Detention and Devotion developer announces Sekiro-inspired action-platformer Nine Sols Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Detention and Devotion developer announces Sekiro-inspired action-platformer Nine Sols Following a bit of a tease in March. News by Matt Wales Reporter Updated on 16 Dec 2021 7 comments Red Candle Games, the developer behind critically acclaimed horror outings Detention and Devotion, has - following a bit of an animated tease earlier this year - formally announced its latest title, an action-platformer loosely inspired by From Software's superb Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice that's currently going by the name of Nine Sols. Details are extremely limited right now, but Red Candle describes Nine Sols (a working title at present) as a "lore rich hand-drawn 2D platformer with Sekiro-inspired deflection-focused combat". The developer has also shared a wonderfully evocative bit of promo art that - while a significant aesthetic departure from its previous games - does suggest, with its mangled limbs and pools of blood, that we're not exactly in family friendly territory here. "Embark on a journey of Asian fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race and follow a vengeful hero's quest to slay nine Sols, rulers of a forsaken realm," Red Candle teases in its announcement on Twitter. Nine Sol's newly released promotional art. Nine Sols will be Red Candle Games' third title, following on from 2017's acclaimed Detention - a horror-tinged exploration of 1960s Taiwan under martial law that went on to inspire a Netflix animated series - and its 2019 follow-up, Devotion. The latter, an impressive first-person psychological horror unfolding across seven years in a cramped apartment in 1980s Taiwan, drew significant praise on its release but proved controversial. Following its release, Devotion was found to contain an unflattering reference to China's president, Xi Jinping, sparking an outcry among Chinese players. This lead to the withdrawal of its Chinese distributors, the closure of the developer's account on Weibo - one of China's largest social media platforms - and the removal of the game from Steam in China. Watch on YouTube Devotion - Trailer. Although Red Candle apologised at length, calling the reference a placeholder asset that was accidentally transferred to the final release, the backlash continued and the developer ultimately pulled the game from Steam in all territories and it's never returned. However, those eager to explore Devotion's very personal brand of horror - which found its way to Harvard University last year alongside Detention, as part of the institute's preservation efforts - do now have the option to do so via Red Candle's own digital store, where the game finally returned to sale as a DRM-free edition in March this year. As for Nine Sols, there's no hint of a release date for the game yet, but given the high bar set by Red Candle's previous outings, I am most certainly looking forward to learning more. And if you're interested in a deeper delve into Devotion, do check out Edwin Evans-Thirlwell's wonderful Making Of feature from earlier this year. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store