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9 Years of Shadows

4.5 out of 5
28 User Ratings
5 Stars
57%
5 Stars
57%
4 Stars
39%
4 Stars
39%
3 Stars
4%
3 Stars
4%
2 Stars
0%
2 Stars
0%
1 Stars
0%
1 Stars
0%
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In 9 Years of Shadows fight to bring beautiful colors back to a hand-crafted world of darkness and discover the story of Europa, a young warrior, and her ghostly childhood companion, Apino.
£6.70
£16.75
-60%
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About 9 Years of Shadows

About this game

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 source of darkness, and return color to the lands before it is too late.

However, this adventure is not for Europa to face alone. In her most desperate hour, Europa encounters Apino, a cute magical bear with the ability to heal, cleanse the corruption and protect his allies.

While exploring the castle, Apino can shoot powerful projectiles at enemies, open locked doors and shield Europa from ranged attacks.

Enhance your battle prowess by acquiring elemental armors. Master the might of lightning, water, earth and fire to defeat a vast assortment of enemies.

Use the elements to your advantage to travel the map dynamically, surprise bosses while you change armors on the fly and perform strong combos. Obtain special abilities to swim against waterfalls, travel underground tunnels or glide through warm air currents to access hidden locations and uncover their secrets.

Meet enigmatic composers that will aid you in your mission. With the special appearance of Michiru Yamane and Norihiko Hibino, both as NPCs and composers of several tracks tuned to 432hz, a soothing frequency used in what’s known as healing music. And there is more to music than meets the eye. Hidden bosses with musical attack patterns lurk in the shadows ready to strike. In fact, music is the binding thread that brings gameplay and storytelling together; from collecting musical notes, to performing a healing lullaby to restore your health, music is all but the soul of the game.

Game Details

Platform:
steam
Release Date:
March 27, 2023
Developer:
Halberd Studios
Publisher:
indie.io
Supported Languages:
English
Link:

Product Requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-9100F
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GT 730

Recommended:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-9100F
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GT 730

9 Years of Shadows Statistics

Statistics Powered By

Play Time Statistics

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60%
70%

Time Played

< 1 Hour
0%
~1 Hour
0%
~2 Hours
0%
~4 Hours
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~8 Hours
62.5%
~12 Hours
25%
~20 Hours
12.5%
~40 Hours
0%
~60 Hours
0%
>= 80 Hours
0%
Achievement Hunter?
0% of players played this game for >= 80 Hours!

Difficulty Statistics

Difficulty Rating

Simple
0%
Easy
0%
Just Right
18.18%
Tough
81.82%
Unforgiving
0%
Don't Ragequit! 81.82%  of players consider this game to be Tough

Completion Statistics

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Play Behaviour

Tried It
15.38%
Played It
38.46%
Halfway
7.69%
Beat It
7.69%
Conquered It
30.77%
Completionist! 30.77%  of players have Conquered It

9 Years of Shadows User Reviews

All our customer reviews are open and honest. We publish all reviews that are relevant and follow our guidelines.

User Rating

Average score from 28 ratings
83% of users would recommend this.
4.5

User Ratings Breakdown

5 Stars
57%
5 Stars
57%
4 Stars
39%
4 Stars
39%
3 Stars
4%
3 Stars
4%
2 Stars
0%
2 Stars
0%
1 Stars
0%
1 Stars
0%

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers.

Recommended

Chris
Verified purchase
It was really fun and very artistic and I was enjoying myself until I got stuck... After a couple of bosses and a few areas discovered, I literally tried going everywhere I could on the map, but there is no clear indication or hint over where I should go next, so I literally cannot proceed in the game, and after beating so many Metroidvanias for my whole life, the most recent being Dread and Afterimage, I am pretty familiar with how you should play these types of games, so for me getting stuck and being unable to proceed is unacceptable, I will have to use a guide or something which is a thing I never do for these games, if I want to complete 9 years of Shadows and that to me is a real bummer.
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Simply Amazing!

Olajuwon_JS
Verified purchase
Amazing game. Well done from the battle system to the soundtrack.
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Recommended

Poseidon51
Verified purchase
This game is gorgeous. Starts off black and white with splashes of color, but quickly gives you a feast for the eyes. The gameplay is simple yet addicting. If i didnt work a full time job and have a ton of houswork to do, i would not be able to set this down.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Are you ready for a challenge? 18% of GameFAQs users said the difficulty is Just Right. 82% of GameFAQs users said 9 Years of Shadows is Tough or Unforgiving.
Yes, 9 Years of Shadows is not fully Steam Deck Verified but the publisher says it is "Playable" on Steam Deck. Valve’s testing indicates that 9 Years of Shadows is Playable on Steam Deck. This game is functional on Steam Deck, but might require extra effort to interact with or configure.
  • All functionality is accessible when using the default controller configuration
  • This game shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • This game's default graphics configuration performs well on Steam Deck
  • Some in-game text is small and may be difficult to read
Minimum:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-9100F
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GT 730
Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3-9100F
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GT 730
53% of critics on Metacritic recommend 9 Years of Shadows. The Metascore is 74 out of 100.
83% of Fanatical users recommend 9 Years of Shadows. The average review score is 4.5/5
9 Years of Shadows was released on March 27, 2023
9 Years of Shadows is published by indie.io
9 Years of Shadows was developed by Halberd Studios
Fanatical users tagged 9 Years of Shadows as Metroidvania, Platformer, Exploration, and Story Rich
Fanatical users tagged 9 Years of Shadows as Pixel Graphics, Side Scroller, Female Protagonist, and Magic
Yes, Fanatical users tagged 9 Years of Shadows as Metroidvania
Yes, Fanatical users tagged 9 Years of Shadows as Platformer
Yes, Fanatical users tagged 9 Years of Shadows as Exploration

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