Devotion developers reveal new "Sekiro-inspired" game Nine Sols
It's a work in progress, but already has some lovely (and gory) artwork
Remember when the Devotion developers Red Candle showed off a tiny snippet of a pretty 2D game they'd been working on earlier this year? They didn't have much to say about it at the time, but last night they announced it properly. Named Nine Sols, it's an action platformer with combat inspired by Sekiro. Honestly, they still don't have much to say about it beyond that, but they have released a gorgeous poster featuring a cat-like character that you can see in full below.
"WIP title Nine Sols, a lore rich hand-drawn 2D action platformer with Sekiro-inspired deflection-focused combat," the devs tweeted. "Embark on a journey of Asian fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race and follow a vengeful hero's quest to slay 9 Sols, rulers of a forsaken realm."
When I first saw that pic I mostly focused on the cute character, pretty butterfly (bird?) and lovely sunset reflected in the water there. But then I noticed that actually, I think that water is blood. Blood that has presumably come from whoever owned the limbs at the kitty's feet.
It's unclear right now if Nine Sols will have any horror aspects (you know, beyond the blood pools), though it wouldn't exactly be a surprise given Red Candle's experience with the genre. It definitely looks and sounds more like a gritty platforming adventure though. Here's that short clip they revealed back in March for a reminder:
As the developers mention, the game is a work in progress, so it's too soon to say when we might see more. Here's hoping the devs will have more clips to show in the new year.
Nine Sols looks like a pretty big departure from Red Candle's existing catalogue, which includes popular (and controversial) game Devotion. It was pulled from stores shortly after it was released in 2019 because it included a reference comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh. Last year, GOG said they'd release it but changed their minds. Then finally this year Red Candle started selling it on their own digital store.
