Scoring genre clarity...

Nine Sols capsule

Nine Sols

Nine Sols is a lore rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer featuring Sekiro-inspired deflection focused combat. Embark on a journey of eastern fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero’s quest to slay the 9 Sols, formidable rulers of this forsaken realm.

$14.99Overwhelmingly Positive(1,176)
MetroidvaniaSouls-likeDifficult
RedCandleGamesMay 28, 2024

Nine Sols scores 82/100 — better than 93% of Steam capsules we've analysed (n=22,658).

Overwhelmingly Positive (1,176 reviews) · $14.99 · Released May 28, 2024 · By RedCandleGames

Explore:Steam page optimisationCapsule design best practices

Quick text summary

Nine Sols scored 82/100 on Steam Analyzer — Good for a Steam capsule. Top priority fix: [genre_clarity] Add a subtle combat action cue such as a drawn sword or deflect spark effect near the protagonist to communicate the action-platformer subgenre more explicitly at tiny size.

Capsule scores by dimension

  • Genre Clarity: 7/10 — Eastern action platformer implied. The masked anthropomorphic cat warrior figure in an orange combat suit, combined with the East Asian kanji logo and lush stylized fantasy landscape, strongly implies an action-adventure game with an Asian mythological theme. The glowing fairy companion adds an RPG/adventure dimension. At tiny size the warrior mask and vivid warm palette still communicate a stylized action game, though the specific platformer subgenre is not immediately obvious without the combat pose.
  • Title Readability: 8/10 — Bold logo reads well at small. The 'NINE SOLS' text uses a chunky, high-contrast outlined font in cream/white against the warm orange background on the right half, making it highly legible at small sizes. The kanji characters above it are large and bold. At tiny size 'NINE SOLS' still resolves clearly due to its thick letterforms and strong value contrast against the orange-red background, though the kanji becomes decorative rather than readable.
  • Contrast & Color: 8/10 — Warm palette pops on dark Steam. The vivid orange-red warm gradient background creates strong separation from Steam's dark #1b2838 background. The white masked face of the protagonist is the brightest element and creates an immediate focal anchor. The cyan glowing fairy provides a complementary cool accent that further separates from the warm field. In grayscale the white mask, bright sky, and dark foliage still maintain readable separation, though the red-orange mid-tones can become muddy at tiny size.
  • Uniqueness & Polish: 9/10 — Distinctive hand-drawn eastern style. The hand-drawn illustration style with thick ink outlines, expressive flat color fills, and the unique Taopunk aesthetic is immediately distinctive among action-platformer capsules. The masked cat warrior is a memorable and unusual protagonist design that avoids genre clichés. This does not feel like a generic template and communicates a strong artistic identity and unique selling point, placing it comfortably above genre peers in visual craft.
  • Brand Consistency: 9/10 — Strong cohesive visual identity. The hand-drawn ink style, warm eastern color palette, masked cat protagonist, and East Asian typography all form a tightly cohesive and recognizable visual language. The kanji mark combined with 'NINE SOLS' creates a distinctive logo lockup that would be recognizable across multiple contexts. The glowing teal fairy as a recurring motif alongside the warm red-orange world creates a consistent signature palette and identity cue.
  • Composition: 8/10 — Clear split focal hierarchy. The composition uses a clear left-right split: the protagonist's white masked face dominates the left-center as the primary focal point, while the bold title occupies the right third with strong hierarchy. The fairy in the lower left and the fantastical landscape elements in the background create depth layering without competing with the primary subject. At small size the white mask and bold title remain the two dominant reads, though the lower background details with the red creature become noise. Safe margins are respected and no critical elements hug the edges.

What works

  • Memorable protagonist design. The white cat mask against the orange background is immediately distinctive and creates a strong, recognizable focal point even at tiny sizes.
  • Strong warm palette contrast against Steam dark UI. The vivid orange-red gradient background makes the capsule pop visibly against Steam's #1b2838 dark interface during quick scroll.
  • Cohesive eastern art style. Hand-drawn ink outlines, flat expressive colors, and East Asian typography create a unified aesthetic that signals a premium indie with a clear artistic vision.
  • Bold title readability. The chunky outlined 'NINE SOLS' lettering maintains legibility at small and tiny sizes due to strong contrast and thick strokes.

What hurts the capsule

  • Genre subtype ambiguity at tiny size. The platformer and deflection-combat specifics are not communicated visually; at tiny size it reads as generic stylized action-RPG without clear genre differentiation.
  • Kanji becomes decorative at tiny size. The East Asian characters above the title collapse to unreadable marks at tiny thumbnail size, losing their intended narrative impact.
  • Background mid-tone noise. The detailed red creature and foliage elements in the lower right compete with the composition at small sizes and add visual clutter without contributing to clarity.
  • Fairy element reads small at reduced sizes. The glowing cyan fairy is a charming accent at full size but nearly disappears at tiny thumbnail dimensions, losing its complementary contrast contribution.

Priority fixes

  1. [genre_clarity] Add a subtle combat action cue such as a drawn sword or deflect spark effect near the protagonist to communicate the action-platformer subgenre more explicitly at tiny size.
  2. [composition] Slightly reduce the background red creature and foliage detail complexity in the lower right to minimize mid-tone noise that competes with the title at small sizes.
  3. [contrast_color] Increase the fairy's glow radius or brightness slightly so the teal accent reads as a distinct element even at tiny thumbnail resolution.
  4. [title_readability] Consider adding a subtle dark vignette or shadow behind the kanji characters to ensure they maintain visual presence against the orange background at small sizes.

Store copy priority fixes

  1. [feature_communication] In the detailed description, add a sentence early that explicitly states 'You will master deflection timing, explore interconnected regions, defeat 9 major bosses, and uncover story through NPCs and exploration' to frontload gameplay loop before diving into lore.
  2. [uniqueness] Expand the Taopunk setting explanation with one concrete example of how this fusion manifests mechanically or visually (e.g., 'ancient temples powered by holographic technology' or similar) to make the differentiation even more tangible.
  3. [hook_strength] Replace or supplement 'lore rich' and 'formidable rulers' in the short description with action verbs or more specific descriptors (e.g., 'master the art of deflection,' 'uncover a conspiracy') to strengthen the opening hook beyond genre tags.

Related guides

Steam app ID: 1809540