Review of the New "Kyuon of the Nine Souls" The more you die, the stronger you become! 2D exploration action with Kirie-style graphics

The main character is Quon, a cat that has fallen into the underworld. He begins an adventure to return to his owner in this world!

Kuon of the Nine Spirits" is a completely new and original action game by Inti Creates. Inti Creates is a game maker with an image of being good at hardcore 2D action games reminiscent of retro games, such as the "Blue Thunderbolt Gunvolt" series and "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon" series. This title, like those works, is also exquisitely difficult and crunchy.

Let us begin with the story of this title.

The protagonist of this title is a cat named "Kuon. The story begins when Kuon, who had been living with his human owner, for some reason loses his life and dies. After his death, Kuon fell into the underworld, and in order to return to his owner in the present world, he aims for the "Gate of the Underworld," which is the only way out. ......

This work is characterized by its mysterious and unique worldview, in which a cat that has lost its life is the main character and the underworld is the stage for adventure. What further accentuates this worldview are the graphics with a "cutout" touch. In this title, the main character Quon, the underworld in which Quon unfolds his adventures, and the deformed demons he encounters in the underworld are all depicted in beautiful paper cutout style visuals. The fantastic and somewhat nostalgic graphics, which are reminiscent of reading a picture book of Japanese folktales, are a perfect match with the worldview of this title and provide players with a unique gaming experience.

The key to the strategy is ...... "death"!　A unique system that allows players to learn new skills each time they lose a life is the key to success!

This is a side-scrolling 2D action game in which the player controls Quon, a cat. Although the word "side-scrolling" is used in the title, there are actually some scenes in which the player moves up and down, and the game has a "Metroidvania"-like structure in which the player explores the map in all directions. In addition to orthodox actions such as moving and jumping, there are also actions unique to cats, such as sticking to walls, climbing, and passing through narrow passages. In addition, there are hidden passages that look like walls, but are actually pathways, so the map must be explored from corner to corner.

One special action is the "shadow through. This involves moving quickly while drawing afterimages and slipping through enemies and their attacks unharmed. It can be used in succession to slip through long distances, but care must be taken to manage the gauge, as the use of shadow throughs consumes stamina.

When a shadow through is used to pass through the attacks of powerful enemies such as bosses and mid-bosses, the " jade gauge" is accumulated by absorbing the opponent's magical power. If this gauge is maximized, the player can use a special move called a "Fatal Stamp" to inflict heavy damage. This is the basic method of attacking bosses, inflicting massive damage. The game's risk/reward system is easy to understand and provides a thrilling experience for players.

These are the actions of Quon the cat, but as you may have noticed, Quon actually has no basic means of attack. It is not the type of game in which you just keep moving forward while avoiding enemy attacks, but that is not quite the case. In this game, players can acquire various skills and attack methods by performing certain actions. That "certain action" is simply "to be killed by the enemy. It may seem contradictory that dying is the key to success, but this system is the most distinctive feature of the game.

However, at this point, the miraculous power of "anima revive" is activated, and the animal's soul is taken into account and revived.

The "anima revive" that resurrects after death gives Quon a variety of skills. For example, a tiger can use its claws for melee attacks, a mayfly can automatically avoid enemy attacks, and a crow can jump once in the air. All of these skills are useful and reassuring, making it easier for Quon to advance in his adventures. It is important to note, however, that you are not free to choose and acquire the skills of your choice. The type of animal skill available is related to the "cause of death" of Quon. In other words, if you want to obtain a particular skill, you have to think about what you will die from, but sometimes you may have to choose to "intentionally throw away your life to become stronger," and this is one of the interesting aspects of the game. The conflict is also an interesting aspect of this work.

The conflict in this area is what makes this work so interesting. Except for Eikon mode, which corresponds to easy mode, the game is basically over after nine deaths. This system is based on the legend "Cats have nine lives," which is also the origin of the title of this work, "Nine Souls. The more you die, the more skills you possess, and the easier it becomes to conquer the game, but the game is steadily drawing to a close, and this exquisite tingling sensation is irresistible. This sense of risk/reward in the very core of the game is a unique attraction of this title that is hard to find in other games.

Transforming into the "karma form" greatly enhances combat capabilities!　There is also the "Nine Souls Aima Form," which is even more ferocious!

After a certain number of anima revives, in which Quon loses its life and gains soul power, it transforms into its "karma form" by capturing human souls. In this form, Quon's physique changes to that of a human, and its attack power and durability are greatly increased compared to its feline form. Unlike the feline form, which lost its soul with a single attack, the Gouma can withstand several attacks, making the battle much easier to conquer.

On the other hand, the loss of the feline form has the disadvantage of making it impossible to pass through narrow hidden passages, and also makes it impossible to use the shadow through. This means that the only way to conquer a stage is to go headfirst. In addition, in the karma form, the initial value of the jade gauge is increased and it becomes easier to obtain powerful animal skills, making the game feel more battle-focused, which is an interesting change in gameplay.

Incidentally, the change to the karma form can be canceled if there are a certain number of "hope points," which can be earned by collecting items at marking points in the stage or by defeating enemies. The key to the strategy is to decide whether to resist the change and continue in the cat form, or to accept the change to the karmic form.

After losing his life and repeating the anima revive, Quon finally reaches the last of the nine souls and transforms into a special form called the "Kukon-Ohma" form. In this form, which is as powerful in appearance as it is in its hideous title of "the most evil demon beastman," all of its combat abilities are unleashed, and it can destroy a zombie enemy with a single blow. In addition, the consumption of the Jade Gauge and Stamina Gauge for some skills is reduced, allowing the beast to rampage with unparalleled vigor compared to its previous forms.

However, this does not mean that it does not take damage, so it is necessary to be very careful when fighting bosses and other strong enemies. It should also be noted that the transformation from the cat form to the karma form can be canceled, but the transformation to the nine souls form cannot be reversed. This system allows the user to experience the "foolhardy power of the fire" action in a "backwater" situation.

Another system that deserves special mention is the "kuyuan enhancement" system. By consuming the Nine Soul Stones and Hope Points available at various locations in the underworld, the various abilities of Quon can be enhanced, which can be opened from the menu screen at any time. For example, some of the effects include a decrease in the stamina consumption of the Shadow Through, an increase in the attack range of the "Tiger" skill, and an increase in the amount of Hope Points available. There is also a special "beastman stone enhancement" that uses "beastman stones" obtained from the boss character, the demon beastman. These are not only an aid to strategy, but also function as a challenging element of the game.

The one-of-a-kind experience of playing "Kyuyuan of the Nine Souls" is well worth the experience!

So, that's my review of "Kyuyuan of the Nine Souls".

The unique system of "gaining skills through repeated deaths" provides a unique sense of tension and exhilaration that sets this game apart from conventional action games. Although there is no denying that this unique system is a bit complicated and requires a lot of learning, we hope that gamers of all kinds, especially action game fans, will play this title and experience this fresh sensation for themselves.

• Title Information
• Kyuukyuu of the Nine Souls" (Inti Creates)
• Release date: May 30, 2024
• Compatibility: Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Steam (PC)
• Price:
• Download version: 4,280 yen (tax included)
• Package edition:
• Normal Edition: 5,280 yen (including tax)
• Limited Edition: 9,980 yen (including tax)
• Official website: ##