- Nine Sol feels like a successor to Hollow Knight because of many shared features and inspiration.
- The combat is as deep yet simple as Hollow Knight, with even the charm system being borrowed over.
- Some lengthy dialogue sections serve to break immersion, which is why it is almost as good as Hollow Knight.
Even non-Metroidvania fans know Hollow Knight, the 2017 indie hit. While Team Cherry teases us with Silksong, let’s discuss Nine Sols, a game that’s almost the next Hollow Knight.
A Cousin Of Hollow Knight
Everyone called Hollow Knight a Souls-like because of some mechanical similarities. If Hollow Knight is Dark Souls, then Nine Sols is Sekiro. Let’s dive deeper into this claim in the sections below.
The World
Nine Sols is rich in lore. We won’t be diving into the story to avoid spoilers for anyone who wants to play this game, but the stories in Nine Sol’s world are so abundant that we could do a whole series on them.
From the Primordial Roots to the technological innovations, Nine Sols takes the formula of story-telling formulated by From Soft and implemented by Team Cherry to never-before-seen lands.
We do have some gripes about the story’s telling, but we’ll save that for a later section.
Combat
Nine Sols offers a straightforward yet engaging combat system with a block, parry, and two types of attacks. Perfect parries allow players to attach a bomb to their opponent, similar to Sekiro’s stance-break reward.
Though different from Hollow Knight, Nine Sols’ combat feels like a natural evolution rather than a complete overhaul. While Silksong will likely deepen combat differently, Nine Sols provides a fun variation on Hollow Knight’s mechanics.
Interconnectivity
The world of Nine Sols is interconnected, much like Hollow Knight or any other Metroidvania. There are branching paths and secret rooms that make each playthrough feel unique.
Nine Sols features many moments where you encounter obstacles that act as roadblocks, only to return later and unlock hidden paths. While this is a common trait of Metroidvanias, both Hollow Knight and Nine Sols implement it in a way that doesn’t require long waits to clear these obstacles.
Charms? No, Jades.
This is as similar as it gets. Hollow Knight brought a fun charms system to its genre, which allowed players to customize their playstyle. Want a longer dash? There’s a charm for that. Want more attack range? There’s a charm for that.
Nine Sols dub its charms system “Jades,” and they work identically to how they did in Hollow Knight. Want a quicker heal? Get the Quick Dose Jade. Want to get your health back when you attack? Get the Breather Jade. The combinations you can make are nearly endless.
Even the system for attaching Charms is similar, with a set amount of slots that you can increase by exploring and killing enemies, with each Jade taking up varying amounts of slots, depending on how overpowered they are.
Bosses
Yes, Hollow Knight was special because of its world design, but the bosses helped elevate it to the next level. Hollow Knight has only a few means of inflicting damage onto the player: contact damage and projectiles, while Nine Sols chose the more traditional “If sword swings, then damage dealt” approach.
This opens up the game to interesting attack patterns, animations, and hitboxes that make the spectacle of the boss fights better to me than its contemporaries.
Everything Else
Nine Sols is an incredible game featuring a focused story, deep lore, and charming comic book-like sections. However, it isn’t perfect. One aspect that hindered my experience was the lengthy dialogue sequences between characters.
Often, I found myself either trying to engage with the dialogue and then skipping it when I got bored or skipping it outright. This issue prevents Nine Sols from breaking into my top five Metroidvanias, which is why I say it’s almost as good as Hollow Knight.
That said, I highly recommend trying Nine Sols; it’s amazing, regardless of the more rambly sections. Keep visiting us for more features on the best up-and-coming video games!
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Moiz Banoori, with a decade of experience in gaming and tech journalism and a degree in journalism, is a notable figure in the industry. He has contributed to various esteemed platforms, showcasing his expertise in both reporting and opinion writing.
