9 Years of Shadows

Lore & Background

9 Years of Shadows was developed by the Mexico-based independent team Halberd Studios. The game was announced at PAX Online in July 2021 and at the Gamescom Future Games Show on 26 August of the same year. A game demo was showcased at the Steam Next Fest in October 2022. The game features music from composers Michiru Yamane, Manami Matsumae, and Norihiko Hibino, who developed soundtracks for the Castlevania, Mega Man, and Metal Gear Solid series respectively.

Reader's Guide

The game's significance lies in its polished execution of core metroidvania mechanics, as noted by NPR, which stated the game 'shines in all the core gameplay mechanics that matter: from its character progression, to its tight controls, creative enemy design, platforming and puzzles.' However, the same review noted 'drawbacks common to the metroidvania genre.' The game received 'mixed or average' reviews on Metacritic and fair approval on OpenCritic, with 64% of critics recommending it. Its legacy is as a modestly received entry in the genre, notable for its armor-based progression system and the inclusion of renowned composers from classic game series.

Did You Know?

• The game's music was composed by Michiru Yamane, Manami Matsumae, and Norihiko Hibino, known for Castlevania, Mega Man, and Metal Gear Solid soundtracks.
• Players can replenish health by hugging the teddy bear Apino after a successful quick time event.
• The mermaid armor form allows Europa to swim to new areas.

Gameplay & Core Mechanics

In 9 Years of Shadows, players take on the role of Europa, a halberd-wielding hero accompanied by a teddy bear named Apino, as they traverse the interconnected halls of Talos Castle. The game follows the metroidvania formula: defeating enemies and bosses yields new armor pieces and relics that grant additional abilities, which in turn unlock shortcuts and previously inaccessible regions. Combat centers on Europa's basic halberd strike and a backslide maneuver for dodging enemy counterattacks, while Apino can be commanded to fire magical projectiles at foes. Health recovery is tied directly to dealing damage, creating a risk-reward loop. When health drops dangerously low, players can retreat and restore it by completing a quick-time-event button sequence to hug Apino. As Europa collects further armor, button combinations unlock increasingly sophisticated weapon attacks, and certain pieces grant entirely new forms—such as a mermaid transformation that lets the player swim into underwater areas.

Development & Production

9 Years of Shadows was crafted by Halberd Studios, an independent development team based in Mexico, and published by Freedom Games. The project first surfaced publicly at PAX Online in July 2021, followed by a showcase at the Gamescom Future Games Show on 26 August of that year. A notable aspect of the game's production is its soundtrack, composed by three veteran Japanese video game musicians: Michiru Yamane, known for her work on the Castlevania series; Manami Matsumae, associated with Mega Man; and Norihiko Hibino, who contributed to Metal Gear Solid. A playable demo was made available during the Steam Next Fest event in October 2022, giving players a taste of the full experience ahead of launch. The game's release was staggered across platforms: it debuted on Nintendo Switch on 9 November 2023, with a later arrival on Xbox One, Xbox Series consoles, and PlayStation 4 on 31 July 2025.

Critical Reception

Upon its release, 9 Years of Shadows earned what Metacritic classified as 'mixed or average' critical scores. The review aggregator OpenCritic painted a slightly more favorable picture, noting that 64 percent of critics recommended the title, which it characterized as receiving 'fair approval.' NPR offered a particularly detailed assessment, describing the game as 'polished' and highlighting that it 'shines in all the core gameplay mechanics that matter.' The outlet specifically praised the character progression system, the tightness of the controls, the creativity of enemy design, and the quality of both platforming and puzzle elements. However, NPR also acknowledged that the game suffers from 'drawbacks common to the metroidvania genre,' suggesting that while the execution of individual systems was strong, the overall structure carried familiar limitations that players of the genre would recognize. The consensus, then, was one of a competently crafted title whose strengths were offset by genre-typical shortcomings.

Design Philosophy & Castle Structure

The structural heart of 9 Years of Shadows lies in how Talos Castle functions as a single, evolving space. Rather than a linear corridor of levels, the castle's rooms open and close in response to what Europa collects. Armor pieces serve a dual purpose: they expand the combat toolkit through new button-combination attacks and, in some cases, grant entirely new physical forms. The mermaid form, for instance, transforms the player's movement and grants access to submerged chambers that were previously unreachable. Relics similarly gate progression by introducing abilities that create shortcuts, collapsing the map's geometry as the player advances. The companion Apino is woven into this design loop as well—beyond casting projectiles, the teddy bear is the anchor for the game's retreat-and-recover mechanic, turning a moment of vulnerability into a tactile, button-mashing interaction. Together, these systems create a feedback cycle where every defeated boss and every collected fragment reshapes both the combat vocabulary and the physical boundaries of the castle.

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