiments led to the birth of the Tianhuo Virus.” The Tianhuo Virus was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. Eigong accidentally created it in her lab, and it leaked out into the world. Your assertion is what Eigong WANTED everyone to believe. Don’t fall for the propaganda! 😂
this game is the closest i can play to wait for silksong and its amazing twist at the start hooked me till the end now i just wished theres a dlc soon coz im back at the waiting board on silksong
Great review! Amazing game that everyone should play. Just a few things: The side scrolling section is a tribute to the Korean movie “old boy”, if you haven’t seen it, watch it, one of the best movies of all time. Nine sol is, in my opinion, a bit too easy… for a game that has an easy mode, it really shouldn’t be afraid to ask a lot from its players, especially when it has such a fantastic combat system. I often find myself getting into flow state, and before I know it the boss is dead. I would really like it if the bosses are just slightly more tanky
honestly like half of the multi-phase boss fights really could just have both hp bars combined into one large one, with them going into phase 2 at the halfway mark.
The scrolling part of the game is a reference to old boy and to be fair you are the end of the game and it is fair to expect to player to have mastered the game to the point of not needing the ui for that short sequence-
I mean, I guess it's cool to reference Old Boy out of nowhere, but I don't see why they'd take the UI away. This sequence doesn't really enhance or enforce anything in the game, mechanically or narratively. Seems like a bug to me.
As a Metroidvania Newcomer who’s just beaten Hollow Knight‘s True Ending and gotten deep into Dead Cells, I truly have enjoyed Nine Souls, and cannot thank you enough for your review, dude! Possible Review Request: RainWorld (+DLC) 👀👀👀 Beware if you try RW, it is called the Dark Souls Of Platformers for a reason!
My pet peeve is late game bosses where the 1st phase is easy. It telegraphs that a second phase is coming, and then you end up fighting that cakewalk phase a dozen times just to get to the 2nd phase, which is the actual boss.
I get where you are comming from but for me the first phase was a great way to practice the bosses core moveset. Its brilliant that instead of changing the entire boss in the next phase they instead add on to the existing moves. Lady Ethereals first form was great for me to practice timing and tells for when I also had to look for the "real" one in the next phase for example.
I thought it was really good, having easy 1st phases meant I was able to practice until I could parry every attack which carries over to the next phase
This can be done well by having the first phase not only telegraph the second phase but allow you to improve at the second phase during the first. There's several examples but the general gist is that some moves should be shared in the first and second phase which allows the repeat completions of the first phase to develop into more play in the second phase. The only times I find the seperate stage thing annoying is when the boss has a completely new and dangerous attack that takes some learning to react to, which thankfully wasn't too frequent in Nine Sols but it did happen a few times.
The difference could be everything or nothing, depending on how it's designed. I'm not opposed to multi-phase bosses. I just think things should be mixed up a bit.
I love how you broke down the importance of each requirement for the true ending, but I think you're undervaluing the Lear/bomb section just a little. If you think about each side-character's arc in terms of what they teach Yi, Lear is absolutely the "Taoism for Dummies" story that Western audiences need to process why Yi makes his decision to prioritize saving the apemen. Learning to let go, not assigning fault to anyone, accepting the consequences of your choices - Lear's final conversation with Yi sets up the mental framework that supports the emotional connections with the other two characters.
Hey Luke, have you played Animal Well? If you haven't... you should. Right now. Also great video, I haven't played Nine Sols but now I need it in my life.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru it's a spiritual successor to The Maze of Galious, very very old MV from Konami before they were called MV, you can play it alone or coop!
I was already excited for this game and this video just hyped even more to play Nine Sols, also have you seen the game HAAK I think it's a good metroidvania but it would be interesting to see a review on this chanel
I won't say it's the best thing since sliced bread, or the worst thing not worth your time. It was just a very solidly designed game. They didn't overscope it, and it's characters each had meaning even when they were simplified.
Its my game of the year so far and for 30 dollars compared to some of the piece of crap AAA games. This game shows you don't need a budget of millions of dollars to create a great game. Honestly I feel like this developer should have a crack at silent hill.
I wouldn’t say I didn’t like the music. I just thought that one track was grating. Overall, I thought the music was fine. It just didn’t have any bangers for me, except for that credits theme 🔥
I like the music personnaly but I can't remember one of the theme as they are more to set a mood than just being good music. Unlike Hollow Knight where I can remember a lot of them and even name a biome attached to its music.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru not even Lady Ethereal's theme (Smile at my Cursed dream), or Eigongs theme (My Will Is Our Truth)? Or maybe if you are more into the mellow side of the ost my standouts are Hengs theme (The Sealed Wine) and the music that plays in Four Seasons Pavilion (A Place for Restless Souls). And yeah you are absolutely right that the credits song is amazing ... especially after you get the true ending.
@@lorenzovindictus3139 I’m doing a second playthrough, so I’ll listen more closely to those tracks. If anything, nothing was bad. The OST will most likely grow on me.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru music was a huge highlight for me, thought I could maybe understand maybe westerners don't really enjoy them because they're not as educated on the culture, not familiar how to enjoy this type of music, and don't know where the references come from
Such un underated game. This could be the GOTY 2024 but you can barely get any online content for it for some reason ? Your video is amazing tho. It's almost a one to one recreation of how I tried to review that game to my friends to push them to play it except I was too delulu to point out the obvious bad things like the "side scrolling + no hud" part that was objectively the worst part of the game (amped by the fact that I had prepared myself with a build to take out big single targets and that since there is no root point to swap out jade, I had to to that part without the jades that let you put talismans on multiple ennemies at the same time -_-) Also, I can get why you could have disliked some of the music in this game as it is pretty... original... to say the least but please tell me that you liked the credit song 'cause I'll defend this song with my life XD
I think what developers need to do is not put useless skills like you run faster behind a skill tree. Not only is it fully confirmation that even they know that your character is slow but it’s a waste of a skill. Either make it an option to move faster or have it as a default.
This game isn't exactly what metroidvania madlads would want, the world isn't anywhere close to some big titles, and the story and exploration is pretty linear, but boy, this game's strengths are so immense that even a few tiny flaws aren't enough to not make this game my GOTY candidate so far.
My ONLY complaint about this game is the same complaint that I have for Metroid: Dread - they lose a lot of the Metroidvania spirit by gating areas and progression behind one item or specific boss-sequences. You can't beat Nine Sols by sequence breaking and not getting all the movement abilities; you have to do a bunch of scripted stuff (like getting thrown into jail, learning the charged parry, and beating every Sol) in order to even finish the game. That's not very Metroidvania, which is why getting stupid shit like the cross-bomb and multi-missile in Dread was annoying. They might as well have been keys rather than items for the purpose they served (opening a single door or passage). Why do you have to lose to Jiequan the first time you fight him if you could beat him just as easily without the charged-parry? Why are some ledges just not able to be grabbed if you pogo off enemies to them? Why can you not grab ropes that aren't "deployed" if you have the skill to reach them? That shit is really annoying and punishes people who are creative and good at Metroidvanias for the sole purpose of forcing the player through a specific route. Nine Sols is great - easily top 3 metroidvanias of all time even with the issue - and I think it's the best 2d combat I've ever experienced, but I wish it wasn't so linear.
And also, having to break a pot and fight a robot with another robot very late in a playthrough to get 100% achievements is super goddamned annoying :\
And the lead dev for Cookie Cutter has confirmed they've been given the green light to further work on that game too. Really hyped for that. (Another 2D hand-animated metroidvania. Not as revolutionary as Nine Sols but nevertheless a solid time, and the lead dev is really serious about making the game the best it can be.)
As a beta tester and an English translation reviewer of this game I approve.
I appreciate that! And thank you for your hard work!
This game has latched onto my brain like a parasite, I was watching hollow knight gameplay of someone without dash and they got hit and I subconsciously thought "Why are you not parrying!?!?"
This game kinda introduced me to Hollow knight proper, so I was confused as hell as well lol
Why do we have hands? There are many reasons. Pat the Shuanshuan. Hold the Shuanshuan. Cherish the Shuanshuan. Forfeit all mortal possessions to Shuanshuan.
Shuanshuan is love. Shuanshuan is life.
A recent patch made it so the map is detailed by default, you only need chips to reveal item counts. Just wanna point that out for anyone interested, I'm guessing he beat the game before that update.
Those dang patches always date my videos 😆
I actually hate this change, it's sad that RCG folded to complainers rather than staying true to their vision. Time to press the map button every five seconds!
@@Tainuo waiting until they nerf final boss to the ground due to those complainers xd
@@user-25352 yeah, though some of the hitboxes are literal bs.
I still have complaints about the map even tho I got it after the patch. My complaint is that the map data says there are items in a certain zone, but doesn't say where the items are. That made some items tricky to find, so I spent unnecessary time running around from one place to another in the same zone, which was boring.
man I finally beat the game yesterday and I was just sobbing throughout the entirety of the build up and true ending sequence. Just so much to unpack
Fr. It's such a great send-off.
dude this games story had me in tears so many times, it's such a touching story.
The personal story about Yi and Heng hit me harder then the grander tale of how an entire species and civilization unintentionally killed itself off in a quest to achieve immortality. On one hand, if Yi had actually listened to Heng about her ability to listen to the Fusang and it's cries and pleas over the abuses they were doing to it, it might've changed the entire outcome of the game. Sadly, the same protective nature Yi had to her, and his refusal to accept anyone else's judgement but his own meant he never would've stayed with Heng when the chance to cure the Tianhou virus was something he thought he could achieve. Frankly, his total refusal to accept any kind of spirituality when it pretty clear it existed and his sister was in tune with it made things worse.
It's also why his bonding with Shaunshaun is like a kind of second try for him, and his final sacrifice in the true ending works as well as it does.
Spoilers bro...
Lmao something out of a fortune cookie
The whole Taiwan/China angle sold me, man. Taiwan #1
Correction on true ending: you don't need to collect all artifact, 80% will do.
Did not know this. Thanks for the update.
I was confused when I'd already gotten the Shuanshuan achievement that every guide said was achieved after giving him all artifacts, but still had artifacts to give him lol
The no hud endgame sidescrolling part is definitely a reference to the legendary corridor fight scene from oldboy
it's not piss it's his saliva. it's the ancient process how people ferments things.
I am so excited to get into this one, I generally don't mind spoilers, but this was the first review of yours that I skipped the spoiler section.
Being a bit of a tryhard, I love all the the accessibility options and would love to see them pretty much in every game. It makes training on bosses so much easier when you can turn off their damage and just learn their patterns. I honestly believe, anyone, who does speedruns/challenge runs in games, has to actually be insane if they're not using a cheat engine to practise, before the actual runs.
Good call. I spoil the crap outta this game. Its story is too good not to experience blind.
Wow didn't expect this so soon! Your channel is the best man, thank you for your hard work
“They’re not gamers, so… they don’t understand” 🤣
Would be 10/10 but there is no option to let myself get brain controlled by Goumang. -4 points
Very harsh grading scale
Someone has a favorite Sol.
😨
@@solarleaf2029 Uh yeah.
@@radiant_repzzz3365she’s a beach
Sounds awesome! "Too hard" and "Too linear for a MV" as the main negative points brought up just make it more appealing!
5:20 "Insert game journalist joke here" (I've got my eye on you, Kotaku and IGN!)
About the alcohol from Shen-nong. The truth is, he chews the poison and then spit it into the alcohol 💀
no. he says to yi, "you never heard of chewing wine?" and yi responds "I just saw you swallow it" so no, it isnt.
(History lesson)
Back before the discovery of yeast, many cultures that made fermented drinks achieved said fermentation and production of alcohol by making "spit/chewing wine".
As its name implies, it involves the brew master chewing grain/fruit/whatever the main ingredient to ferment was into a vat of water with said ingredient.
The bacteria in human saliva would then initiate the fermentation process, and after a suitable amount of time passed: presto!
Booze time.
The issue with "chewing wine" is that you take your chances. Both to initiate the fermentation and the end product. Mostly because the composition of saliva changes depending on the diet of the brew master.
Shennong is a callback to all those ancient brew masters that went so far as to eat certain things only so as not to "taint" their products. Of course, in here, he is more a bit of... morbid humor. Y'know, with all the ungodly stuff he chews that has Yi constantly question what kind of aberration Shennong is to be able to eat that stuff with a (semi) straight face.
This days, the practice has largely disappeared, mostly due to health concerns (the brew master has to spit in the brew, after all). Only places you could probably find "chewing wine" is in very specific rituals of certain ethnic groups, or in old religious practices from Asia that also involve a whole ritual around it (for example, Japanese "kuchi-kami sake", lit. "spit sake", made by miko in very remote areas of Japan).
Hope this clarifies this piece of culture.
I’m so happy this game exists
Amazing game. I really liked the art direction, gameplay and story.
Thank the nerd gods for indie games, they're the ones carrying the gaming industry.
Great job tearing though this.
Easy to do when the game’s so good
Amazing content! Most beautifully arranged one I have watched about Nine Sols. We are so glad to see the Red Candle Games and the Nine Sols bring Taiwan to the world.
I was awaiting for this review. Just finished my second playthrough, best MV since Hollow Knight for me.
I hope you enjoyed the video! I just started my second playthrough. It’s just so good.
For me it's better then hollow knight. Although it has more issues than HK just the fact that it has actual story makes it better for me. I'm sorry but i just like to know what's going on without watching an hour long mossbag video. Also has better art (in my opinion).
@@arkhanok6329 I’m not ready to commit to saying it’s better than HK, but the fact that I’m even considering it is big.
And I’m with you on Nine Sols having the superior narrative and art 👑
My dude the new phase 2 boss is the phase 3 boss...
Surprise surprise!
💀
Love the Winnie the pooh humor 😂😂😂
Great analysis as usual mate, gotta try this one for sure!
Agree on the second phase part. It would definitely be cool to notice the boss has some new moves under certain percentage of health, and would freak me out to see a second phase, if it weren’t used in every boss.
Part of me think that maybe the devs are trying to add more weight to Sols other than the final one, so that Sols have a clear distinction to mini-bosses? It did make those fights stand out more, but is this measure necessary?
Dunno, but this game is still a solid 9.5/10 for me
btw fortune cookie LMAO
Personally I think it might be more to allow a better understanding of your progress if you’re beating your head against a particular boss. The multiple bars give you a more granular understanding of how far your current skill level will take you.
5:48 No truer words have been spoken. "You don't have to play it if you hate it so much" is said at my home. A lot.
Excellent review as always. Seeing that true ending again gave me goosebump, so good. A guaranted S tier MV if the wheel choose it.
13:57 slight correction: he says that he'll trade you tea for poison; never that he makes the tea out of the poison
If you advance Shennong’s quest to the part where he makes an antidote for a poisoned villager, it’s revealed how the “Tea” is made, and Yi reflects on the “Tea” he’s drank with Shennong and is a little apprehensive, to say the least 😆
@@MetroidvaniaGuru oops. I should have figured that I was missing something as I haven't 100% the game
@@MetroidvaniaGuru Yi had a mental breakdown on that moment lmao.
@@brlin 😆
12:40 - A circle fills up around your heart in the top left corner of your HUD to indicate your level progression, also the number bellow is how many unspent skill points you have.
26:30 - The solarians did not create the initial strain of the virus, it just sorta appeared someday and caused havoc, their attempted solution was what failed resulting in the mutants.
28:30 - For the final ending you need Shennong to be the village chief not because Yi trusts him but because in the process of making Shennong the chief and drinking his medicinal brew with him Yi builds a stronger relationship, understanding, and empathy towards the Apemen. The drinking of all of the medicinal brew is a bit cumbersome but I think it is because they wanted Shennong to have a character arc where he takes responsibility for the village, and part of that is not being wasted all the time, I agree that for a casual player it might be a bit much to find all the poisons to drink with Shennong and it might've been better if you only had to drink with him, say, 3-4 times instead.
One important critique I think you missed is that there is no option to skip cutscenes and exposition, this is fine on the first playthrough but when speedrunning the game/on a second run through its quite a pain; 10/10 game.
I appreciate the detailed response!
I agree with everything you’ve said except on what you’ve said on the origin of the virus:
“The solarians did not create the initial strain of the virus, it just sorta appeared someday and caused havoc, their attempted solution was what failed resulting in the mutants.”
In the Research Institute, you can find Log #0113. It states:
“All test subjects have developed symptoms of rejection and are dying one after the other.
The cause is a hitherto unknown virus that was accidentally synthesized during the gene editing process. It has been codenamed ‘Tianhuo.’”
Then, once you go into the Database and check Eigong’s bio. The entry has been undated. This update states:
“Eigong devoted her life to research aimed at improving the well-being of her fellow Solarians. Unfortunately, a mistake in one of her experiments led to the birth of the Tianhuo Virus.”
The Tianhuo Virus was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. Eigong accidentally created it in her lab, and it leaked out into the world.
Your assertion is what Eigong WANTED everyone to believe. Don’t fall for the propaganda! 😂
Flawless review, as always.
this game is the closest i can play to wait for silksong and its amazing twist at the start hooked me till the end now i just wished theres a dlc soon coz im back at the waiting board on silksong
Great review! Amazing game that everyone should play. Just a few things:
The side scrolling section is a tribute to the Korean movie “old boy”, if you haven’t seen it, watch it, one of the best movies of all time.
Nine sol is, in my opinion, a bit too easy… for a game that has an easy mode, it really shouldn’t be afraid to ask a lot from its players, especially when it has such a fantastic combat system. I often find myself getting into flow state, and before I know it the boss is dead. I would really like it if the bosses are just slightly more tanky
I’m glad you thought it was easy. Some of these bosses absolutely trashed me 😆
And I totally get the flow state thing. I get that in DOOM Eternal.
HAHAHA that pooh segment was fantastic what based devs
Ok this will go into my collection.
honestly like half of the multi-phase boss fights really could just have both hp bars combined into one large one, with them going into phase 2 at the halfway mark.
The scrolling part of the game is a reference to old boy and to be fair you are the end of the game and it is fair to expect to player to have mastered the game to the point of not needing the ui for that short sequence-
I mean, I guess it's cool to reference Old Boy out of nowhere, but I don't see why they'd take the UI away. This sequence doesn't really enhance or enforce anything in the game, mechanically or narratively. Seems like a bug to me.
As a Metroidvania Newcomer who’s just beaten Hollow Knight‘s True Ending and gotten deep into Dead Cells, I truly have enjoyed Nine Souls, and cannot thank you enough for your review, dude!
Possible Review Request: RainWorld (+DLC) 👀👀👀
Beware if you try RW, it is called the Dark Souls Of Platformers for a reason!
Thank you!
RainWorld is rough. Maybe I'll do a vid some day...
My pet peeve is late game bosses where the 1st phase is easy. It telegraphs that a second phase is coming, and then you end up fighting that cakewalk phase a dozen times just to get to the 2nd phase, which is the actual boss.
I get where you are comming from but for me the first phase was a great way to practice the bosses core moveset. Its brilliant that instead of changing the entire boss in the next phase they instead add on to the existing moves. Lady Ethereals first form was great for me to practice timing and tells for when I also had to look for the "real" one in the next phase for example.
@@lorenzovindictus3139 It wasn't a comment on 9 Sols, just a general observation.
I thought it was really good, having easy 1st phases meant I was able to practice until I could parry every attack which carries over to the next phase
This can be done well by having the first phase not only telegraph the second phase but allow you to improve at the second phase during the first.
There's several examples but the general gist is that some moves should be shared in the first and second phase which allows the repeat completions of the first phase to develop into more play in the second phase.
The only times I find the seperate stage thing annoying is when the boss has a completely new and dangerous attack that takes some learning to react to, which thankfully wasn't too frequent in Nine Sols but it did happen a few times.
Yeah, I remember fighting the hollow knight from HK countless times just to get to the radiance that would obliterate me very quickly
What is the diffirance between multi-faze bossfights and single faze bossfights that add/change attack when a procentage of it's health is missing?
The former give you time to heal lol
The difference could be everything or nothing, depending on how it's designed. I'm not opposed to multi-phase bosses. I just think things should be mixed up a bit.
Pretty thoughtful review, thumbs up. 😎
I love how you broke down the importance of each requirement for the true ending, but I think you're undervaluing the Lear/bomb section just a little. If you think about each side-character's arc in terms of what they teach Yi, Lear is absolutely the "Taoism for Dummies" story that Western audiences need to process why Yi makes his decision to prioritize saving the apemen. Learning to let go, not assigning fault to anyone, accepting the consequences of your choices - Lear's final conversation with Yi sets up the mental framework that supports the emotional connections with the other two characters.
Nice catch! I completely disregarded the conversation with Lear.
Hey Luke, have you played Animal Well? If you haven't... you should. Right now.
Also great video, I haven't played Nine Sols but now I need it in my life.
Oh and I also recommend Pampas and Selene!
Animal Well is awesome! And, yes, put Nine Sols in your life immediately 😆
I’ve never heard of Pampas and Selene. I’ll check it out. Thanks!
@@MetroidvaniaGuru it's a spiritual successor to The Maze of Galious, very very old MV from Konami before they were called MV, you can play it alone or coop!
I was already excited for this game and this video just hyped even more to play Nine Sols, also have you seen the game HAAK I think it's a good metroidvania but it would be interesting to see a review on this chanel
I won't say it's the best thing since sliced bread, or the worst thing not worth your time. It was just a very solidly designed game. They didn't overscope it, and it's characters each had meaning even when they were simplified.
Its my game of the year so far and for 30 dollars compared to some of the piece of crap AAA games. This game shows you don't need a budget of millions of dollars to create a great game. Honestly I feel like this developer should have a crack at silent hill.
Sorry you did not like the music. For me it was one of the highlights and made an already amazing experience that much better.
I wouldn’t say I didn’t like the music. I just thought that one track was grating. Overall, I thought the music was fine. It just didn’t have any bangers for me, except for that credits theme 🔥
I like the music personnaly but I can't remember one of the theme as they are more to set a mood than just being good music. Unlike Hollow Knight where I can remember a lot of them and even name a biome attached to its music.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru not even Lady Ethereal's theme (Smile at my Cursed dream), or Eigongs theme (My Will Is Our Truth)? Or maybe if you are more into the mellow side of the ost my standouts are Hengs theme (The Sealed Wine) and the music that plays in Four Seasons Pavilion (A Place for Restless Souls). And yeah you are absolutely right that the credits song is amazing ... especially after you get the true ending.
@@lorenzovindictus3139 I’m doing a second playthrough, so I’ll listen more closely to those tracks.
If anything, nothing was bad. The OST will most likely grow on me.
@@MetroidvaniaGuru music was a huge highlight for me, thought I could maybe understand maybe westerners don't really enjoy them because they're not as educated on the culture, not familiar how to enjoy this type of music, and don't know where the references come from
Has there been any word if it will come to the Switch??
It will. This is included in the goals when in crowdfunding.
Devs are working on console port. They want to release it before the end of the year.
Not to my knowledge, but if it does come to Switch physically, I'm getting it Day One.
Such un underated game. This could be the GOTY 2024 but you can barely get any online content for it for some reason ?
Your video is amazing tho. It's almost a one to one recreation of how I tried to review that game to my friends to push them to play it except I was too delulu to point out the obvious bad things like the "side scrolling + no hud" part that was objectively the worst part of the game (amped by the fact that I had prepared myself with a build to take out big single targets and that since there is no root point to swap out jade, I had to to that part without the jades that let you put talismans on multiple ennemies at the same time -_-)
Also, I can get why you could have disliked some of the music in this game as it is pretty... original... to say the least but please tell me that you liked the credit song 'cause I'll defend this song with my life XD
I would die for that credits theme
@@MetroidvaniaGuru Let's goooo
awesome review, will buy
I think what developers need to do is not put useless skills like you run faster behind a skill tree. Not only is it fully confirmation that even they know that your character is slow but it’s a waste of a skill. Either make it an option to move faster or have it as a default.
all right I'll get da limited edition... ok ok I knew it... ouch!
If you liked this, definitely check out sekiro, it's the least souls from the soul's saga, that's why it's my favorite actually
You should play Sekiro, you're missing out on so much.
This game isn't exactly what metroidvania madlads would want, the world isn't anywhere close to some big titles, and the story and exploration is pretty linear, but boy, this game's strengths are so immense that even a few tiny flaws aren't enough to not make this game my GOTY candidate so far.
My ONLY complaint about this game is the same complaint that I have for Metroid: Dread - they lose a lot of the Metroidvania spirit by gating areas and progression behind one item or specific boss-sequences. You can't beat Nine Sols by sequence breaking and not getting all the movement abilities; you have to do a bunch of scripted stuff (like getting thrown into jail, learning the charged parry, and beating every Sol) in order to even finish the game. That's not very Metroidvania, which is why getting stupid shit like the cross-bomb and multi-missile in Dread was annoying. They might as well have been keys rather than items for the purpose they served (opening a single door or passage). Why do you have to lose to Jiequan the first time you fight him if you could beat him just as easily without the charged-parry? Why are some ledges just not able to be grabbed if you pogo off enemies to them? Why can you not grab ropes that aren't "deployed" if you have the skill to reach them? That shit is really annoying and punishes people who are creative and good at Metroidvanias for the sole purpose of forcing the player through a specific route.
Nine Sols is great - easily top 3 metroidvanias of all time even with the issue - and I think it's the best 2d combat I've ever experienced, but I wish it wasn't so linear.
And also, having to break a pot and fight a robot with another robot very late in a playthrough to get 100% achievements is super goddamned annoying :\
Fair points. Sequence breaking is a tough aspect to design. Maybe in the sequel?
@@MetroidvaniaGuru perhaps. I really enjoyed the experience because it's a brilliant game, so I'd sign up for a sequel immediately 😌
I love the game but it is kicking my ass ! Sekiro vibes all over again.
Fr. Some bosses took me an hour+ to beat
Same . I have not finished it yet. Just got out of the prison.
Top 5, and it's not 5
MG . It's time U play sekiro 😂
I agree
S tier for sure, god too many games coming out lately
Fr tho. I need a break 😆
Next is Bo Path of the Teal Lotus I guess. Between Anima Well, Nine Sols and maybe Bo, we're eating good MV lately and very different one.
@@SHwoKing Gestalt: Steam and Cinder, too. We eatin’ REEEEAL good 😎
And the lead dev for Cookie Cutter has confirmed they've been given the green light to further work on that game too. Really hyped for that.
(Another 2D hand-animated metroidvania. Not as revolutionary as Nine Sols but nevertheless a solid time, and the lead dev is really serious about making the game the best it can be.)
ah yes, my favourite furry game
Check out Laika: aged through blood. Also a based furry game
This Game is sooo Boring!
Too much dialogue?
You complain then uncomplain that's funny
I’m an enigma
Hi Guru! We want to invite you to discover "Enkhirydion", our new indie metroidvania. We would love a review from you. Thanks in advance!
Sure! I'd love to check it out!