Nine Sols' Unique "Taopunk" Aesthetic Headlines Souls-Like Genre

Nine Sols' Unique Art and Combat Are Its Shining StarsTakes Inspiration From Eastern Philosophy and Gritty Cyberpunk

Leading up to Nine Sols' console release next month, co-founder and producer Shihwei Yang talked about how Red Candle Games' souls-like platformer title sets it apart from the games we see come out this year. Much of Nine Sols' different aspects, encompassing gameplay, visuals, and story, is grounded in what it calls "Taopunk," a blending of Eastern philosophy, such as Taoism, and the aesthetics of cyberpunk.

The game's visuals and art take inspiration from 80s and 90s manga/anime such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell, both critically-acclaimed sci-fi works that heavily feature elements of futurism, bustling cities, neon lights, and a marriage between humans and technology. "Since we’re all fans of ‘80s and ‘90s Japanese anime and manga, cyberpunk classics like 'Akira' and 'Ghost in the Shell' became key inspirations for our art development," Yang shared. "These works deeply influenced how we approached the visual style of Nine Sols, blending futuristic tech with an artistic flair that feels both nostalgic and fresh."

These artistic elements also seeped into Nine Sols' audio design, according to Yang, further sharing how the game's distinct music is sounded to the tune of traditional Eastern music elements using modern instruments. "We wanted the soundscape to stand out, so we fused traditional Eastern sounds with modern instruments to create something truly distinct," he said. "This combination gave Nine Sols an identity that sets it apart from other games, making the atmosphere feel both grounded in ancient roots and futuristic at the same time."

But apart from the carefully crafted audio-visual representation of its Taopunk world, Nine Sols' combat is where the unique blend of these elements gleams. "We thought we had found our rhythm, creating settings that resonated with the philosophical ideas of Taoism while embracing the gritty energy of cyberpunk. But then, just when we thought we could take a breath," Yang exhaled, "another challenge arose: the gameplay. Designing the combat system proved to be one of the most difficult hurdles we faced."

Initially, the studio drew inspiration from classic indie titles like Hollow Knight for Nine Sols' overall gameplay, according to Yang, "but it quickly became clear that it didn’t fit the character of Nine Sols," he then explained. The Nine Sols developers already knew they didn't want to follow "path of the other great platformers" as they felt it didn't align with what the studio wanted to Achieve and create—a deflection-heavy 2D action game."It wasn’t until we returned to the core ideas of the game that we found a new direction. Around that time, we coincidentally came across the deflection system from Sekiro, and it resonated deeply with us," Yang said.

Nine Sols features a combat system that "rewards players for deflecting attacks and maintaining balance." However, Yang said that building this "deflection-heavy" style posed its own challenges to Red Candle Games. "It’s a rarely explored mechanic in 2D, and it took innumerable iterations to get right. Thankfully, after much trial and error, everything finally clicked," he explained.

"As we pieced everything together, the overall narrative also began to resonate. Themes like nature vs. technology and the meaning of life and death naturally found their way into the story," he detailed further in the blog. Strangely enough, it felt like Nine Sols was carving out its own path, and we were merely guiding it as it found its voice."

Nine Sols' solid gameplay mechanic, along with its enthralling artwork and intriguing story, are indeed aspects that left Game8 absolutely stunned. You can read more of our thoughts on Nine Sols in our review linked below!