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Overview
9 Years of Shadows is a 2D side-scrolling metroidvania from Halberd Studios, published by Freedom Games and released on March 27, 2023. The game centers on Europa, a young noblewoman who enters the long-abandoned Talos Castle to locate the source of a world-consuming curse. Every other soul who attempted the same quest has failed. Europa goes in anyway, armed with a halberd and not much else.
The story frames itself as a coming-of-age tale, but it earns that label. Europa is accompanied by Apino, a spirit companion whose ranged magic complements Europa's melee combat. Their bond develops through the castle's increasingly grim revelations, and the game treats that relationship as the emotional core rather than a side feature. The curse itself, which has stripped the world of color and hope for 9 years, gives the setting a weight that most action platformers skip entirely.
Gameplay and mechanics: how does 9 Years of Shadows play?
The combat system pairs Europa's close-range halberd attacks with Apino's spirit magic, giving players two distinct tools that work best in combination. Exploration follows classic metroidvania structure: locked areas open as new abilities are earned, hidden bosses reward thorough players, and collectibles are scattered throughout the castle's mechanical corridors.
Key gameplay features include:
- Elemental armor system (Helios, Gaia, Poseidon)
- Dual-character combat combining melee and ranged magic
- Hidden boss encounters throughout Talos Castle
- Collectibles and power-up progression
- Classic metroidvania easter eggs
The three elemental armor sets are the most distinctive mechanical wrinkle. Helios, Gaia, and Poseidon each grant different special abilities and unlock access to restricted areas, which means armor choice directly shapes how exploration unfolds. Fire, water, and earth each open different paths, so backtracking carries purpose rather than feeling like busywork.
What makes the soundtrack stand out?
The music is composed by three industry veterans: Michiru Yamane, known for Castlevania; Manami Matsumae, known for Mega Man; and Norihiko Hibino, known for Metal Gear Solid. The entire soundtrack is tuned to 432Hz, a frequency the developers describe as having a healing quality, which ties directly into the game's themes of restoration and emotional recovery. For a metroidvania, that's an unusually deliberate audio philosophy, and the combined pedigree of the composers means the execution matches the concept.
Visual and audio design
The pixel art runs on dynamic lighting, which makes the contrast between the curse's gray shadow and any restored color feel genuinely striking. Hand-crafted environments fill Talos Castle with detail, from the mechanical architecture of the giant structure to the peculiar paintings that serve as gateways to other worlds within the game's lore.
Those paintings also function as world-building devices, letting players encounter enigmatic artists and travel through depicted scenes that reveal the castle's history. It's an approach that keeps exposition embedded in exploration rather than dumped through cutscenes.
Conclusion
9 Years of Shadows lands as a metroidvania with a clear identity: emotional storytelling, a musically ambitious soundtrack from composers who shaped the genre's history, and an elemental armor system that gives exploration genuine variety. The dual-character combat between Europa and Apino adds mechanical depth without overcomplicating the side-scrolling action platformer formula. Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, it reaches players across nearly every major platform. For anyone who wants their metroidvania to carry real narrative weight alongside solid mechanics, this one makes a strong case.