Choose Hollow Knight
Choose Hollow Knight if it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 176,306 Steam reviews back the pick.
Hollow Knight vs Nine Sols
Hollow Knight and Nine Sols both land in Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Hollow Knight (2017) is 7 years older than Nine Sols (2024). Hollow Knight scores higher on Steam reviews (97.1% positive) than Nine Sols (95.6% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Nine Sols
Choose Nine Sols if you want the Steam Leaderboards, Color Alternatives, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 17,810 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Hollow Knight and Nine Sols sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (97.1% vs 95.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Hollow Knight |  Nine Sols | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.1% positive (176,306 reviews) | 95.6% positive (17,810 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Team Cherry | RedCandleGames |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Hollow Knight (2017) is 7 years older than Nine Sols (2024).
- Hollow Knight scores higher on Steam reviews (97.1% positive) than Nine Sols (95.6% positive).
- Hollow Knight is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Nine Sols (14.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Hollow Knight vs Nine Sols — FAQ
- Which is better, Hollow Knight or Nine Sols?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Hollow Knight sits at 97.1% positive (176,306 reviews), Nine Sols at 95.6% (17,810). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Hollow Knight or Nine Sols first?
- If you want chronology, Hollow Knight (2017) came out before Nine Sols (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Hollow Knight and Nine Sols similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do Hollow Knight and Nine Sols both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.