Teddy Bear hugs.
Every time I think I need to take a break from Metroidvanias, another one catches my eye. Either it is from its gorgeous visuals, engaging gameplay, or just the general vibe I get from its promotional materials. 9 Years of Shadows has some solid ideas, but certain choices held it back and didn't keep me fully entertained as much as I'd of liked.
As color was drained from the world, many people died. Europa, our heroine, lost her parents during this dark time, with answers never really offered. Nine years later, Europa attempts to seek out the source of this curse, a place known as Talos. Now, no one has survived their time in this fortress, but with nothing to lose, Europa puts her life on the line to get the answers she has wanted for years.
Immediately into her mission, she is attacked, and it's only due to the help of Alpino, a ghostly teddy bear, that Europa is able to survive. This act also surprisingly brings color back to the world. While you cannot understand Alpino, Europa does translate in a way where you get the feeling that Alpino sees something in the young girl and wishes to embark on her mission with her. And, it's for a good thing too, given that Europa can die in just a few hits. Thankfully, Alpino’s magic that he shares with her can act as a shield as much as it can a weapon.
While the premise is sound, the story can feel nonsensical at times and hard to follow. While it does come together in the last hour or so, the road there wasn't always smooth. You'll meet a series of musicians as you explore, as well as those that experience the arts in other mediums, such as a few painters. You'll encounter others that Europa will have a history with, but ultimately, none of these characters feel memorable. Much of what Europa is going through internally is explored during the elevator sequences, but ultimately, you'll gloss over them in favor of wanting to speed through the trip.
The Metroidvania structure is present and accounted for in its design, down to requiring the use of abilities to gain access to previously blocked areas. This comes in the form of armors that you'll find in each new area as you explore. From being able to glide up streams of water, tunnel through vents, to surviving extreme temperatures, these armors are tailored to various elements, each of which can be upgraded to deal more damage and impact in how they engage in combat and traversal.
Each armor set does a lot more than just provide environmental assistance. With the right element equipped, as you can easily swap them with a push of a button, you can break through barriers that color each enemy. While you can damage any enemy with any element, color-cordinating allows you to dispose of them far quicker than just blindly bashing them with any armor equipped.
During combat, each armor has a charged up ability that can really make a difference during some encounters. The Water armor not only allows you to turn into a mermaid to rocket through water like Ecco the Dolphin, but provides a massive whirlpool attack that constantly does damage. This attack alone destroyed several bosses as you can set it, run away to charge your health back up, and then go back in to charge up that attack again, provided you don't get hit.
Health acts differently here than any Metroidvania I've ever played. Europa can initially only take two hits, but Alpino's magic acts as a shield. Should it be reduced to zero and you take a hit, you'll lose a health point. While you can increase them as the game goes on, Alpino merely needs a hug to refill his light meter and provide you that security. However, as his attacks use this meter, it is a risk reward system that is only undone by one single thing; the length of the hug animation is just too long, especially when you are in a boss encounter with nowhere to run. Shave off about 20% of that time, and then maybe I would have enjoyed this system more. As it stands, it's a hindrance when you desperately need it.
Now, all complaining aside, you can refill this meter by dealing melee damage, and there is even a Gears of War reload system that while an interesting idea, is hard to prep for given you likely won't be looking at the gauge when you are attempting to fire off a volley of those magical blasts. If there were audio cues and even a brief slowdown to engage with this mechanic, it would have made a bigger impact. I often would deplete my shield before entering into a new area to refill it, making the pacing of exploring come to a stand still. Hell, I would often deplete my reserves and recharge fully before entering most rooms, just to be prepared.
The map itself is a work of several environments that are connected by elevators, or locations that exist within a painter’s canvas. There are countless save stations, as dying doesn't retain anything you've done after saving, as well as a series of teleporters to get you around the map quickly. There are tunnels that you'll navigate once you've gained the proper armor, but these tunnels don't appear on the map. It's a shame there wasn't a map layer that would show these tunnels.
While mobility has been a major factor into countless Metroidvania titles of late, 9 years of Shadows is not one of them. Sure, the swimming can be fast and you do gain a double jump, but there is no forward dash, making avoiding projectiles and traversal feel slow. While there is a dash, it is only backward, and not directional. This makes moving around hazards and enemies a chore as the backdash is rarely suitable for much, other than some larger foes that swing a weapon at you. That said, there is a too little too late dash you'll have near the end, as you gain some new powers, but ultimately, I went through the entire game desperately wanting a forward dash.
Combat does generally feel good, but you'll see most of what you have on offer very quickly with nothing to really enhance it. You have light and heavy attacks that cannot be worked into combos, with only light attacks being able to be cancelled. If you get hit charging a heavy attack, it will cancel it. This forces you to have to press the button again, even if you are still holding it down. While the armors do grant you a different charged attack, the lack of other weapons or attacks makes combat far too repetitive and after a few hours of the same slashing and back dashing, it starts to feel far too routine. And, once you've leveled up all the armors, it gives you no incentive to really engage in most encounters. Even a few more weapons and a basic skill tree would have done wonders here. Given the type of competition in the genre, you need something to match the depth to keep combat engaging. It's one of the reasons that Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree was as good as it was.
While there are the armor lines around enemies to shake up which armor you’ll require and how you engage in combat, some areas force an armor on, should you be engulfed in a poisoned area or under water, preventing you from swapping to the color needed to break through their shields faster. You'll also encounter enemies that can only be defeated by Alpino's magical attacks. While these are easily defeated, sometimes needing to recharge your magic can be difficult as the animation to do this is far too long, as previously mentioned, and you'll need to exit the screen and return once charged. It does ruin the pacing and momentum.
When it comes to why I looked into 9 Years of Shadows, its visuals are stunning. It reminds me a lot of blasphemous in its pixel details. The few cutscenes are extremely well done and pop up here and there to really sell the look and color this game offers. Combat is flashy, enemies are well-designed, and the whole aesthetic is absolutely wonderful.
While there are elements of the soundtrack that are extremely well done, some tracks don't quite line up to what works for this game. That said, much of the music is absolutely wonderful, with several tracks produced by Michiru Yamane of Castlevania fame, as well as Metal Gear Solid’s Norihiko Hibino.
9 Years of Shadows has some great ideas, but the health system is one that while original, is flawed and can damage the momentum and pacing needed to keep you engaged. The initial wave of combat is impressive, but the game runs out of ideas to flesh out its combat systems to feel like you are progressing in your capabilities. That said, its strong visuals and boss designs are impressive, and do a lot of heavy lifting to a game that would otherwise be forgettable.
Developer - Halberd Studios. . Publisher - Indie.io. Released - March 27th, 2023 (PC), November 9th, 2023 (Switch) July 31st, 2025 (PS5/Xbox) Available On - Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC. Rated - (E 10+) Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language. Platform Reviewed - PS5. Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.