Nine Sols - The Complete Story Explained | Nine Sols Lore

[@TheLorebrarians]

Hi all, I've had a change of audio equipment and recording venue. Let me know what you think of the voice-over quality and what might need to be tweaked moving forward. Hope you appreciate the video!

[@naej3721]

sounds great to me, clean and clear

[@mononoob1134]

Kind of hard to hear, can you make them clearer

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

Awesome breakdown man, God bless ya and Jesus loves ya :)

[@imadonnari]

I would recommend you doing some research into the ancient Chinese mythos to make a better connection. This would also help you annunciate.

[@TheLastHylianTitan]

Me: “man, this is some tasty lore, but I’m having trouble processing and dissecting it” The Lorebrarians, popping up on my feed for the first time: “I got you.”

[@999lazerman]

A certain dragon once said “Those who try to hasten the end only delay it, and those who try to delay the end only hasten it”.

[@greedier-7661]

counter argument: hospitals exists.

[@999lazerman]

@@greedier-7661 I think the statement mainly applies to trying to alter the laws of nature

[@greedier-7661]

@@999lazerman .... and we are taking synthetic medicine, transplanting body parts, radiating ourselves etc. most things that are done in hospitals are not natural. ----------------------------- The problem in those cat civilization was not science or faith but them forgetting a balance. That is why so many current countries have problems, as most African Muslim countries die in faith wars. West countries self destroy themselves from corruption and lack of morals. etc. and her creating that zombie like virus... it is not fault of their civilization. and saying that fighting against nature is wrong is stupid when so many peoples now fight against global warming, which by your logic would be humanity/earth natural end....

[@flying-sheep]

@@999lazerman That’s impossible. Everything is nature. Physics, chemistry, biology do their thing. Living is interacting with the “laws of nature”, no matter if you live as a hermit digging up roots in a cave or if you splice genes. E.g. nothing you ate in your life is “natural” in the narrow sense: Livestock and crops have been bred for the last 10.000 years, you wouldn’t recognize anything our ancestors ate before that.

[@harryharper5358]

They who seek the blessing of Abundance for immortality, drown in delusions of evolutions only to become Mara-struck, only to become abominations with no sanity left and faded into obscurity, never to return.

[@aethous9163]

Every Sol in this game at some point has completly blinded themselves in their own ideas, and the most intresting to me is Jiequan He's family lives by phrase "Heroes are forged in agony", and so Jiequan is obsessed with idea of causing himself and others pain and suffering. What he doesn't realise, is the second part of this phrase "Heroes ARE forged in agony... but they do it to protect others from the same fate" Thanks to stories of Spider-Man or Batman we know about it, yet Jiequan completly twisted it's meaning into extremly crazy and wrong one. Same goes for many other Sols, Yi included

[@thegreatBarbossa]

Probably the wildest thing in the lore is that if you remove the tianhuo gene from solarians, while they are still in the womb, they just become normal cats.

[@AngryAlfonse]

I think this was a tongue-in-cheek way of implying that sentience/higher cognition is the disease.

[@ahoj4480]

@@AngryAlfonse They were actuall cats in pods in research labs

[@mugdays]

This explains the origins of domesticated cats on Earth.

[@diethylmalonate]

Some translation observations in no particular order: The "Fusang" is a mythological tree, but it's also the name of hibiscus. That's probably why the apemen wear large red flowers. Eigong is more accurately "Yi Gong". I guess they went with that translation so people didn't think her and Yi are related? Lear is the strangest change, his original name is Li Er, aka Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism. Tianhuo doesn't feel like what the gene will be initially named as, since it means "heavenly disaster". That name probably started with the disease. The outline of the plot is a reference to the myth of Hou Yi, who shot down 9 suns out of 10 from the sky Many other characters are based on Chinese myth, like Shen Nong (who tested herbs on himself), Chi You, Nu Wa, Fu Xi, etc

[@TheLorebrarians]

These are great insights and really add to the depth of the story, it's sometimes unfortunate what can be lost in translation so this is much appreciated!

[@t22222k]

Your understanding of the translation for Eigong is correct. The official explanation has confirmed this translation.

[@matthewor5793]

Also the sols came from a planet called PengLai, which is the heaven where all gods live in Chinese mythology

[@matthewor5793]

Xuan xuan's pen name Xuan Yuan is name of an ancient emperor from the mythological era of ancient China Yan Lao is actually reference to Yan Luo, which like the ruler of Hell in Chinese mythology Heng (Yi's sister) is the goddess of the moon which more commonly known as Chang E (嫦娥) (That e is pronouns in a weird way like a Uh sound)

[@MercaEmpolin]

FYI, King Lear often translated in mandarin as 李爾王 which 李爾 pronounced as Li Er. And 李耳 Li Er, 耳 Er means Ear. I think it is an intended word play made by the translator.

[@lonekirin905]

I fell in love with this game. With its story, with its style and mostly its gameplay.

[@Sometuy11A]

Finally my long awaited lorebrarians fix.

[@TheLorebrarians]

Hope you enjoyed this one! A more obscure game but definitely underrated both in terms of gameplay and story

[@Sometuy11A]

@@TheLorebrariansAnd now one I’m sold on thanks to you.

[@etano_luna]

IMO - Eigong lost her sanity, in endless tries to find out the ways to gain immortality and subsequently the cure, and I think in the first place she was not trying to find immortality for solarians out of her own ideal but rather because of pressure from then ones who financed her research institution (how in one of the memory recordings she is afraid that financing will be pulled out) Overall she represents the worst in the story, truly evil individual with too much power

[@dtheriault3]

She mentions in her logs that leaving the soulscape she was having headaches, bad ones. Suddenly she stops mentioning them and hyper fixates on transcending through mutation. I think she should have paid a bit more attention to the soulscape program then just brushing the problems under the rug.

[@НикитаТишкин-п1б]

Nah, mutate disease into something less dangerous is actually a clever idea. Some of the deadliest diseases on Earth solved themselves this way. She just became so obsessed with this idea that good thing become dangerous and harmful, just like all other sols.

[@X-SPONGED]

She just cannot accept she fucked up. The writing was literally on the wall and yet she doubled down instead of folding. Convinced that this must be intentional, the virus was a driving force to make Solarians evolve into their true form. Unable to comprehend the simplicity of "you pushed science too far, you brought the extinction of your species, there is no cure, you fucked up, accept it and move on."

[@yeedog6145]

This is definitely the best lore video on Nine Sols I've seen so far, and likely the best I will ever see. Excellent work!

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it, glad you enjoyed!

[@Slymind]

I feel Eigong was coping with her failure. She obviously wasn't getting anywhere with her attempts to cure Tianhuo, when the mutations plus the regenerative abilities started happening that became her only excuse to deal with the fact that all her work not only didn't bring any solution, but, doomed her entire race.

[@zabban]

for sure, the doomed them and then coped hard searching for "eternal life"

[@X-SPONGED]

Yep, she was huffing more herb than Yi ever did during the entire game. Instead of folding and accepting she fucked up royally, she went all in on the cure and refused to admit her wrongs. The true extreme of rationalism.

[@evanjones5609]

Eigong effectively created a prion disease. No wonder why she had so many issues finding a cure.

[@TimeTimes12]

What's a prion disease

[@IceGuy369]

@@TimeTimes12A type of disease where proteins fold abnormally and cause illness. Check out chronic wasting disease in deer.

[@m.t.v.n7207]

​@@TimeTimes12 Prions, also known as Kujaz's disease, are mutant proteins that cause the brain to produce lesion proteins and create cavities, which is a very scary disease.

[@losteyrie]

@@TimeTimes12a disease caused by misfolding proteins!

[@annalillian2386]

Diseases that affect the brain

[@JeffCJY]

It's strongly hinted that Lear had to kill his 3 friends because they ended up abusing their new found power and influence after the war and was most likely the reason he turned to Daolism.

[@FrankRiker]

He pretty much straight up tells you he did that, then asks you what you would have done in his shoes. #demondog

[@naej3721]

LOVE THIS! I haven't figure out the time line of their technology development back in Penglai. Also there are so many details in the background that I haven't noticed LOL Thank you for your explanation!

[@TheLorebrarians]

So glad you enjoyed! Yes, there's quite a depth to this game's setting and of course beautifully illustrated

[@playedit0ut290]

Finally a video explaining the story of this game.

[@TheLorebrarians]

Hope you enjoyed

[@markhenry2726]

What an absolutely beautiful game. It quickly became not only one my favorite metroidvanias but one of my favorite games period. As someone who has had a keen interest in Eastern philosophy for many years and a love for Taoism in particular, this game was particularly evocative and moving for me. Thank you for a brilliant retelling of the game's story, awesome video ♥️

[@corndealer3290]

Good timing, i just finished the true ending minutes ago and rush to youtube to find the story explain.

[@TheLorebrarians]

Hope you enjoyed!

[@littlemarimo2350]

Thank you for compiling this all in such a nice doku stile format! I adore the story of this game. Just finished it today for the first time (true ending Eigong kept me busy for almost a week) One of my favorite little side details that had me pause the game and just sit for a minute was when i realized that Ji was the Kunlun immortal from the painting you give Shuanshuan. As well as the hologram about Lear's decleration of inaction where Ji is always only visible for short moments, hidden behind the speech bubbles. There was a lot of show, don't tell in general with the backgrounds.

[@Eltron92]

By far the best story in a metroidvania of all time.

[@hiddenscorpiusXI]

11:12 Lear was not one of the 3 Great Sages; he had 3 close friends that founded the Fangshi Guild with him, not 2.

[@maercmaercecI]

This is such a complete and detailed overview of the lore, well done!

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it, glad you enjoyed

[@TheDiabeticGameMaster]

Yo, id never heard of this game before. Thanks for highlighting it!

[@TheLorebrarians]

Of course! It's a smaller studio that struggled with marketing, but it's a very engaging game with a great narrative

[@diplayer1-i1g]

Great video, but I think you got some stuff wrong on the timeline. I got the impression that Yiis miraculous resurrection was what inspired Engong to research the roots. So the virus outbreak happened later. Also, the reason Yii didn't come for Heng was because he was knocked out by Engong before new Kunluns lift of.

[@TheLorebrarians]

Eigong's logs have dates attached to them. I may have mixed up some of the entries, but I had the impression she had an interest in Fusang even before she observed Yi or Kanghui. As for Heng, you are absolutely right which makes Yi's character even more tragic.

[@michaelsokolich7696]

I went and double-checked, the virus outbreak predates Eigong meeting Yi by 5-10 years. The first logs referencing Tianhou are in Year 444 (when the original "breakthrough" happens) to 446 (first appearance of "Tianhuo Virus" in the logs by name); the logs of Eigong meeting Yi are in the year 452.

[@terrencemy1563]

basically Eigong f*cked up and causes TianHuo outbreak. She started to find a fix for this and after that she met Yi. Yi's ability of regeneration with FuSang interested her and she was thinking to get a clue from him.

[@hotdoghotdog3326]

been waiting for a lore explanation vid of this 😭😭 thank u for this!! 🙏🙏

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it, hope you enjoyed!

[@kaullyeijikimura7561]

Watching the true ending I ended thinking in a short comic. Be careful with spoilers Frame 1, 2 and 3 Someone is in the verge of death lying on a bed in his last moments, he is surronded by his family and friends and giving his last words he dies in peace. Them everything turns black(There is a cat in the background that looks like Yi ) Frame 3 and 4 Them he wakes up, the old man is walking with his walking cane on a path in a white flower field. Frame 5, 6 and 7 Slowly he continues to walk, and he remenbers wat was the last thing he writed in his diary, it was like a letter for someone from long ago. The old man start reading the letter that tells how was his life after landing in the pale blue planet and what he's been doing and how he helped the people arond him until his inevitable death of old age and his return to Tao. Frame 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 He starts talking about the time when he was a kid, and he tells how it was when Kuafu passed away because of the Tianhuo virus, then Shennong a couple of years later of old age, and he asks how is everyone doing while waiting him since he is the last person who is missing, the last person who originally came from space, at this moment the old man begins to get younger and younger. Frame 13 Then it's revealed that the old man is Shuanshuan and he is on his path to the afterlife, the wind blows and shakes his hair while he is looking for something far away while he continues with his letter telling that he lived a long life like he said when he was a kid. Frame 14 and 15 He is a little younger now and can walk without his walking cane. After realizing that he doen't need a walking cane anymore Shuanshuan starts running. Frame 16, 17 and 18 It's hard in the beginning but step by step it's getting easier, and he seens to be saying something, calling for someone while he reads the letter telling what he wants to do afther see everyone again afther so much time. Frame 19, 20 and 21 Someone who is holding a green pipe blowing green smoke can be seen by distance, he is talking with his sister and Shuanshuan parents alongside Kuafu, Shennong, Chiyou and abacus who are a little drunk. Frame 22, 23 and 24 From far away Yi can hear "YI!!" and "BIG BROTHER!!". Kuafu then calls Yi, he points to Shuanshuan announcing his arrival and comments about how old Shuanshuan is. (I dont know, let's put that he lived for almost 120 years) Frame 25 Shuanshuan can see that Yi is with his family and the friends he met during his journey and they all were waiting for Shuanshuan to start a banquet to welcome him (Chien and Shanhai 9000 are there too). Frame 26 and 27 Shuanshuan still running, and step by step until he turns into a child again, even exausted he wont stop running. Frame 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 They are happy to see each other again, Everyone is having fun. the camera gets more distant and they desapear as they are turning into smoke and returning to the nothingness. THE END Now I don't know what each one could do in the last painels, so lets leave this to your imagination I'm not a native english speaker, so if there is an error with my wrigting let me know I hope someone with artistc skills will see this comment What do you think of this concept idea? is it good?

[@hamsterking1224]

I love how there's always a quality lore video on anything you look up

[@vinvillian4621]

You’re a very good storyteller. I’m definitely subscribing to your channel.

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate the support!

[@Phatboy-rv2oz]

Loved the part where yi said “throughout the pale blue planet and penglai, i alone am the nine sols.”

[@scifriskyxy]

I've been waiting for a lore explained for this game for a while. Thank you ,keep up the good work

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it, glad you enjoyed

[@littlecherryartist]

I was waiting for something like this a month ago but couldn't find any videos with the lore explained. I've come back from a 2 week trip and suddenly I see this! I am super grateful!!

[@jonathanj.3695]

The story and lore of this game shows us the harsh reality of what happens when we try to go against our fundamental nature and when we no longer appreciate nor respect the lives that we were given.

[@kaical8273]

Well yeah maybe in that world but going against your fundamental nature isn't really a bad thing. That's how you grow as a person, for better or worse, I suppose.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

Is trying to make a Covid Vaccine us going against our nature and denying fate?

[@pacifist_yi]

⁠@@kaical8273But is that really going against your fundamental nature? Growing, after all, is synonymous with life itself; what happens to a seed once you put it in soil?

[@kaical8273]

@vassinarain Your behavior isn't really analogous with biological growth in this context, but still I see what you mean. I think alot of the time it is, for example, humans are inherently selfish and that isn't necessarily a bad thing because it's not wrong to put yourself first frankly speaking, but some overcome that intense sense of self servitude for the sake of others.

[@pacifist_yi]

@@kaical8273 Overcoming that sense is certainly a good thing. I just think our ability to do that is part of our fundamental nature. But I don’t agree that humans are inherently selfish, some are, some aren’t, but what we all share is free will, which is as much a part of nature as a cat being unable to resist lunging at a small moving object. Edit: accidentally pressed send before finishing.

[@dtheriault3]

Lear is great. He converted after witnessing the change happening within his three top followers the three sages. How they became engrossed with power and expansion being never satisfied and willing to do anything to reach satisfation. Lear kills them before they can go too far and converts to spirituality to promote individual improvement of the self. He doesnt ban science or any of the quality of life tech that had been created. He made it free for all. It was the people blindly following his footsteps that eschewed technology this caused dissatisfaction and strife as people were left without for no reason.

[@MusikBeat-jb6zn]

Yi as a sol held responsibility for the apemen harvest zone

[@aethous9163]

And i understood that only in the final credits, statue of every sol shown in there. And his statue doesn't look like Yi even slightest, but can be found in the same Apeman facility at the start (I mean, even Kuafu can be recognised, but not Yi)

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@aethous9163wait Yi’s Statue is in the Apeman Facility but looks nothing like him?

[@archdruidbookwalter951]

​@@aethous9163 I figured that the statue was just a random solarian, but looking at it again it does actually share Yi's sideburn-looking things. So maybe it is actually supposed to be a depiction of him, but he took even more artistic liberties than Kuafu to make himself look more intimidating.

[@MarcoNonMerrino]

Yi is responsable for everything basically, even for the soulscape: the idea was his aswell

[@BotFisherman]

​@@archdruidbookwalter951 I don't really blame him for that. He's had the same body since the accident when he was a child

[@markgoimon]

a great lore from a underrated channel and an underrated game BOTH clout wise

[@andresmarrero8666]

It isn't good enough to be technologically advanced. You need to also be spiritually advanced and emotionally mature. The Solarians kept prioritizing one over the other which lead them to be vulnerable to corruption and delusion.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

But wasn’t it Heng’s Spiritual beliefs that lead to her just accepting death, and Eigongs Spiritual Beliefs that lead to her basically worshipping the Plague?

[@BitrateBilly]

@@jakespacepiratee3740 it seems to be more so that she seemed to think that technology and spirit are one thing and that they can be used as a means to an end, notice how she specifically goes out of her way to deny her failures over and over instead of just accepting her knowledge isn't good enough to stop the chaos she started and is willing to even kill her own student to avoid punishment, shes become obsessed with scoring immortality to the point where she compromised the primordial roots itself by merging with it.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@BitrateBilly isn’t that a sort of transcendence?

[@X-SPONGED]

​@@jakespacepiratee3740in the same way the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion is transcendence

[@leithaziz2716]

Following in the adherence of logic can only go so far, since it's only an observation and doesn't tell a person what they should live for. It is a choice that must be made for oneself, in the words of Chiyou. Knowledge and wisdom are not the same, and the latter is infinitely more valuable. That's the message I got from the game among other things.

[@shiko-hirosuki]

Just finished the game and omg. The lore was a lot more complex than I thought

[@illyria000]

Been waiting weeks for a detailed nine sols lore video. Thanks

[@winterlord9942]

Glad to see your channel growing, very cozy videos.

[@harryharper5358]

"She feels sad For eternal life did not let her accumulate infinite wisdom. Instead, those she had once cherished Faded into obscurity over time, never to return."

[@leithaziz2716]

Pretty much Ji's outlook on his immortality.

[@vorchitect]

just finished this game, and im glad this video exists to put together all the lore i read into something more easily understandable! tysm!

[@philipp_mn]

Its important to note the reason they extinct, was purely there own fault. I have a feeling there is a deep message considering parallels to our reality. which is. the biggest threat to humanity is humantiy itself.

[@ohmamarocks]

My understanding is that Yi didn't come back to see his sister before New Kunlun left Penglai specifically because he got wrecked by Eigong and thus was going full Sleeping Beauty while Heng was waiting. Can you confirm / infirm if that's the real reason? I think it would demean his character if it wasn't... Thanks a whole bunch for the video, it's fantastic work and your voice and delivery make it very pleasant to watch!

[@abenxu8731]

Im pretty sure that Yi says he didn't know he would wake up 500 years later when he gets Hengs message after the apemen leave new kunlun

[@gtx1650max-q]

​@@abenxu8731although he said that but didn't they say in one of the final logs that the ship couldn't go back for 500 years to pengal after reaching to earth ? That bit was confusing

[@abenxu8731]

@@gtx1650max-q I think him saying what he said was more so in relation to not responding to Hengs messages, ill need to rewatch it tho

[@analuisagonzalez1143]

I'm also wondering about the timeline of these events because HOW would Yi end up wrecked in New Kunlun and subsequently in Peach Blossom Village, if it hadn't taken off (I mean, if he was supposed to visit his sister before takeoff). I find it odd Eigong would have left him there in the first place idk

[@WolfyRagnarok]

​@@analuisagonzalez1143I believe it went like this: Kunlun was already their home. They turned it into a ship. Before takeoff, Yi discovered what Eigong had done. They fought, and Yi lost. The Fusang Roots took in Yi. New Kunlun took off and warped to the Pale Blue Planet. Over 500 years passed, and in that time the Apemen were brought aboard and harvested until one day Shaunshaun woke up Yi. The village basically sprung up around him while he recovered. As for Eigong leaving him there, like many villains she stupidly just assumed the protagonist was dead. Which is almost worse in this case because she already knew he had survived death before.

[@556deltawolf]

They should make a sequel to this game which takes place in the future where humans on Earth have developed space travel and travel to Penglai.

[@Prominent96]

YESSS I WAS WAITING FOR ONE OF THESEE

[@titanuranus8963]

Played through the game twice. Saw both endings. Read every word of dialog and item description. Still found this video interesting. Good job. It would great to see a Lorbrarians video on Laika: Aged Through Blood. A good game with an amazing story. Deserves more attention, similar to Nine Sols or Bo, in terms of how well it's known (not gameplay).

[@thegongoolzler2677]

Just finished the game, I was a bit confused with what happened in Yi’s 500 years slumber, now everything makes total sense and I’m sad, beautiful game.

[@EvaNorthrup]

I love your profile pic lol

[@TheWisme]

How the heck did I mispronounce Penglai as Pengali the entire time I played 😭

[@naej3721]

sounds cute tho lol

[@anorocamilac]

I did the same😂

[@2cloudto2o36]

actually this vid pronounces Penglai wrong, too. the g in Penglai should be silent

[@axearmor214]

Can't wait for November 26th! PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox

[@themonadoman116]

thank you for highlighting this game!

[@rwoodw]

I saved this to my watch later for after I finished both endings, and it was great! Thanks for the lore breakdown cause I was still a little confused about the standard ending.

[@Dionysor]

Thanks for the upload! So Mr. Kat is a Solarian all along

[@luckymankwok]

This game is so underrrated!! The story, gameplay, and world building are top tier and pathed the way for more Taopunk games and chinese mythology (alongside with Wukong)

[@dualmo7185]

Great video! I didn't understand everything initially but watching this really helped

[@likeablekiwi6265]

My favorite part of this video is the one with Yi's insides exposed, I just have a fascination for the near death.

[@aethous9163]

It's a great video that helps summarise every piece of lore into whole picture, but i still have a question... 11:05 I don't get why Legend of 3 Sages is telling about Lear and his TWO co-founders, when we clearly can see all three of them being dead lying along Lear's "grave" (a.k.a place where he fused with the Roots) Even Lear himself tells his story where there was 4 of them, Snake being Scientist, Dog being Strategist, Fox being Diplomat, and Dog being Lear.

[@smokeback]

amazing channel found it today and just subbed

[@ciarrawansley8511]

Thank you! this very good video! Haven't play the game yet but, the lore is very cool!

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it, definitely worth checking out if you are able! The gameplay was a blast

[@Koijn2K]

duuuude, did you play it yet?

[@ciarrawansley8511]

@@Koijn2K I’m almost done the game I’m trying gathering all the secrets and item.

[@Koijn2K]

@@ciarrawansley8511 nice man, im at the same point. Good to hear you got to play this awesome game :D

[@andta7889]

I liked the ending where the solarians lives on in the dream scape and yi goes back to his home planet…

[@manae2474]

I am absolute enamored with the deeper lore of this game, and this video did an admirable job of putting it down on an understandable timeline. However, certain parts of the story stuck out to me strangely. For one, in the true ending, I find it weird (and funny) that no one addressed how Kuafu is still alive, the last Solarian, and he's still infected. How long did he have left on the Pale Blue Planet, without the Solarian tech to sustain him? Could the new environment miraculously cure him? Ji's philosophy was weird to me. I get being weary of an eternal life and wanting to go off with a bang, but he undeniably contributed to making things worse. Wish he instead decided to fight the flow of fate and try to assist Yi in finding a cure, or at least preserve the memory of millenia he'd seen. The game really paints the Taoist Heng's ideology as the correct one, and what brings peace of mind by accepting the natural order. Except... explicitly, Tianhuo is not natural. It was manmade, by Eigong's hands. Even if it was a naturally occurring illness, that's like saying "covid is just a natural and inevitable thing, so don't fight it. Give up on the cure, just accept you'll be infected and will die." I'd like to give the writers credit if this is also meant to be another example of no ideology being universally true, that even the Taoist conclusion was made in ignorance (of Tianhuo's origins), therefore the cycle of science versus spirituality continues. But I don't know if it's just me. Lastly, the dialogue referencing the confrontation between Yi and Eigong leading up to the start of the game is confusing to me. The way Yi said Eigong wronged his family personally felt... off. As well as what Eigong meant when she said all the other Sols agreed with her. If it was the revelation that she created Tianhuo, what did the Sols agree to? How did they all betray him or why did they keep him in the dark, as another line revealed? There's some discussion regarding this important plot moment and it's strange how it wasn't made more explicit. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Amazing game, I expected no less from Red Candle and was still surprised they delivered on their first action game.

[@alexandraaveryanova8325]

It seemed so weird to me that the main reason behind the confrontation between Yi and Eigong turned out to be her being the one who created the virus. Of course Yi would hate her for this but as a man of reason he must've understand that Eigong's participance is essential for the whole project. She is your most brilliant scientist, who else has the best chance to find the cure if not her? It just seems strange to me that Yi would doom all solarians just to take revenge, especially when his whole modus operandi is "put logic above emotions". I always thought that the reason behind the conflict was Eigong coming up with some plan or decision that Yi strictly dissaproved, but it seems that he was unaware of her turning dusk guardians into lab rats or experimenting with Ji's genes. I don't know, maybe I've missed something, but the ultimate explanation of the game's main conflict kind of confused me. I also agree that the main message of accepting mortality crosses the line sometimes. Like yes, death is inevitable and we all have to come to terms with it, but that scene with Heng standing amongst piles of corpses saying that it looks beautiful and they should all accept the end like this is a bit too much in my opinion. It comes to the point when Heng stops being that eccentric wise girl and starts to look like an insane and dangerous fanatic who you're still supposed to view as the only sane person for some reason. It also doesn't help that tianhuo virus turned out to be a result of scientific _mistake_ and not the natural outcome of searching for immortality. Again, maybe the problem is in me, but because of the that the main message started to look a bit forced and unconvincing towards the end of the game.

[@XNinja2005]

imo it doesnt matter what the origin of the virus is once it was created and turned into a worldwide pandemic, a person really has only two options on how to deal with it, accept it or try to fight it also the comparison with covid doesnt apply here since covid was very curable and just needed some caution to overcome while the tianhuo virus is literally inevitable for each and every solarion since they all carry the tianhou gene. The tianhou virus is just too powerful to overcome and trying to overcome is what drives you to madness like what happened to eigong hence why accepting it is simply the more peaceful option

[@pacifist_yi]

I don’t think the other Sols knew. I think the fact Yi found out was the actual reason he had to be killed. Eigong just needed to use her trust/influence to convince the others that Yi wanted to stop their plan and had turned violent, without revealing to them the reason for Yi’s change of heart. Hero getting framed as a traitor by the villain is a pretty common trope, which is why I’m thinking this is what happened. Keep in mind Eigong never actually says the others knew, she says the others agreed, and there is little reason to trust what she says in the first place. It was Yi who said the others knew, but he had no way of knowing if this was actually the case.

[@SSmitar]

​@@alexandraaveryanova8325 The main reason for confrontation is the entire effort & premise of the New Kunlun & Eternal Cauldron project based on a lie. A lie that Eigong didn't know about the origin of the virus thus wanting to find a cure. She not only killed the entire civilization but used the fear of the virus, the virus she created, to further expand her own agenda. So, for Yi, she didn't only kill his family & his beloved sister, Eigong betrayed his trust & her motives are unclear if she actually wants to find the cure. Finding the cure was the reason Yi's "Eternal Cauldron" project was all about. Not only he left his family thinking that he was doing something for a higher cause but couldn't see his beloved sister for one last time before he left her to a certain death. His sacrifices amounted to nothing as his mentor is a self-serving prick who used him as a tool. That is a betrayal of the highest order. It also shakes his unwavering faith in science to be only beneficial. Yi's anger is justified.

[@X-SPONGED]

Ji never tried to fight the flow of fate, he explicitly lied to make sure the vision he'd seen came to be. Himself dying in Yi's hands, he's tired of being immortal, tired of witnessing mistakes being made over and over and over again. I would too tbh. In the grotto, he was already obsessing over "endings" and how every story needs one. He WANTS an ending, and in his visions he saw one, so he took it. I agree though that the game explicitly promotes the Taoist belief. I still however extrapolate the meaning to be, spirituality and knowledge cannot be prioritized over the other. That was the mistake the Solarians made countless times. Taking up one and holding it above all else whilst abandoning the other and treating it like taboo. Obsession with technology led to full blown war and reliance, obsession with spirituality led to ignorance and complacency, then they decided to fixate on science once more before accidentally dooming the entire species. Three strikes and they're out. Faith to maintain yourself. Science to maintain society. Temperance and peace granted by devotion. Wisdom and knowledge granted by research. Yin and Yang, balance. That's the key. Always has been.

[@0Fate8Bound0]

Your channel covers all of the lore I love! Keep slapping

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it!

[@cringecatmasteredits]

You said Yi ended his species, but what about Kuafu? we still see him in the post credit scene

[@lucasmurakami216]

He won't be able to reproduce alone in earth and probably will still die of old age or the virus. My headcannon is that he uses his remaining years to help the new human colonies and becomes remembered, together with Yi, in a human pantheon of myths and legends. Also, it seems Yi is based on a mythology character "Huo Yi". He was a magical archer who shot down 9 out of the 10 original suns in our sky, because they were scorching the planet. So maybe we got to play the origin of this story? :)

[@cringecatmasteredits]

@@lucasmurakami216 nice

[@X-SPONGED]

​@@lucasmurakami216funny, since the planet was FROZEN before Yi decided to slay 9 of the 10 Sols. Apemen do tend to get details wrong in retellings and myths I guess😅

[@arglebargle42]

Ok this was a ton deeper than I was expecting from a side scroller about cat people. Going back for a re-listen.

[@OG_McLovin]

Very good storytelling, good video. I kinda love/hate this game right now, but I can't stop playing it. Eigong was horrendous, I do not look forward to meeting her third phase, but I want to see that ending for myself. Yi is a really good character, there's a lot of dialog in this game but it's decent writing.

[@Grimzilla32]

To me, its once again the age old warning that scientists are taking things too far. Not every question needs to be answered

[@CarlosDiaz-fs6cv]

I can agrreeeee3é

[@cometcartoons8528]

For some reason, this artstyle reminds me of cult of the lamb.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

“The Lone, and Level sands, stretched far away.”

[@Finding_Arcadia]

Its a little outdated now, but i think you should check out the game Ashen, its a low poly souls like that came out like 5 years ago to mixed success, so can't expect to see a lore video about it but you might personally enjoy it idk

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate the suggestion, it's not a game I'm familiar with but might have to check it out!

[@ShoppingCartReturner]

38:31 How did you get 6 Qi charges? I'm pretty sure 5 is the max.

[@focer9761]

There's a jade that gives you one more

[@didiok7]

Greate video!!!

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate it!

[@pearyn]

Peak game peak lore thats all there is to say

[@jewalky]

Where is the scene at 21:49 from? Pretty sure I have not seen that ingame.

[@all-aroundhelper]

Ah so I see this is a alternative universe where Godcat did not take away his creations limbs. (Don't mind the Epic Battle Fantasy joke)

[@az8557]

Amazing game, top 5 metroidvanias

[@Pato-w9y]

the lore of the game was marvelous

[@EvaNorthrup]

So Lady Ethereal basically accidentally pulled an "inception" on her test subjects. They didn't want to wake from their dreams.

[@MovenClips]

I love this game.

[@The9thMonth]

The main flaw of the Soulscape is not connecting people with each other and creating a mutual, balanced dream. Kind of like an MMO except no one will know they are in the Soulscape, sleeping for 500 years or something. Instead of giving people "god mode" and letting them lose their minds by letting them live quite literally anything they want, they should have constructed a more realistic and grounded simulation to preserve their minds.

[@HellishSpoon]

I don't really buy into the true ending as good ending, with regular ending atleast there is hope for the future for the penglai people, there are options, some more ethical way to save these people without compromising the lives of ape men "I'll accept death once im dead."

[@neutronshiva2498]

You can write a fanfic about how there is some third way, but the game choose to showcase just two ways. That's it.

[@neutronshiva2498]

I havent beaten the game yet, but from what you say it looks more like their extinction was self-inflicted rather some great cosmic balance being at play. Their species could keep on living on their nice planet, but in their stupidity and greed they chose to reach for the "forbidden fruit".

[@BitrateBilly]

I think its moreso that they fucked with the primordial roots too much and never owned up to the mistakes, notice how in Yi's failed mystic nymph attempt he instantly rectifies his screw up by protecting his sister from the blast, the roots instantly respond by reviving him, Eigong meanwhile tried to make immortality and caused the virus to occur, but instead of owning up to it and asking for help from all parties, she hid her error and just tried brute forcing by using Ji's immortality, its likely that had she owned up to her faults and apologized, the roots would've helped fix the mistake.

[@Eltron92]

What was Yi's zone he was in charge of?

[@gabrielvicente9245]

Cool vídeo

[@greekman5]

1:18 IS THAT THE FUCKING DEATH STAR?

[@XDrotkon]

Yep

[@greekman5]

@@XDrotkon Damn...

[@nexoflame6906]

@sacredalmighty here that lore video you wanted

[@darkblu117zcrookedneck8]

Can you do story of Voidwrought?

[@magnusm4]

Finally this game came out. It always felt like every new awesome game was just demos but nothing ever released. Though the ending and message is a little pretentious. Assuming they're "supposed" to just die. When it was basically just her dumb hubris and delusion of immortality that doomed them. Just don't do stupid stuff and none of this would've happened.

[@renatoafonsomaiacarneiro950]

Soooo, they started as humans, had his ww2, raised to the Age of Technology, became the same as the Ealdar, downgraded back to superstitious humans and became the Nechrons...cool, cool cool cool cool...

[@darksign1745]

The thing that's crazy to me that we don't get answers for, as far as I can tell, is that Eigong seems like she's actually reached some sort of evolution that didn't result in turning into a brainless mutant. (Spoilers ahead) When your reach her boss fight, in her third phase, the mutation emerges in her and it looks like she's going to start to transform, but either through sheer force of will or maybe something else, she suppresses it and enters her strongest form. It honestly looks like she might have been making progress and if given enough time she could have cured and evolved the Solarians.

[@BitrateBilly]

it wouldnt have mattered anyways, a gigantic majority of their population would've been batshit insane due to the soulscape not working correctly and just killed each other in the chaos

[@MarcoNonMerrino]

By the records in the facility before the last Battle, you could assume that the only Solarians left are the one on the Island, and all the others perished to the Tianhou. So Eigong finally improving her research doesn't change nothing, is still too late

[@KrunchWorld]

I just discovered your channel and this is great! Have you ever considered doing videos on Hollow Knight? The lore for that game is amazing and is truly endless.

[@TheLorebrarians]

I appreciate it, and the suggestion! Hollow knight has been one of my favorite games since its release and I love its atmosphere. Definitely worth looking into

[@RileyMolendyk]

The amount of L O R E is baffling

[@Jellyfishlady]

wait. is penglai a whole planet/spaceship like new kunlun or is it a continent because there are different regions and kingdom? ex: xia, jie, ying

[@afly9035]

IMHO, Penglai is a planet. Xia, Jie, Ying are different regions/kingdoms on Penglai. Kunlun was an island on Penglai. Then they built a spaceship that lift the entire Kunlun island up to the space. they call it the New-Kunlun.

[@Jellyfishlady]

@@afly9035 yeah that does make much more sense.

[@simisoner]

In the game, Yi says Penglai is his home world, meaning planet. He is from Xia on Penglai.

[@goombaluigi8681]

As far as I can tell from what I've heard the true ending is somewhere between the two extremes

[@naej3721]

I saw the manga after finishing the game😢a bit spoiler below

[@naej3721]

since i don't know who Chien is, in the game when I found her and Shanhai it really wasn't that sad. Then in the first two page of the manga, seeing their relationship I immediately teared up😥

[@TheLorebrarians]

Yes, it's quite tragic and a story I wish got more attention in the game. It was easy to miss

[@orkface234]

I do wish a way for Yi's species and culture to continue and coexist with humanity was a thing. It seems horrible that their fate is to go extinct and have no good way to survive.

[@Flooffy_number1]

I would like to mention, Rain World kinda has the ideas of some religion (I think it’s Buddhism, but i can’t remember if it’s true.). The idea of escape from a cycle of life and death sounds very much like one of those eastern religions. Also yes, this is kinda me suggesting rain world, BUT I CAN’T HELP IT, OK? Hyperfixations go brr. Edit: why are games with eastern religion esc themes so INTERESTING

[@qveezy3136]

Wish they had this on PlayStation

[@etano_luna]

I was very hurt by the true ending and specially how both side stories of Shanghai 9000 and Chiyo ended, it completely ruined the game for me :(

[@lucaboo8]

i went back and fought Eigongs third phase js so i could watch the rest of this video spoiler free

[@andta7889]

So dark But art so good

[@xcvdffdf]

i wonder when humanity finally achieve spaceflight they are gonna discover there cats are actually aliens

[@JustinRuta]

Noice!