Personal GOTY of 2024.
Nine Sols' gameplay is without a doubt extremely polished, fun and manages an equilibrium of delivering an intended experience while still offering many choices of playstyle. It seldom offers something tremendously innovative, but what it does achieve is honor its clear inspirations: Its interconnected, metroidvania-like world hides many collectibles and optional upgrades that reward exploration but are hardly mandatory (Although, the rewards are not only gameplay related too, you'll be glad to find!); Its combat encourages learning your enemies until you achieve a state of flow that aligns with Yi's Tai-chi, likely inspired by other asian themed action adventures like Ninja Gaiden or Sekiro. While it's obvious that this is what Nine Sols is most known for, I firmly believe people don't pay enough attention to its art below the surface and its story.

Eastern themes lean towards slightly uncommon in the scene already, and RedCandle's "Taopunk" is something I'd dare to call completely unseen, ever, and it's more than an aesthetic for the game to feast your eyes, but a congregation of themes that offer a critique to transhumanism and the regression of values from unchecked development, like many Cyberpunk stories do. Both its art and narrative present a perspective that, while based on eastern mythology and thus is presented through the lens of Taoism, may resonate even with people who consider themselves plenty secular, as instead of preaching thoughts of divinity Nine Sols instead presents the idea that, just maybe, pure stoicism and adjacent currents that find disdain in emotions may well be a blockade to their own goal of a well-lived life.

Alongside your upgrades, collectibles can be handed over to Shuanshuan and your other companions for dialogue, and this game is not afraid to give you a full conversation to explore further caracterization or tell you more about Solarian history. It may not be of everyone's taste, but I'd recommend playing close attention at least a couple times, as the writing is not only genunely good but you may find that talking with your allies is genuinely endearing, and talking to your opponents oten evokes some emotion. Similarly, Yi is not a vessel for the player or a figure whose story is completely dropped upon you in the first hour, but instead a character that you'll actively learn about through his conversations. Completely extracting what every Sol and what notable characters represent both on their own and in relation to one another would ruin a bit of the magic though, and while some of the overall story is flawed no doubt, it decides to play to its thematic strengths over diluting itself with putting bandaids on the few and small discrepancies.

Whether you want to get it just for the gameplay or some of the insight I've given on story interest you, you will likely not forget it.

Personal GOTY of 2024. Nine Sols' gameplay is without a doubt extremely polished, fun and manages an equilibrium of delivering an intended experience while still offering many choices of playstyle. It seldom offers something tremendously innovative, but what it does achieve is honor its clear inspirations: Its interconnected, metroidvania-like world hides many collectibles and optional upgrades that reward exploration but are hardly mandatory (Although, the rewards are not only gameplay related too, you'll be glad to find!); Its combat encourages learning your enemies until you achieve a state of flow that aligns with Yi's Tai-chi, likely inspired by other asian themed action adventures like Ninja Gaiden or Sekiro. While it's obvious that this is what Nine Sols is most known for, I firmly believe people don't pay enough attention to its art below the surface and its story. Eastern themes lean towards slightly uncommon in the scene already, and RedCandle's "Taopunk" is something I'd dare to call completely unseen, ever, and it's more than an aesthetic for the game to feast your eyes, but a congregation of themes that offer a critique to transhumanism and the regression of values from unchecked development, like many Cyberpunk stories do. Both its art and narrative present a perspective that, while based on eastern mythology and thus is presented through the lens of Taoism, may resonate even with people who consider themselves plenty secular, as instead of preaching thoughts of divinity Nine Sols instead presents the idea that, just maybe, pure stoicism and adjacent currents that find disdain in emotions may well be a blockade to their own goal of a well-lived life. Alongside your upgrades, collectibles can be handed over to Shuanshuan and your other companions for dialogue, and this game is not afraid to give you a full conversation to explore further caracterization or tell you more about Solarian history. It may not be of everyone's taste, but I'd recommend playing close attention at least a couple times, as the writing is not only genunely good but you may find that talking with your allies is genuinely endearing, and talking to your opponents oten evokes some emotion. Similarly, Yi is not a vessel for the player or a figure whose story is completely dropped upon you in the first hour, but instead a character that you'll actively learn about through his conversations. Completely extracting what every Sol and what notable characters represent both on their own and in relation to one another would ruin a bit of the magic though, and while some of the overall story is flawed no doubt, it decides to play to its thematic strengths over diluting itself with putting bandaids on the few and small discrepancies. Whether you want to get it just for the gameplay or some of the insight I've given on story interest you, you will likely not forget it.