Nine Sols has a fun, in-depth and, most importantly, thought-through combat system that compliments its movement mechanics and enemy design in a very unique way. New abilities are introduced at a relatively slow pace which the game uses to support the metroidvania-style map layout.

The metroidvania aspect could be expanded upon, at least when compared to other similar games, but it doesn't seem to be the goal, so it's ultimately a non-issue in the grand scheme of things. The goals are combat, exploration and story, which Nine Sols delivers on fantastically. The exploration aspect is strewn together well with the movement mechanics and rewards the player with the standard -- quest progression, upgrade materials and currency. The formula is simple when laid out like this, but it's the baseline which the game builds upon in its own way. There are a few area puzzles which I enjoyed, and personally I would love to see more of them, especially involving the Mystic Nymph mechanic.

On the story aspect, it's worth mentioning that sometimes the dialogues will be overstaying their welcome. But, as much as I understand this critique, I'd say the game has earned this thanks to the characters, who all come with unique, well-written personalities making it interesting watching them clash with one another, mostly against the protagonist himself. What I thought to be a one-off joke/quirk of a merchant character carried me along on an insightful journey into its backstory.

If you want to play Sekiro with mechanics adapted and uniquely built upon into a 2D metroidvania with a focus on story, this game is for you.

Nine Sols has a fun, in-depth and, most importantly, thought-through combat system that compliments its movement mechanics and enemy design in a very unique way. New abilities are introduced at a relatively slow pace which the game uses to support the metroidvania-style map layout. The metroidvania aspect could be expanded upon, at least when compared to other similar games, but it doesn't seem to be the goal, so it's ultimately a non-issue in the grand scheme of things. The goals are combat, exploration and story, which Nine Sols delivers on fantastically. The exploration aspect is strewn together well with the movement mechanics and rewards the player with the standard -- quest progression, upgrade materials and currency. The formula is simple when laid out like this, but it's the baseline which the game builds upon in its own way. There are a few area puzzles which I enjoyed, and personally I would love to see more of them, especially involving the Mystic Nymph mechanic. On the story aspect, it's worth mentioning that sometimes the dialogues will be overstaying their welcome. But, as much as I understand this critique, I'd say the game has earned this thanks to the characters, who all come with unique, well-written personalities making it interesting watching them clash with one another, mostly against the protagonist himself. What I thought to be a one-off joke/quirk of a merchant character carried me along on an insightful journey into its backstory. If you want to play Sekiro with mechanics adapted and uniquely built upon into a 2D metroidvania with a focus on story, this game is for you.