RATING / ESRB / A Created with Sketch. RATING / ESRB / E Created with Sketch. RATING / ESRB / E10 Created with Sketch. RATING / ESRB / M Created with Sketch. RATING / ESRB / T Created with Sketch.
RATING / PEGI / 12 Created with Sketch. RATING / PEGI / 16 Created with Sketch. RATING / PEGI / 18 Created with Sketch. RATING / PEGI / 3 Created with Sketch. RATING / PEGI / 7 Created with Sketch. icon_pin Created with Sketch.

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.
Safety and satisfaction. Stellar support 24/7 and full refunds up to 30 days.
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

{{ review.content.title }}
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
You may like these products
Users also bought
User reviews

Posted on: January 29, 2025

jdawgmatius

Verified owner

Games: 97 Reviews: 1

Pretty good 'vania

Beautiful pixel art, good gameplay with a few nice innovations (the transformations are a lot of fun). The normal enemies lack variety, but the bosses are very creative and fun.


Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: July 27, 2023

Crimmynal

Verified owner

Games: 62 Reviews: 1

Interesting concept, bug-fiesta.

The game sold me on the idea that it was a "new take on metroidvania". The art in general is probably what has kept me going, but the mechanics and bugs are a hard no. The ammo/health combo mechanic is not very well fleshed out, so boss fights are either a rush to kill without learning patterns, or you giving up because one hit means you cannot reload/heal without the long animation ensuring your death. The idea behind it is great, but it's just not right. As for the bugs... did you accidentally press the backslide button before a loading screen? Your character cannot move forward now unless you're jumping. Some enemies are platforms, but also enemies, so if you're unlucky, you can get stuck in a pixel that's both a solid platform AND a hitbox. Some walls are meant for you to jump and shoot into, but if you misdirect your jump, you're going to get stuck in there, and there's no way to get out unless you quit out. (I have a screenshot with exactly that problem). Sometimes you'll get hit while trying to heal, and for some reason you'll get that input stuck, so if you want to avoid a second hit (and death), you won't be able because your character will try to go for the heal over and over again. Unless the bugs are fixed (which seems like a long shot, since it's been months at this point) I don't recommend this one.


Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: April 7, 2023

mgnesium

Games: 90 Reviews: 7

Overall bad

Lovely pixel art without that low effort sprite stretching over unity model and two or three above average musical tracks (rest is decent) - that's about it. Functionally zero effort put into level design, enemy mechanics and core gameplay idea of health pool doubling as ammo which makes regular "exploration" (game is 100% linear and will take you through almost every area by itself) too easy and boss fights a chore. Wouldn't recommend to anyone, life is too short for cold coffee, bad food or unpolished slash bad games.


Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: September 14, 2024

Joeyhatesu

Verified owner

Games: 219 Reviews: 1

Support Indie Games

Budget Metroidvania without about 7 - 8 hours of content. If you like you genre you like this game. Has a fair amount of jank in it so save often. Has a very slow but very short start that probably turns alot of people off but once you get a few armor sets the game flows pretty well.


Is this helpful to you?

Something went wrong. Try refresh page.

This game is waiting for a review. Take the first shot!
{{ item.rating }}
{{ item.percentage }}%
Awaiting more reviews
An error occurred. Please try again later.

Other ratings

Awaiting more reviews

Add a review

Edit a review

Your rating:
Stars and all fields are required
Not sure what to say? Start with this:
  • What kept you playing?
  • What kind of gamer would enjoy this?
  • Was the game fair, tough, or just right?
  • What’s one feature that really stood out?
  • Did the game run well on your setup?
Inappropriate content. Your reviews contain bad language. Inappropriate content. Links are not allowed. Inappropriate content. Content contains gibberish. Review title is too short. Review title is too long. Review description is too short. Review description is too long.
Not sure what to write?
Filters:

No reviews matching your criteria

Written in
English Deutsch polski français русский 中文(简体) Others
Written by
Verified ownersOthers
Added
Last 30 daysLast 90 daysLast 6 monthsWheneverAfter releaseDuring Early Access

GOG Patrons who helped preserve this game
{{controller.patronsCount}} GOG Patrons

Error loading patrons. Please refresh the page and try again.

Delete this review?

Are you sure you want to permanently delete your review for 9 Years of Shadows? This action cannot be undone.
Are you sure you want to permanently delete your rating for 9 Years of Shadows? This action cannot be undone.

Report this review

If you believe this review contains inappropriate content or violates our community guidelines, please let us know why.

Additional Details (required):

Please provide at least characters.
Please limit your details to characters.
Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Report this review

Report has been submitted successfully.
Thank you for helping us maintain a respectful and safe community.