Crowdfunding begins for stunning ‘Taopunk’ title Nine Sols

Already surpassed the 60% mark

Independent studio Red Candle Games has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its next project — Nine Sols is a very attractive looking action-RPG that looks to blend ancient Asian culture with modern neon technology, backdropping a lone hero’s efforts to rescue their realm from its cruel oppressors.

Nine Sols, described by Red Candle Games as a “Taopunk” adventure, will feature beautiful, hand-drawn 2D visuals, bringing life to a cast of mythical creatures in a tale of bravery, honor, and salvation. Set in the realm of New Kunlun, players will take up the role of long-forgotten hero Yi, who is awoken by a child in a last-ditch effort to free the world’s people from the tyranny of the land’s rulers: The 9 Sols.

The zen-like adventure blends platforming action and deep exploration with “deflection” based combat, with FromSoftware’s samurai hit Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice cited as a major influence on Nine Sols’ combat. As Yi traverses New Kunlun on their quest, they will encounter a wide cast of allies and enemies, while uncovering deep lore about the realm, its denizens, and the events that led to the protagonist’s rebirth.

Utilizing gathered Jade — as well as a unique ore known as Jin — Yi is able to improve their weapons and abilities, and example of Nine Sols core philosophy of combining traditional aesthetics with futuristic, cyberpunk-style mechanics and technology.

All of this adventure and intrigue will be scored with a soundtrack that will use contemporary electronic sounds with traditional Eastern instruments, once again blending the past with the future to create a distinct hybrid of both generations. Red Candle Games hopes that this unique and distinct score will provide a “pleasant albeit experimental” auditory experience.

From details ascertained from the in-depth write-up on the official Red Candle website, combined with the great-looking test footage above, Nine Sols is already looking like something of a real gem, and has already cemented itself a spot on my watchlist. While Red Candle Games has not offered up a release window nor platforms for its exciting project, the studio notes that it has acquired PlayStation and Nintendo Switch development kits.

Full full details, check out the Nine Sols crowdfunding page right here.