Review: 9 YEARS OF SHADOWS Is a Phenomenal Indie Metroidvania with an Incredible Score
When I first heard about the indie video game 9 Years of Shadows, I was intrigued. It’s a Metroidvania from Halberd Studios and Freedom Games that has a bit of a focus on music. The game recently launched on PC via Epic Games Store and Steam with a planned launch on the 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 entire world, stripping 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 hanging over the realm. Only together can they locate the source of the scourge within Castle Talos and usher in the return of brilliant colors.
I’ve really enjoyed my time 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 has been fun. If you want to only read this far, just know that I think this game is great so grab your favorite controller and go enjoy the game.
Let’s start by talking about the music. Yamane and Hibino composed the music for 9 Years of Shadow, and they tuned everything to 432hz which is meant to help you relax. I have to admit, the game would get frustrating at times, but the music was soothing and I think it did help me not get too mad about things. The music fits very well with the game and it’s fun to hear the change in music when you reach different sections of the map like the save rooms and theaters. This is a win for sure.
As for the looks of the game, I think it’s fantastic! I especially love the more detailed shots like when you’re using an elevator. The team did a good job with the pixelated aesthetic in my opinion and swapping armor sets is smooth.
One of the great things about 9 Years of Shadows is that the game runs great even on less than stellar hardware. The recommended specs are not bad and on my laptop with Intel Iris Xe dedicated graphics, my laptop was able to run it at 1080p with 60fps no problem. This is always a plus, especially as we see what feels like more and more games that run like crap at launch.
9 Years of Shadows has an interesting story. You play Europa, and the game starts in black and white. This helps set the mood and is a fantastic touch. Color has gone from the world and Europa has decided that she’s going to fix it or die trying. Without spoiling much, very early on, things happen, you meet a floating teddy bear companion, and color is restored. I will say that this is great, but part of me was really hoping that the return of color would be more gradual. It’s important to note that I have not finished the game and so maybe there’s something that I’m missing, but I think slowly returning the color as you advance could’ve been a great storytelling piece up to the point where I’m at. That’s my one complaint and it’s a pretty weak one if I’m honest.
If you like Metroidvanias and/or want a game with an impressive score that helps you feel good while you play, I cannot recommend 9 Years of Shadows enough. I have greatly enjoyed my time with the game and I cannot wait to finish it.
