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Game pageNine Sols: Combat, Exploration, Player Feedback, and Who It Suits
Deflect enemy attacks to build Qi, then use an opening to attach and detonate a Taoist talisman. That exchange drives combat.
The question is whether you enjoy learning an enemy’s tells and delays so you can meet a string with deflections instead of relying on dodges.
What makes it fun
Turn defense into damage
Deflecting a combo builds Qi, so holding your ground sets up a talisman counterattack. When the enemy pauses, do you plant it now or wait to build more Qi?
Learn the rhythm of a boss
As you learn a boss's tells and the pauses before its attacks, a combo that once overwhelmed you becomes something you can deflect. Each attempt helps you read the sequence.
Detours add to the story
Records and items tucked away in New Kunlun give the revenge story new context. They give you a reason to check an old side path before moving on.
Game details
As of Oct 29, 2026- Steam Deck
- Verified
- Release date
- May 29, 2024
- Developer
- RedCandleGames
- Languages
- Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean ／ 14 languages total
A typical run
You travel through New Kunlun’s regions. Beyond enemies and traps lie hidden routes, treasure, and clues to the story.
A new traversal ability lets you return to a blocked route and look for items tied to equipment or upgrades.
Against an enemy, you watch its movements and deflect to build Qi rather than keep swinging basic attacks.
When a string ends, you attach a talisman and spend stored Qi to deal damage in a burst.
Rulers and guardians mark points in the journey. You learn the pause between each tell and attack to get past them.
Core systems
Deflection
Meeting an attack just before impact protects Yi and builds Qi. Combat asks you to receive strings with deflections more often than to keep dodging away.
Do you hold your ground through the string or reposition and reset? Deflect early and you may take internal damage; press late and the hit lands.
Qi and Taoist Talisman
Qi earned through deflection lets you detonate a talisman attached to an enemy. It puts a burst of damage at the end of a defended string.
Do you deflect the next attack for more Qi or attach a talisman during the opening you have? Move in too greedily and the next strike catches you.
Jade and Passive Abilities
Swapping jades changes the effects supporting you in combat. You can put together a setup that helps defense or strengthens offense.
Make it easier to recover from a missed deflection, or increase the return when you counterattack. Swap jades to address the fight giving you trouble.
Exploration
New Kunlun’s regions connect through routes with treasure and story records tucked away. Traversal abilities open paths you passed earlier.
Continue the story or revisit a branch left on the map? A detour may yield an item or record, though it takes you back through enemies and traps.
Story Mode
Story Mode lets you adjust damage taken and damage dealt. If a boss blocks progress, you can change the fight’s demands and keep following the story.
Keep learning the fight in Standard Mode or switch to Story Mode during your run. Deflection remains central either way.
What sets it apart
Required traversal abilities arrive along the story route. Progress does not depend on combing the entire map for a missing power.
There are branches and collectibles, but the route forward is relatively directed.
Combat puts its weight on deflecting a string, building Qi, and answering with a talisman instead of dodging every attack.
Learning curve and difficulty
In Standard Mode, you start by learning the pause between an enemy’s stance and the attack itself.
Mashing deflect breaks down against delayed strikes or strings that change midway. Match the button press to the moment the attack arrives.
Defending a string is only part of the exchange. Wait until it has truly ended before fitting in a talisman or a heal.
Late bosses can feel like a sudden jump in difficulty. If you get stuck, you can switch to Story Mode during the run and adjust damage taken and dealt.
Builds and playstyles
Deflect into talisman
Deflect a string to build Qi, then attach a talisman as the enemy finishes. Rather than keep swinging basic attacks, use the enemy’s offense to prepare your counterattack.
Defensive jade setup
Use jades to help you recover from a missed deflection or manage internal damage. You give up offensive gains for more room to survive the next string.
Bow-created openings
Save a bow attack that can interrupt an enemy for a dangerous moment. Use the pause to heal or try a talisman, or keep the ammunition for later.
What longtime players say
Long-play reviewers describe how costly a missed deflection can be in Standard Mode. They also value being able to adjust incoming and outgoing damage in Story Mode when they want to keep following the story.
At late and final bosses, long-play reviewers found it tiring to learn the delay between a tell and an attack through repeated attempts. It is a particular hurdle for those staying in Standard Mode.
Other long-play reviewers keep returning to late bosses. Learning to deflect their strings is what makes those repeated fights enjoyable for them.
What players like
New Kunlun sets Taoist imagery against advanced technology. Its hand-drawn backgrounds and comic-style scenes have stayed with reviewers.
A boss’s string can overwhelm you at first, then become a series you know how to deflect and answer. Reviewers enjoy that change and the feel of each successful deflection.
Reviewers recall how area music and boss themes fit tense scenes, while combat sounds help them find a deflection rhythm. The music at the ending has stayed with them too.
What starts as a revenge story changes how reviewers see Yi and the people around him. Their accounts dwell on the relationships between characters and on the ending.
When a boss stalls progress, Story Mode lets you change damage taken and dealt. That mid-run option has helped reviewers who want to finish the story.
The map records visited rooms and helps track what remains to collect in each region. Reviewers looking for missed items appreciate that, along with required traversal powers arriving on the story route.
Common complaints
For players who prefer dodging and basic attacks, the reliance on deflection and talismans can feel restrictive. If that loop does not click early, regular enemies become a struggle before the boss fights do.
Players who like choosing their own route can find progression too narrow. They cannot place personal markers on the map, and when several paths are still gated, the next destination can be hard to pick out.
Late bosses and the final boss can feel like a sudden step up. Staying in Standard Mode means repeating the fight until the tell and the right deflection timing become familiar.
Death can leave currency or experience to recover, and certain encounters also require a walk back. Reviewers describe the strain of retrieving what they dropped near an enemy they are already struggling to beat.
On a repeat run for achievements or another ending, dialogue and scenes you cannot skip slow progress. That wait bothers players returning after they have already seen the story.
Who it’s for
It suits players who want to learn an enemy’s strings, deflect them, and turn the Qi earned into talisman damage.
It also suits players who like exploring along a story route and returning for items on missed branches. If you enjoy using jades or the bow to address a difficult fight, there are choices to make there.
Who might not enjoy it
If you want to fight chiefly with dodges and basic attacks, the deflection-to-talisman loop may frustrate you. The same applies if you do not want to practise its timing repeatedly.
If you value choosing your own route and marking blocked paths yourself, the directed progression and lack of personal map markers may feel restrictive.
FAQ
- Does it support Japanese?
- Yes. Japanese interface text and subtitles are supported. Japanese voice-over is not listed.
- Is there co-op?
- No. Nine Sols is a single-player game.
- Can the difficulty be adjusted?
- Yes. You can switch to Story Mode during a run and adjust damage taken and dealt.
- Can I avoid deflection?
- Deflection is central to building Qi and countering with talismans. Dodging and the bow have uses, but the game does not suit a style that avoids deflection throughout.
- Is there additional content?
- The store’s downloadable content section lists a soundtrack and digital art book. An update also added a boss rematch mode.
These impressions are based on 100 Steam reviews sorted by “Most Helpful.” They do not represent the views of all buyers.
Image: Nine Sols on Steam