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9 Years of Shadows

in library

4.2/5

( 449 Reviews )

4.2

449 Reviews

English & 1 more
Offer ends on: 10/20/2025 09:59 EEST
Offer ends in: d h m s
19.997.99
Lowest price in the last 30 days before discount: 7.99
Why buy on GOG.COM?
DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
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9 Years of Shadows
Description
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 impor...
Critics reviews
64 %
Recommend
Softpedia
8.5/10
CGMagazine
7/10
User reviews

4.2/5

( 449 Reviews )

4.2

449 Reviews

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Product details
2023, Halberd Studios, ...
System requirements
Windows 10, Intel Core i3-9100F, 8 GB RAM, GT 730, Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system...
Time to beat
6.5 hMain
9 h Main + Sides
9.5 h Completionist
9 h All Styles
Description




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.

© Halberd Studios & Freedom Games. All Rights Reserved.

System requirements
Minimum system requirements:
Why buy on GOG.COM?
DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
Safety and satisfaction. Stellar support 24/7 and full refunds up to 30 days.
Time to beat
6.5 hMain
9 h Main + Sides
9.5 h Completionist
9 h All Styles
Game details
Works on:
Windows (10, 11)
Release date:
{{'2023-03-27T00:00:00+03:00' | date: 'longDate' : ' +0300 ' }}
Size:
1.3 GB

Game features

Languages
English
audio
text
Español (AL)
audio
text
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User reviews

Posted on: September 17, 2024

Ragnarok385

Verified owner

Games: 193 Reviews: 1

How did I miss this?

9 Years of Shadow is a clean and stylish metroidvania. Without spoiling too much of the story, art is a heavy theme in the game and it is done well. The design team clearly worked hard to saturate the screen with colors. The boss battles are memorable and test your skills, although this is not a soulslike. There is some pattern recognition, but with some patience you can make your way through the telegraphed moves and patterns. Since the game highly values colors I can see this being a difficult game for the colorblind. As a matter of fact the game doesn't have a colorblind mode because of how intricate the color is weaved into the game. It's innovative, and interesting with how it is implemented. Color matchups is a normal thing, but how they show the matchups is interesting in the theming. There's plenty of movement abilities, as per usual in Metroidvanias, but they rarely have helped speed through the backtracking in the game. So far the game has also seemed fairly linear but I'll see how it goes now that I'm near the end game. Overall, a pleasant game that got little fanfair when it released. It deserved this second chance and is definitely a hidden gem.


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Posted on: September 18, 2024

FlameFalconZ

Verified owner

Games: 31 Reviews: 5

Good game, but not incredible

The game is beautiful and has a nice music, the gameplay is to be expected with the genre, some bosses are annoying because you are forced in a cycle (waiting them to become vulnerable). Overall a good experience, but not that will impact you.


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Posted on: September 18, 2024

alpro13111970

Verified owner

Games: 220 Reviews: 1

9 Years of Shadows

It is a very relaxed and short Metroidavania, and for a game of said genre, it doesn't do a few things that one would expect, but the thing it does are done decently. 9 Years of Shadows is not bad, but it could be a lot better


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Posted on: September 18, 2024

chubey

Verified owner

Games: 5 Reviews: 1

good game

good game


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Posted on: September 18, 2024

Detrimental2

Verified owner

Games: 225 Reviews: 1

Uninspired

A few interesting ideas that weren't developed very well. Mostly uninspired in theme and gameplay.


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