Red Candle Games, the studio behind horror darlings Detention and Devotion, are back with a new game campaign. Kicking off a week ago, the crowdfunder for Nine Sols has already been extremely successful, raising the set goal of NT$3 million ($104,760 USD) within the first 24 hours. Now, 7 days later, the game has almost NT$4.5 million ($157,000 USD) with 44 days left to go.
Nine Sols is a departure from the normal Red Candle game, showing a more whimsical side to mythology instead of fear inducing, clutch your chest horror. Described as a “hand-drawn, deflection-focused, Taopunk style 2D action-platformer,” Nine Sols invites the player into a beautifully colored world blending cyberpunk, Taoism and Far Eastern mythology. Hand drawn animation and a “dark electronic sound mixed with Eastern instruments” will complete the immersive experience.
Inspired by Hollow Knight, Sekiro and Katana Zero, gameplay will include intense battles and a rich storyline. “New Kunlun, the Solarian’s last sanctuary, has remained quiet for centuries. Inside this vast realm, the ancient gods left mortals with a promised land that is forever protected by the sacred rituals, yet the truth of this world remains unknown to most. Everything changes when Yi, a long-forgotten hero from the past, is awoken by a human child,” says the campaign site. Yi will embark on a journey to hunt down the 9 Sols- dangerous rulers of the forsaken realm. Along the way, they will meet various characters, solve puzzles, and seek a way to bring peace to their world.
Backers have several tiers to pick from starting at $21.00 USD and go up to just over $1,000 USD. Perks range from digital copies of the game, OSTs and lore books to physical copies and action figures. The highest level gives the backer everything in both digital and physical formats. The game is expected to have a Q2 2023 release.
Red Candle finds immediate success
Red Candle Games isn’t a stranger to chaotic worlds, including our own. The studio is a bit of a modern-day Cinderella story. Founded in 2015 with only 6 people, the Taiwan based company created Detention, a 2D survival horror game based on Taiwanese and Chinese cultures and mythological beliefs and set in a 1960s Taiwan under martial law. The game was a critical success and won multiple awards.
Basking in its success, Red Candle released a second horror game on February 19, 2019. Devotion followed similar tones of Detention, set in Taiwan in the 1980’s, and interwove Taiwanese and East Asian culture and religion throughout its story. The switch to first-person amped up the scares and again, Red Candle had a hit within the horror gaming community, with critics comparing it to P.T.
Devotion causes controversy
However, controversy followed immediately after the games launch. The game went from “Overwhelmingly Positive” to “Mostly Negative” on Steam after only a few days, due to an apparent political insult to the Chinese leader found by Chinese players, a mistaken placeholder that made it through final checks. The slight was patched, and Red Candle Games apologized immediately, but the damage was done. Devotion was removed from Steam, first in China and then worldwide a few days later.
In July 2019, China revoked the developers license, seemingly shutting down any further releases of the game.
It resurfaced in December 2020, as a partnership between Red Candle and GOG.com would allow for the purchase of the game again. However, before anyone could purchase it, GOG announced that it was cancelling the release due to “many messages from gamers.” This sparked immediate pushback from gamers and questions of GOG’s integrity were voiced. Whether this is true or not remains a topic for debate.
The slipper fits
Red Candle persevered though. It opened its own website and e-store in 2021, where it could sell Detention and Devotion worldwide without backlash. Nine Sols, as the third studio title, puts Red Candle back in the spotlight, this time without the dark shadows of controversy.
Personally, I love a Cinderella story. Seeing an indie studio battle the odds and come out on top is heartwarming. Throw in a mix of horror and whimsy, and I’m a fan. And while Nine Sols may be taking a different path, I’m excited to see where it will lead us.
Stay tuned for future coverage as the game campaign continues. Check out their Discord for more details as well.
So, have you played any Red Candle games? What’s your thoughts? Hit me up in the comments below.
