It’s been a few months since the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, meaning fans of Soulslike games have had plenty of time to conquer its imposing challenge and recover from the beating it took afterward. With Messmer firmly put in his place, that leaves room for another ultra-difficult game to round out the year for anyone still looking for a challenge. Fortunately, Xbox Game Pass just made a different FromSoftware-inspired game available to subscribers, and it’s well worth exploring its punishing depths.
Released by Devotion developer Red Candle Games a month before Shadow of the Erdtree, Nine Sols may have been overlooked by players gearing up for the latest From Software challenge. Nine Sols takes inspiration from a part of the FromSoft catalog that’s seen far fewer imitators than the Souls series — Sekiro. That makes it a nice change of pace from the more Souls-flavored approach of Elden Ring, while offering a kind of challenge that even Soulslike fans rarely get to experience.
