Review: 9 YEARS OF SHADOWS is a phenomenal Metroidvania indie with an incredible rating

When I first heard of the indie video game 9 years of shadows, I was intrigued. It’s a Metroidvania from Halberd Studios and Freedom Games that focuses a bit on music. The game recently launched on PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam with a planned launch on Nintendo Switch in Q3 2023. The team behind 9 years of shadows was kind enough to send me a copy to review via Steam, but the thoughts below are my own.

Darkness and despair cover the whole world, depriving all living creatures of hope. Europa, a young warrior clad in elemental armor, joins forces with a ghostly teddy bear named Apino to banish this cursed black-and-white cloud that hangs over the kingdom. Only together can they locate the source of the scourge within Castle Talos and usher in the return of the brilliant colours.

I really enjoyed playing 9 years of shadows. The game looks like a high end SNES title, has great music by composers Michiru Yamane (Castlevania: Symphony of the night) AND Norihiko Hibino (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty), the controls are great, and the story was fun. If you only want to read this far, just know that I think this game is great, so grab your controller of choice and enjoy the game.

Let’s start by talking about the music. Yamane and Hibino composed the music for 9 years of shadow, and they’ve tuned everything to 432hz, which is meant to help you relax. I have to admit the game got frustrating at times, but the music was soothing and I think it helped me not get too upset about things. The music fits the game very well and it’s fun to hear the music change as you reach different sections of the map like save rooms and theaters. This is definitely a win.

As for the look of the game, I think it’s great! I especially love the more detailed shots, like when you use an elevator. In my opinion, the team did a good job with the pixelated aesthetic and the swapping of armor sets is smooth.

One of the great things about 9 years of shadows is that the game runs great even on less than great hardware. The recommended specs aren’t bad, and on my laptop with Intel Iris Xe dedicated graphics, my laptop was able to run it at 1080p with 60fps with no issues. This is always a plus, especially as we see how more and more games perform like crap at launch.

9 years of shadows it has an interesting history. You play Europa and the game starts in black and white. This helps set the mood and is a great touch. Color has vanished from the world and Europa has decided she will fix it or die trying. Without screwing up much, very soon things happen, you meet a floating teddy bear mate and the color is restored. I will say it’s great, but part of me was really hoping that the return of color would be more gradual. It’s important to note that I haven’t finished the game and so maybe there’s something I’m missing, but I think slowly returning color as you progress could have been a great piece of storytelling up to where I am. That’s my only gripe and it’s pretty weak if I’m being honest.

If you like Metroidvanias and/or want a game with an impressive rating that helps you feel good while playing, I can’t recommend it 9 years of shadows enough. I had a lot of fun with the game and can’t wait to finish it.