Nine Sols Review - just two steps away from a masterpiece
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- This is my Nine Sols Review. Nine Sols is a game many metroidvania fans have been waiting for a while now. But is it any good? Let's find out.
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![เขามัทรี - เอ็กซ์ ศุภกฤต - จอนนี่มิวสิค [ Official MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AS9ufKuQIVs/mqdefault.jpg)
For those not aware. The map design has been updated to show you where you are at any given time on the map. Making it so that you only need chips to see how many things youv missed in the area.
That’s something I was wondering coming into this review a month later. I don’t get what he was complaining about as I always had the ability to see what’s in the map until I got the chip to see missing treasures. I didn’t know it’s an update.
Hard disagree on the map chip opinion. I think it’s fantastic to let the player explore and map the new place out in your head before getting a detailed map unlocked. Hollow Knight did basically the same thing and I enjoyed it. Only thing I dislike about the map is that it lacks the ability to pin and it doesn’t mark areas for you that you’ve previously found that were inaccessible so it’s hard to remember it when you unlock upgrades in the future. I also disagree on the fast travel. Many many games have completely ruined the exploration aspect of their games and not providing you with a fast travel until after a few areas that were pretty damn linear to get to as well isn’t an issue to me. The TP back to pavilion and to last node system was good enough for me. Seems like you just don’t enjoy exploring. Best metroidvania game to come out this year. 9/10.
Agreed. The map is very well connected and no fast travel actually doesn't feel bad.
The chip thing was fine but it shouldn't have needed you to tp to the pavilion. It's just adds more inconvenience.
Oh I love exploring.
Your points are valid and I guess it's a matter of taste. If the visual guidance isn't something you need to enjoy exploration then that's great and mapping out the area in your head can be fun - but not for everyone it is. Providing the player with map wouldn't have destroyed exploration in my opinion. It just would have helped with orientation.
On the other hand If the devs would have implemented pins then I probably wouldn't have a problem with the map, because I could have provided myself with the visual guidance I need in order to remember things and don't wander around like an idiot hahaha.
Also I agree - it's one of the best MVs this year. 😎
Glad to hear the great reviews on this one. I loved the demo and happy to hear it's lived up to it. There are very few games that are actually good so glad to hear this one is!
@@solid_2077The reason why they designed it like that was because they wanted you to visit Shuan Shuan and the others for every trip back, allowing you to see further progression on the pavillion, and also lessiening "cramped actions" which are scenes or progressions that activate in succesion due to players activating multiple story cues that creates whiplashes on the story. This game focuses more on the narrative more than being convenient, so honestly Yi going back more often to the Pavillion just to check in ShuanShuan is cute.
For me, one of the main things that requires a design to be bad is how unnecessary it should be on the game, having designs that has any sound logic in it gameplay and narrative wise would not be considered bad design and should be merely subjective gripes of the person playing it.
Honestly my only gripe is no complete fast travel at the beginning but at the end of the day this story is supposed to be quite linear up until that point so it was fine to me. Overall i actually think this game is a masterpiece and a combat system that is pristine
Play ds1
I would say the fast travel requires returning to the main hub is a game design choice and IS necessary as interacting the NPCs to obtain upgrades is quite often and players may feel the later portion of the game too punishing if they simply transport between nodes without returning to the main hub.
Seen an interview with red candle games, a lot of things they didn’t end up polishing was because they literally ran out of money and time :(
Hope more people could have known about it when they released the crowdfunding, but can’t wait for what they do in the future
I thought you need the map chips to see the map as well, but actually map uncovers whíe you explore it. Map chips uncover all of it and reveal how many collectibles you have left.
Jup, that's right.
This grade appears closer to how much you seem to have appreciated the game. Again thanks for delivering this highly valued opinion furthermore so soon after the release.
Thanks dude! 🙏🏻
I understand you critism and agree with a lot of it. But at the same time you also neglected to think about why some of the decisions where probably made. Only being able to teleport from the hub is frustrating but it also passively encourages you to quickly look if you have characters that want to talk with you. The map not being precise actually doesn't bother me at all as again it forces you to memories it and encourages you to prioritize opening up short cuts. But i understand regardless. I do agree that the teleporting ability comes too late although i would place it more around 1/3 of the game. It should have come the moment you finish the first boss.
Fast travel limitation is to maintain the difficulty, enemies don't respawn while you're sitting on nodes only, and if you unlock node-to-node fast travel you'll be able to have a big advantage.
For exemple, if you ran out of healing, you can fast travel to where has healing resupply and don't trigger respawn.
But I do agree with you it's annoying some time.
About boss fight, it doesn't need super reflexes, every different moveset has a visible precursor, and eventually, your body will remember it and react before your brain even realizes it.
It just takes time......a lot of time actually, and I doubt people have those time, so I guess you still have a point.
(standard mode true final boss takes me about 4hr)
Very fair review I think, every point you made has strong foundation, other than that it's just people feeling differently, and no one will be able to deal with this part.
Thanks man.
You got really good points, especially with the boss fights.
Overall great game that's for sure.
Hey dude, I thought the same thing as you about sometimes getting confused about where I'm supposed to go next, feeling slightly lost, but I think the way the game somewhat obscures your understanding of the world around you, it makes you have to really take your environment in and get to know the areas. Play the fights fast, but take the slow parts slow. It doesn't have to be all action all the time
Well abacus always tell you were to go
What would you say are your top 3 fav games of the past 3 years
My favorite games of the last 3 years? Hmm, let's divide that into AAA and AA/Indie so I can name 6 games.
AAA
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Elden Ring
AA/Indie
Chained Echoes
Tunic
Sea of Stars
@@feiitogaming based
My only issue with the game is the lack of combat variety. The main abilities are outright pristine. Charge attack, the three hit combo, parry, and even the unbounded counter are all amazing. The jade system just doesn't do enough to augment it. I have a similar issue with Hollow Knight, though to a somewhat lesser degree.
There are (at least) three different playstyles based on your choice of tag. The sword jades also open up another. There is plenty of combat variety. You just haven’t discovered it
Nice video. I really liked the game myself and I thought the combat was the best aspect of it even though the world is really good as well
The combat is brilliant.
I loved everything about HK’s map system but Nine Sols map was so confusing I had to ultimately put the game down. I didnt want to quite playing mind you I just literally couldn’t find out the next place to go. I tried for hours to look at every inch of the map and simply could not find where to go next. Ultimately not at all fun.
For me the Game is a Masterpiece, for me it's even better than Hollow Knight.
The Combat is insanely good, i love the Story, i even read everything and every Dialouge.
The Issue with the Map got pretty fast adressed, so for me thats not an issue anymore.
The only thing that nags me is the Teleportation. You can only teleport vom your Homespace and not from "Bonfire" to "Bonfire"
This is the best game for me because I've learned the art of mind mapping from hollow knight and I can remember places with ease.
So I would like to defend/offer a different perspective on the whole fast travel system and the macro world design. Firstly a lot of people think that this game in terms of its world is inspired by hollow knight however I think its rather inspired by dark souls 1. The main hub is the entryway to pretty much all the new zones you find shortcuts that all lead back to the main hub this is an effort to make the macro level of the world design more smooth and interact with the game more whether it succeeds is debatable. Secondly the map system, I actually will defend this the point of the map system is so that you have to explore the level on your own without relying on a map pretty much at all so the sense of exploration is much more visceral knowing that you discover things on your own and then once you get half of the level or get far into it most likely you will find the map fragment which will then give you the option to get everything you missed if you want to. I personally like this however it can be tedious and one thing that is objective is the fact that it was implemented in not the best way the map fragments are super expensive and extremely inconvenient you have to warp back to the main hub to access it which is stupid. As for the fast travel system again the game just wants to give pressure to interact with the game at a macro level and utilize the shortcuts you unlocked I personally don't like this but I see what they were going for. I think one of my main criticisms with the game is how in terms of combat it feels like a lot of core abilities should have been given from the start rather from the skill tree and how the skill tree isn't very exciting in terms of the actual skills and the size of the tree.
Agreed, I really wanted to love this game but it misses some points right at the finish line. The fact that your attack does so less damage you find yourself just using the talisman. Everything costs so much money while the enemy barely drop anything. The health upgrade should not cost money when you already need to get a item for it. The lack of s, I have gotten one shot so many times fighting multiple enemies. If you're fighting more than 2 at a time, you won't survive if don't run. How the enemy can change direction mid attack making the dodge weaker.
You made very good points! I think I get what the devs were going for. In the end it all comes down to personal taste I suppose.
Also you're actually right about the skill tree. Some abilities could have been made available right from the start.
@@solid_2077 Alright so I will respond to a few of these points the talisman and the attack are most effective when you utilize them both because the game ramps up very fast where talisman placements become a lot harder to come across at least in boss fights. In terms of gold I agree that items cost quite a bit however this gets better during the midgame where you get quite a bit more money where enemies will drop 50 gold each on average with avarice charm. In terms of lack of Iframes I disagree the dash gives a good amount of I frames however the dash cooldown is very high even if it did have less Iframes its intentional because the game primarily focuses on the parring and specific attacks are supposed to be dodged its almost like a mikiri counter in terms how frequently you'll use it. And as for the changing directions it just makes dash timing a bit more difficult as you have to wait for the enemy to commit to the attack.
@@feiitogaming Ofc it all comes down to personal taste though I will say they are few objective hiccups the game has however I don't think even if those criticisms were true in my eyes don't diminish the games quality as a whole. Kind of like greater than the sum of its parts the combat system seriously is my favorite combat system in any metroidvania and maybe even better or as good as hk's combat system though that could be because I'm in my honeymoon phase with this game.
@@jairdinh7563 I'm not talking about dash s, I'm talking about the damage one. When you get hit you don't get s so if two enemies attack at the same time you basically get one shot. I just did the old guy boss fight, the only reason I was dying was the lasers and the boss attacking at the same time, you take double damage get pushed back and the laser hits you and get pushed back again and die. This was not even fun. Also I equipped the revive jade and it doesn't even work😑. There have been so many instances where I've been comboed and I can't do anything. I don't find the combat difficult that much, I'm good at parrying but you keep dying from bullshit that it's annoying.
I love the map design.
1. It first gives you he oppertunity to just explore and make a mental map for yourself.
2. Even in areas where the map data is in another segment of that area, you still have those vague exists to at least know what general direction you should move into
3. Actually getting the map now lets you track down those harder paths and backtrace to get all collectibles because
4. You can actually see on the map what paths you havent gone down yet as they're slightly blurry at the end and have no hard line. So "remembering that path you couldn't take before" now falls away as you can now clearly see where youve yet to go.
I found my interactions with the map very enjoyable.
loved the game and I recommend it to everyone that likes metroidvanias, I agree with you though, it requires a LOT of patience. I enjoy soulslikes and "hard" games in general and playing through it in standard mode sometimes felt like a big hassle, there are some janky hitboxes here and there but my biggest pet peeve is how unfair the final boss is (true ending especially), it just feels like they went "fuck it, let's make it as unfair as we can" and gave it moves that are way different from anything else you fight in the game, it's still doable but it feels like you have to memorize it more than reacting to its moves because they're either crazy long or have bad hitboxes ("get hit even when you're behind the attack" levels of bad).
The game for me is an 8/10 but the final boss feels like a low quality attempt to make players rage more than a well-designed challenge.
imo the final boss is great, there are definitely some jank hitboxes with some bosses but not with the final one i think.
There are a few pretty bs mechanics like eigong setting the floor on fire which almost no purpose other than randomly hurting you and forcing you to play less aggressively in some cases.
Yes you have to learn the boss' attack patterns, that's how it is in every souls like.
Id argue that reactivity is still pretty important since a lot of the attack patterns will start off similar but require you to pay close attention to realise which variant it is.
@@redpz idk, I haven't touched the game in a while but I remember a specific attack where Eigong does a flurry of slashes in front of her that somehow also hit you if you're too close behind her. I've beat her a bunch of times and it's definitely an enjoyable fight, it's just that the game doesn't really prepare you properly for it imo.
Also you're right, souls-like games generally have you learn patterns, I guess I just felt like in this case it was more of a hassle than an enjoyable kind of learning (like trying to understand Malenia's waterfowl which while very easy to dodge after having learned it feels unintuitive)
Wonderful review man! This game has such a beautiful art-style and I also really like the look of the protagonist! You did an awesome job!
Thanks my man! Yeah it's sure one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. It's also coming to Switch at some point 😉
@@feiitogaming Oh hell yes!
Yeah, the lack of map detail and fast travel are unnecessarily frustrating. I could live with the limited fast travel if only the map were detailed but both together make it so that you either have to have a Sherlock style mind palace or take detailed notes about places you want to return to. I thought the days of taking hand written notes for video games was far faaaar in pc gaming's past. Too bad because the combat is the best I've ever seen in a metroidvania.
Wait, have you played the game? The map is two tier there's an overall world map and an area map that shows exactly where you are with all the platforming and everything else. Youbdont have to get the chip, the ship is to show treasures completion.
Indo agree with the teleport though. You should be able to do this from any node not just the base and you should be able to do it sooner
It was reworked in a patch note to have the map detailed from the start.
@@guilhermeartmann1055 Ah ok, didn't know that I guess I played a later version
Hey, happy to see this video is doing well!!! Yay!!! 🎉
Thank you Paige 🫶
I'm an old man and my free time and reflexes are both in short supply. So I'll definitely pass on this game. However, great video like always my friend.
I mean there is an easy mode that is so customizable that you basically don't take damage at all. But that doesn't change the fact that you need good reflexes haha.
Thanks for the kind words, too man - I appreciate it.
I found that after they patched the detailed map, I find myself relying on it way too much which obviously is my fault but I do appreciate how it was before. I agree that the fast travel is a bit tedious but not game destroying.
So you do get to fast travel. It gets unlocked later on in the game.
Jup, that's what I said in the video.
It's roughly 50% into the game that you can fast travel to any unlocked checkpoint on the map.
Blasphemous showed perfect balance of using a map and fast travel mechanics. I dont understand why they wanted to "copy" hollow knight in this way. No one says " yes, thats what makes HK so great"
cus it's red candle |D people came in hyped after their devotion controversy, this is their first platformer game after 2 horror titles.
i feel like the map chips are just an extra addition for the completionists out there, theyere completely optional to beat the game. I mainly picked them up for npc dialogue.
The map chips are also extremely different to how the map system works in hollow knight
I think the fact that you have to find the map chips is fine and even finding them so late im ok with BUT i do think they cost too much to the point where it realy felt like i was making a hard decision of, "hmmmm do i want a detailed ma or do i want to save this money to get more health vials" and i don't think that should be a choice you have to make.
One thing ill add to the map discourse tho is that I don't like that you have to select a section of the map tp see the detail and then once you select that section you can no longer see the rest of the map. Would have been better to just show the entire map in detail all at once, but still keeping the chip mechanic. Pretty much how hollow knight did it with the map maker
I agree on your additional criticism for the map.
If I remember correctly a patch reduced the cost for the map chips and they changed this system, so that you have a detailed map right from the start.
@@feiitogaming
People who dont read are the reason why they patch this. you win, congratulation.
You also have the option of taking the map chips for free, lol
The map has been reworked.
Okay, I don’t understand the part about “rewarding the player for what is a standard in most games isn’t good design” what do you mean? It’s different, there’s nothing wrong with that, I personally played through all of HK without EVER using the compass. It’s a different system and I am excited to use it 😁
I mean that a detailed map is a standard in most MVs. Not providing it in the beginning and then treating the detailed map as a reward doesn't seem like a good design choince imho.
But on the other hand - other games do that as well and in the end it may comes down to personal taste.
I just think that the combination of the lacking map with the high difficulty and the overall rather complex areas are a bit too much. So I wish the map would have been more of a friend to the player rather than another tool for an "immersive" exploration.
But yeah, game is still great. 😎
@@feiitogaming you have a point. The thing that I’m more worried about on the basis of the level design is whether or not the levels look a little bit same-y. But yeah, different things for different people I think
@@feiitogaming Your right it does in the end come down to personal taste. I'll argue for nine sols in this case I think the map system is quite good it forces you to explore blind for a good chunk of time and then gives a more detailed map. I can see that this will only annoy people are very heavy completionists where missing something feels detrimental to their experience because as for the main path forward it is extremely intuitive and almost linear. I think it's ok for people to miss thing. Also one thing I have noticed about this game currently (very early on its release) is that most of the criticisms from what I've are somewhat varied which I think is good.
The only bad thing with this game was MY HANDS🤦♀️ I've managed to see pantheon of hollownest ending a few weeks ago, which takes almost 6 months. This game is going to be a year's worth of hardship for me.
In my opinion, nine sols was a lot easier than anything godhome related in hollow knight. I've 100%'ed both with 100+ hours in hollow knight while Nine Sols took me 25.
I would say that the story ends a little abruptly.I'm fleeing because it goes straight from.Oh no what are we going to do to your at the safe place now?It just seems like a big missed opportunity for more playing you know
Did you buy the game?
Jup I bought it myself.
playing this game on standard mode, it was hard
very cool review
Thanks you very much 😎
Really good review. Thank you
Thank you very much 😎
Bro, the loading screens are super frustrating. You should have covered that point.
Didn't have any issues with loading times. Everything was fast enough for me.
Hmm, smells git good.
The only negative comments you have are shared with Hollow Knight exactly. Guessing you don't like that masterpiece either. Either way, your negative reviews basically told me the game is perfect. so ill get it
Did you even watch the Review? lol
I don't see how my Review is negative, in the end I gave Nine Sols an 8.5/10 which is super good.
Just didn't liked one or two things about it, that's it.
And of course I like HK.
@@feiitogaming Does that mean you would rate HK the same?
the parts you didn't like were the fact that fast travel was too late into the game and the map was confusing.
HK has those two exact "problems" too, but those are parts that I love.
Would you say the same thing about HK then?
Regardless, I've played the game since i originally commented and I can't stop playing it. Nine Sols is a Masterpiece
I thought about this the last couple days and I think I actually like Nine Sols a bit more that HK.
HK might still get a better rating objectively though, but I enjoy Nine Sols' combat and art style even more than HK. I also like that it's shorter. HK is still great though, just not my favorite MV
@@feiitogaming can I ask what your favorite MV is?
@@ethanhoffer5268my favorite MV ist easily Metroid Prime. Some of my other favorites are Super Metroid, Islets, Bloodstained Ritual of the Night, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Blapshemous 2, Prince of Perisa the Lost Crown and a lot more.
your mic volume is peaking AF
No, it's not.
@@feiitogaming sorry my sound designer Phd has no value
@@frankoysvarela7390 apology accepted 😊
@@feiitogaming cope
Difficulty options? Damn, then I'll pass. Thanks for the review.
But you could just play on Standard difficulty, which is the intended way of playing it, so the game is designed around that.
@@feiitogaming That would be terrible for me. I play games that are inspired by From Software expecting a game built around a hard difficulty, not an easy difficulty with some arbitrary changes to make it easier or harder. I am not saying the shouldn't have made this game this way, they can make their games whatever way they like. They will have an audience, but it's not for me.
Chill. First understand what difficulty settings are there, there's intended difficulty which is the standard mode, the one you want like from the from software games and there's story mode to make it more accessible for casual gamers. @vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898
@@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898 I mean most people are commenting that this is a pretty difficult game so I think its definitely worth trying out. I think the only things that they change for story mode is how much damage you take and how much damage you deal so all the moves are the same.
@@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898 i have no idea what this is supposed to mean. The game is meant to be difficult and it is difficult.
no fast travel at start, lack ways to pin the map or guide player, hit stun player, and etc. Its art and music are quite good, but the rest I can't recommend it.
Too easy fast travel destroyed quite a few games. You're supposed to be exploring ffs.
@@andrzejsobanski6752 Fast travel doesn't undermine the essence of exploration; rather, it complements it. Typically, fast travel points are unlocked after a thorough exploration of each area. Fast travel serves as a convenient way to traverse back to areas already explored, saving time especially when returning to collect previously inaccessible items or accessing paths unlocked by newfound abilities.
However, in the case of Nine Sols, the game falls short in guiding players to various locations effectively. The absence of features like placing pins or taking screenshots on the map to mark desired locations adds to the challenge. Moreover, the constant staggering from enemy attacks can lead to frustrating stun locks and untimely deaths. This makes navigating without the early availability of fast travel both risky and time-consuming.
@@echoinggarden6923 Stuns are a standard feature in combat games. You can avoid stun locks by learning not to get hit, or play on easy mode.
@@AAAA-yi9hs Stun locks are common in games, but most metroidvania titles offer players protection to prevent being comboed to death. It's unusual for a Nine sols to lack this feature. For instance, players can be hit, knocked into traps, teleported back, hit again, and trapped repeatedly. There is nothing you can do in this process. A simple fix, like a brief 0.2s window after being hit, could prevent unfair chaining to death.
@@echoinggarden6923 I agree fast travel does not undermine exploration but that is not always the case. Sometimes fast travel can be good sometimes it can be bad for example hollow knight. Hollow knight does not have a universal fast travel system where you get to fast travel to any bench you want instead they are placed in specific locations. Nine sols wants you to have interact with the game at a macro level to make the level and world design more impactful why does it matter that I got a shortcut or that I can access all of these locations from a main central point if I can just fast travel there it also makes you more committed to finish exploring the area you are already at. Would you say that fast travel from the beginning would make dark souls 1 better. In some cases fast travel does undermine the essence of exploration, there is no universal thing a game has to do. As for the i frames I can somewhat agree with you though I still think that is at least in my full playthrough a very minor critique. However all of this is very subjective I'm just trying to show that there are multiple cases where there is no rule.
Nine Sols is extremely overrated, sorry.å
A shame you didn't enjoy it. What Metroidvania that came out in 2024 did you enjoy?