Game · Released

9 Years of Shadows

A fateful night of sorrow and ancient magic changed the life of a young child forever, and with it, everything else as mankind knew it. For 9 long years, the world has been submerged in the deepest of shadows, robbing every object and living creature of their color, their joy, and most importantly, hope. Many brave souls have tried to venture inside the corrupting depths of Talos Castle, a long-abandoned orphanage from which the curse stemmed. All have failed, except for one. Armed with little other than her halberd and sheer nerve, Europa’s daunting quest is clear: enter the castle, find the

Release date
March 27, 2023
Platforms
Windows
Developer
Halberd Studios
Publisher
indie.io
9 Years of Shadows artwork
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9 Years of ShadowsGOG · Game · Available
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9 Years of Shadows reviews & player comments

Store ratings and available player reviews. Review snapshots show their last refresh date.

★ 8.4/10GOG · 585 ratings
GOGLast checked October 31, 2026

Most helpful8

★ 5 / 5
This is a great game. It's a shorter (about 6 hours "save game" play time to do a full clear; but much longer if you…
★ 1 / 5
I like the plot setup and general art direction. The music is quite good, if repetitive. The gameplay is where the whole package falls apart,…
★ 3 / 5
A very pretty but otherwise "just okay" Metroidvania. Movement and overall control generally feel fine but the enemy AI is quite simplistic and combat scarcely…
★ 3 / 5
The game is pretty, good flow and the mechanics are interesting. But I have very little tolerance for crashes - particularly as this game uses…
★ 5 / 5
Obviously I can't speak for anyone else but I haven't encountered any crashes, and performance has been absolutely flawless for me. The graphics are absolutely…
★ 5 / 5
Important things first: The Crashes and Stutter that people experience are an unintended minimum requirements check. If you do not meet the minimum requirements, oddly…
★ 5 / 5
I really enjoyed this Platventure; right out the gate, you can swing upwards and move while attacking, and movement is very fluid. The backdash is…
★ 3 / 5
This is a nice metroidvania game reminiscent of older titles in the genre. There are some nice features that add challenge, like swapping suits that…

Most recent8

★ 2 / 5
It is colorful. Some of the backgrounds looks nice. And that's it... The game does the bare minimum which is a shame. The core gameplay…
★ 5 / 5
Great artstyle, great music. Good basic metroidvania mechanics. Cool clothes.
★ 5 / 5
It's a very well executed, complex platformer with melancholic history and emotional main heroine. Pleasure to play. It's a game of medium difficulty, challenging for…
★ 5 / 5
I started playing and played all the way to the end. Addictive.
★ 5 / 5
Finally decided to start playing it and the art, the backgrounds, enemies and most importantly the music, everything its amazing but the music is catchy…
★ 4 / 5
9 Years of Shadows offers a solid Metroidvania experience with a story that swings from potential to forgetable. Where that is admittedly more than most…
★ 5 / 5
This is one of the best recent Metroidvanias. Period. The world, music and gameplay are all amazing.

Short excerpts linked to their source. The score above uses aggregate storefront ratings—not these few comments.