- 9 Years of Shadows: Greetings, Everyone - 1 October 2026
Greetings, everyone! Europa walks into a world that's had its color taken off it, with Apino, the ghost of her own childhood, coming along for the company. Every area you bring back puts some of that color back for real. That's the game rather than a metaphor painted over a map, and it's the part we're proudest of. Hand drawn, hand built and about the restoring rather than the unlocking. 9 Years of Shadows is on sale during the Steam Autumn Sale, October 1 to October 8. Thank you for being part of our journey. Come and say hello: X TikTok Instagram Facebook
- 9 Years of Shadows: Restore the Light at 60% Off - 25 June 2026
The world of Talos has been swallowed by shadow, its color and warmth drained away. As the warrior Europa, descend into the dark with your spirit companion Apino at your side and fight to bring the light home.Swap between elemental armors in the heat of battle, master tight metroidvania combat and platforming, and lose yourself in a soaring orchestral score. It is a heartfelt adventure that is easy to start and hard to put down.9 Years of Shadows is 60% off in the Steam Summer Sale, June 25 to July 9.Grab your copy and make sure to check out other great indie games on sale during the Summer Sale to add them to your collection.
- 9 Years of Shadows on PS5: Physical Editions Announced! - 26 September 2025
We are pleased to announce that 9 Years of Shadows will be released in Physical Edition for PlayStation 5 on December 12, 2025.Two versions will be available:Standard Edition — includes the full game and an exclusive Talos Secret Postcard.Collector’s Edition — includes everything in the Standard Edition, plus: - Exclusive New Poster Collector’s Box - Double-sided Poster - Holographic Cards Set - Europa Golden BroochPre-orders are now open at the Tesura Store, main gaming retailers, and Amazon!We’re excited to see 9 Years of Shadows take this next step, and we thank you for your continued support!-The Halberd Team
- 9 Years of Shadows (PS5) Review - 9 August 2025
A good Metroid-like title is always a great distraction. Just over a decade ago, a genre that is now swimming in new titles was hurting for a new experience. In the year 2025, 2D action-adventure titles are now in abundance, and the bar has never been higher on what makes each title a “special” experience. This is the exact line 9 Years of Shadows straddles. 9 Years of Shadows features a stunning 2D action-adventure title presentation, with solid level design and top of it’s class music, but due to an oversaturated genre, the cracks in its armour show now more than ever. 9 Years of Shadows tosses players behind the trusty glaive of Europa, and it’s made abundantly clear off the rip that the developers at Halberd Studios are mythological fanatics due to the constant stream of references to Greek paganism. Europa is charged with restoring colour and sound to the world —literally and figur…
- 9 Years of Shadows is on sale! - 26 June 2025
If you were thinking about getting the game, now is a great time to do so as we are part of the indie.io Summer Sale! Catch the game on sale from today until July 10th.Check out other great indies on sale during the indie.io Summer Sale to add them to your collection.
- Build Update #9: 1.1.41 - 21 April 2025
Greetings, everyone! It’s been a while—and we truly appreciate your patience and continued support during our time away. While it’s been over a year since our last update, we’ve been quietly working behind the scenes, and we’re excited to finally bring you a fresh patch packed with meaningful improvements and some exciting new additions to enhance your journey. Your feedback and bug reports have remained invaluable throughout development, and this update is a direct result of your passion and insights. New Features: Whirlwind Attack Enhancement: All upgraded Hibino armors now feature new ranged unique-elemental attacks when using the Whirlwind skill. Fast Travel System: Introducing Hermes Express—a new, streamlined way to traverse Talos Castle more efficiently. Expanded Exploration: New rooms have been added, and the map has been rearranged to encourage deeper exploration. Boss Battle Q…
- 9 Years of Shadows is on sale! - 11 April 2025
If you were thinking about getting the game, now is a great time to do so as we are part of the indie.io Publisher Sale! Catch the game on sale from April 11th through April 25th. Check out other great indies on sale during the indie.io Publisher Sale to add them to your collection. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1402120/9_Years_of_Shadows/
- A new season, a new deal! - 13 March 2025
If you were thinking about getting the game, now is a great time to do so as we are part of the Steam Spring Sale! Catch the game on sale from March 13th through the 20th. Make sure to check out other great indie games on sale during the Spring Sale to add them to your collection.
- Celebrate the season with a great deal! - 19 December 2024
If you were thinking about getting the game, now is a great time to do so as we are part of the Steam Winter Sale! Catch the game on sale from December 19th until January 2nd. Make sure to check out other great indie games on sale during the Winter Sale to add them to your collection.
- 9YOS is part of Freedom Games Publisher Sale! - 15 April 2024
Hi everyone - if you were thinking about getting the game, now is a great time to do so. The game will be 40% off from April 15th through the 22nd! Make sure to check out Freedom Games Publisher Sale page to pick up some awesome indie games at great prices. Whether you like to play alone or with friends, there are some great deals you won't want to miss out on! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1402120/9_Years_of_Shadows/
- Build Update #8: 1.0.98 - 1 February 2024
Greetings, everyone! As we kick off 2024, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your ongoing support and feedback. Over the past few months, we've diligently reviewed your reports, and we're thrilled to share the latest enhancements we've made to elevate your gaming experience. Here are the key highlights: New Features: Auto-save now triggers after defeating any mid-boss or final boss. Bug Fixes: Resolved an issue where "Next dialogue" or "Skip dialogue" inputs weren't functioning correctly. Addressed a controller settings bug affecting hierarchy-based inputs, such as the dialogue system. Fixed a texture issue with the VFX on the strong attack of the Helios Upgraded armor. Rectified a texture problem with the central projectile in the Gear of Erebus battle. Corrected an enemy placement issue in the Portrait of Demise that caused coins to become stuck in a Gaia tunnel. Eliminated…
- 9YOS is part of the Steam Winter Sale! - 21 December 2023
Hi everyone! If you were thinking about getting the game, now is a great time to do so as we are part of the Steam Winter Sale through our publisher Freedom Games! From December 21st until January 4th, the game will be on sale for 30% off! Make sure to check out Freedom Games' Winter Sale 2023 page to pick up some great games to play over the holiday season. Whether you like to play alone or with friends, there are some great deals you won't want to miss out on! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1402120/9_Years_of_Shadows/ If you want to join the community, follow us on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and join our Discord! Thanks for your support and we’re super excited to show off all of our hard work!
- 🌟The Steam Awards 2023: Nominate 9 Years of Shadows - 21 November 2023
Hello everyone! We kindly ask for your support in recommending 9 Years of Shadows as a nominee for the 'Outstanding Visual Style' category in 'The Steam Awards 2023!' The nomination period starts now and runs for one week. Let's showcase the true power of our community! Thank you for your support! 💕
- Build Update #7: 1.0.72 - 22 August 2023
Hello everyone! We hope you're all doing well. It's been a month since our last update, and since then, we have continued to work on improving performance and stabilizing the experience on Steam Deck. We thank you again for your patience, empathy, and feedback while we fix and enhance the game experience. If you want to talk with our dev team, report an issue, or join the community, please join our Discord! We'd love to hear from you all! Patch notes Bug Fixes: Fixed a bug that caused videos to crash on Steam Deck. Fixed a bug that caused armor unlock cinematics to not show. Fixed numerous bugs that prevented the text from displaying correctly during the prologue and epilogue slideshows. Some elemental outline effects were not displaying correctly. Fixed a bug that caused the sound volume level and settings UI to not report the same value. Fixed a bug that caused text to fade in incorre…
- 9YOS is in Dreamhack Beyond! - 18 August 2023
Hi everyone! We're excited to announce that 9 Years of Shadows will be showcased at DreamHack Beyond on August 18th-27th, 2023! Check out the Summer Indie Showcase at https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40157993/sale/DreamHackBeyondSummerIndieShowcase . We’re super excited to see you! If you want to join the community, follow us on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and join our Discord! Thanks for your support and we’re super excited to show off all of our hard work!
- Build Update #6: 1.0.56 - 21 July 2023
Hello everyone! Thanks for all the support and continuous feedback you are giving us. We have another small patch today to continue our efforts of giving you all the best experience. Bug Fixes A bug causing Europa in the Portrait of Demise to soft-lock by shattering a crystal ability vase is now fixed A new fix for the achievements of "Big Kitty" and "No More Nightmares" has been applied to be unlocked by entering the correct save file
- Build Update #5: 1.0.54 - 19 July 2023
Hello everyone! Support and feedback from all of you guys have been incredible after the patch from last week! Thanks for being patient while we create new fixes and solutions for the game. We've got a new small patch today to continue our efforts of giving you all the best experience. Game Adjustments Added support for VSync and fixed frame rates. Bug Fixes A bug causing Europa in Serpent Form to be blocked in a tunnel path in Sector E has been fixed. A fix has been applied for missing Japanese and Chinese font characters in dialogue and menus. A fix has been applied to retroactively unlock missing achievements "Big Kitty" and "No More Nightmares" by entering the save log with the progression.
- Build Update #4: Performance and Optimization - 11 July 2023
Hello everyone! We hope you're all doing well. It's been a month since our last update, where we shared that we have been working on some performance fixes and optimizing general assets throughout the game. We thank you for your patience and empathy while we work on new fixes and ways to make the game feel better. If you want to talk with our dev team, report an issue, or join the community, please join our Discord! We'd love to hear from you all! Bug fixes: Game Balance Adjustments A new visual aid for the light bar has been added when Europa is performing Lullaby or Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance "sweet spot" is now always positioned in the middle of the recovery bar. Radical Acceptance now recovers less light if it is used immediately consecutively. The shield recovery speed values have been adjusted for the final armor set. Health and damage values have been rebalanced and a…
- Update #42: Improving Performance - 11 June 2023
Hello everyone; we hope you’re all doing well! Summer is fast approaching, and with it, we want to address our focus to improve the game’s performance. If you played 9 Years of Shadows recently, you’ve noticed we uploaded a localization patch, which includes French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese as available languages. We also uploaded several bug fixes across the different patches, most of which solved technical issues due to game optimization. We have been fixing another batch of various bugs and performance issues and are now in a testing phase to check that everything is in order. However, we know that some of you have encountered crashes in certain areas, so we wanted to reassure you of our commitment to solving them and working on solutions to prevent future crashes from happening again. We thank everyone who has taken the time to report their problems and con…
- Build Update #3: New languages - 1 May 2023
Hello everyone! We hope you’re all doing well. It’s been a month since our release day, and we could not feel more grateful for everyone’s support, patience, and feedback. We appreciate you taking the time to report bugs, suggest new elements that could improve the experience, and read your comments on what 9 Years of Shadows has been for you. In fact, because we’ve seen many people in different countries willing to play a game that wasn’t localized in their language, we wanted to get Europa’s story to as many people as possible. That’s why we worked with a localization team for 9YoS to be accessible in German, French, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese, as well as making adjustments in Spanish and English. We hope this makes the journey more appealing for our community and that everyone can travel alongside Apino. Furthermore, we have been fixing many reported bugs that affecte…
