PlayStation Plus Free Game Is a ‘Beautiful’ Soulslike Alternative Going Under The Radar

PlayStation Plus fans are being urged to check out this “beautiful” new soulslike which has gone under the radar.

Earlier this week, Sony revealed the latest titles which will be hitting PlayStation Plus Essential in May, as it does at the end of each month.

The games include the likes of EA Sports FC 26 and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, two big games from last year which received a lot of attention.

However, Nine Sols from developer and publisher Red Candle Games has seemingly gone under the radar. PlayStation fans have urged subscribers to check it out when the game drops on the service next week.

Nine Sols is a side-scrolling metroidvania created by Red Candle Games, the same developer behind Detention and Devotion.

The combat works very similarly to FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, where you have to slash, deflect, and charge into enemies to defeat them. Each fight that you have in the game uses a combination of fast, brutal action sequences with classic platforming mechanics.

Tough combat difficulty is a staple of the game (and the genre as a whole), but for those struggling you can also adjust it to be a little more forgiving. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a cakewalk through the entire game.

As a metroidvania, of course Nine Sols also features difficult platforming and interconnected routes, where you gradually unlock new routes through the Taopunk region of New Kunlun and discover secret locations and hidden easter eggs.

Red Candle Games

Nine Sols Comes As A Big Recommendation For PlayStation Plus Users To Check Out In May

“To all the Sekiro lovers, Nine Sols is the upcoming PS+ game for May, and I genuinely can’t recommend this game enough,” reads a post on the PlayStation Plus Reddit page. “Amazing exploration, beautiful art style, incredibly fun bosses, and arguably the best combat in a 2D platformer. Play this if you want that Sekiro dance-like combat.”

Indeed, there are a lot of comments in the replies which are backing up the poster’s opinion.

“Absolutely adored this game, I still pop back into it from time to time to fight the boss memories,” reads one reply. “The combat is absurdly addictive and flows beautifully. Tickles the exact same spot in my brain that Sekiro and Sifu’s combat did.”

“Nine Sols is incredible. Outstanding combat and Boss Fights,” reads another comment.

“Great game, great story, great art, great movement. I just wish it came out 5 years earlier. By the time i finally played it was so burned out on the genre. I had been playing every metroidvania since SOTN and im just kind of over the formula unfortunately,” a third comment reads.

In addition to PlayStation consoles, Nine Sols is also available on PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. It'll hit PlayStation Plus next week, on 5 May.

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