METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Game
Game2023Published by indie.io
9 Years of Shadows
Developer Halberd Studios
9 Years of Shadows is a 2023 video game developed by Halberd Studios and published by Freedom Games. The game is a metroidvania in which players explore the interior of Talos Castle, defeating enemies and bosses to collect new armor pieces and open up new areas. Upon release, the game received average reviews. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
308 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 6, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
70
Fresh
148 positive · 62 negative
95% range 64–76%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 148 | 62 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
98 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
2,599 of 3,389 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Mixed reception: praised for art but criticised for bugs and gameplay issues.
Many players praise the game's stunning pixel art and soundtrack, calling it a visual treat. However, others criticise the combat as repetitive and the controls as stiff. [1][2][26]
A common complaint is the placement of save points far from bosses, which some find frustrating. Bugs and crashes are also reported, even after updates. [3][36]
Praised art style · soundtrack · exploration
Criticised combat · save point placement · bugs and crashes
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 7, 2026. Method
Critics, per Wikipedia
9 Years of Shadows received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 64% of critics. Describing the game as "polished", NPR stated the game "shines in all the core gameplay mechanics that matter: from its character progression, to its tight controls, creative enemy design, platforming and puzzles", although felt the game had "drawbacks common to the metroidvania genre".
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 308 · most liked firstOur indie game: - hand drawn by artists from 9 Years of Shadows, Mariachi Legends, Ember Knights, Gestalt, and more! - cut the world in half (literally!) - fast, cinematic combat with musical weapons - defeat spectacularly animated bosses - explore a huge cyber-nostalgic world
unlabelledView post →The controls seem stiff sometimes - for instance the double jump and jump kick often times seem to just not function at all. That very minor complaint out of the way - the overall game is a lot of fun. The level design is nice, the difficulty is just fine and the world is very beautiful. If you like Metroidvanias I'd highly recommend it. While I have not finished the game yet, at 3 hours in I have four abilities left to find, so I think I'm nearing the end which makes it a nice bit of length…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9 Years of Shadows is a peculiar metroidvania for fans of the genre. It has exceptional art and great gameplay, but it feels quite linear. I don't think that makes it a bad game, though personally I enjoy having more exploration in my metroidvanias #indiegame #indiedev
unlabelledView post →Warning: I will be giving gameplay (but not story) spoilers in this review. Like pretty much everyone else here, I'll spend a moment to state that the art is absolutely stunning. It's one of the most gorgeous pixel games I've ever played if not *the* most, up there with SANABI and probably some others I can't think of right now. The areas have a great visual variety to them, so many of the bosses and effects look fantastic, I couldn't possibly give any constructive feedback on the sprite work.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a huge fan of medroidvanias, even enjoying the "worse" ones, this is still a big no for me and I had to immediately stop playing as a lot of the gameplay was simply infuriating. The game has a very unique aesthetic too it, underlined with a great soundtrack. Some of the movement mechanics (siren,snake) are fun and refreshing and blend well into the overall mobility of your character. However, apart from these three strenghts, 9 Years of Shadows doesn't have a lot to offer and the devs made…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →LRG new game arrivals on VGP go live in ~35 minutes (10 AM PT) buff.ly/fJoWqre #ad Cryptmaster PS5 Front Mission 2: Remake (Multi) 9 Years of Shadows NSW Momodora: Moonlight Farewell NSW / PS5 Castlevania Dominus Collection Classic Ed (Multi) Chicory: A Colorful Tale NSW / PS5
unlabelledView post →oKAY, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, is this game just visually gorgeous And yet its gameplay is so lack luster that I got genuine flashbacks to how I used to play Nokia phone games with THIS level of redundant game design, to which the visuals or the characters were the genuine only thing keeping you wanting to continue playing. THIS is the exact same situation that this game is in. Its visuals are stunning, and clearly, are what was the primary talents of the team developing this game. And yet there…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really don't like to post negative reviews on indie games, especially the ones that you can clearly see the love and dedication involved but this one is kinda necessary. The game has some positive points that makes you overlook some of the bad points until it unavoidably reach the insane negative ones. So let's start with the positive ones: - An incredible and amazing pixel art and well made animations for cutscenes. - A somewhat good soundtrack. - An interesting new mechanic that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Art: Rabbit Queen (seeking coms!) DA: www.deviantart.com/the-rabbit-q... Discord: moonbunnygirl Indie game gals, more so tough ones like Europa, need diapered too. Check out my review of 9 Years of Shadows: www.deviantart.com/ccdpa/art/Ga... www.pixiv.net/novel/show.p...
unlabelledView post →Despite completing 100% of the game and getting all achievements, I ultimately don't think I can recommend it. It's not a difficult game, visually it's very nice and combat is fun(-ish) but simple. However, the main issues I found with it were: - Shared energy/shields. It's weird and combat flow is broken when you inevitably miss the action bar timing and you have to resort to the slow method of healing. There are also 1-2 side bosses that just straight up do not give you the time to slow heal…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today's story recaps my patriotic duty to play Halberd Studios' 9 Years of Shadows in preparation for the release of Mariachi Legends. youtu.be/qCZRklavOHk
unlabelledView post →I'm getting back into game reviewing again today!! I'm putting the 9 Years of Shadows review on hold for now, because my heart wasn't really in it. So instead, I'm going to be reviewing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past next!! I'm going to be reviewing all of the Zelda games in the order-
unlabelledView post →Recommended, but JUST barely. Since I can't leave a 1-10 scoring (with 10 being the highest), this one sits solidly at a 6. Pros: + Beautiful level design. Environments are wonderfully detailed, truly a labor of love. + Exploration is fun. + Neat abilities (knowing your enemies weakness helps with damage output a lot) Mids: - Decent story. You're on a quest to restore color to the world with a deeper story buried within. Run of the mill. - Fast travel is limited, costs money to unlock…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While this game does lean more towards a positive recommendation than the negative, it is only just. From the good side we have - gorgeous art and artstyle, a joy to look at; a reasonably interesting exploration abilities, pretty interesting bosses and a cool elemental damage system. From the bad side we have - absolutely godawful basic combat - you will be spamming your basic combo into heavy around 90% of the time and those attacks feal really bad. They frequently cement you in place…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have mixed feeling about this game. Idk if it's a hard concept to understand, but you can not put save points five miles from boss fights... it's the most annoying thing ever, and it only makes the experience less enjoyable. Also there's ZERO map guidance so you'll be walking everywhere trying to find what you need
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Developers, repeat after me: "CHECKPOINTS MUST NOT BE PLACED FAR AWAY FROM BOSSES!!!"
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🎼 Let the music guide your path in 🔱 9 Years of Shadows, the metroidvania game from @halberdstudios.bsky.social where every note matters! Explore a beautiful pixel-art world and fight to restore color and hope! 🎮 Now available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles! #ScreenshotSaturday #Metroidvania
unlabelledView post →It's a pretty run-of-the-mill Metroidvania that won't win any awards or make it to any "Best Games" probably ever, but is good fun if you're into Metroidvanias. The best-looking part of the game are the cutscenes, but they are anime-style so if you don't like that aesthetic, you won't like them. The game itself doesn't look bad, but animations are a bit stiff, there's not a lot of variety in the enemies, and locations look different but feel same-y -- it's not immediately easy to tell where…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was a suprise. I was expecting something very mid, but it's actually pretty good. The artwork, both for character portraits and the pixel art is amazing! The music is also really good and unique, which makes this game a vibe. I love Europa (main character), she's a badass. Her armors looks amazing. The gameplay is like an evolution of the Castlevania games (metroidvania era). I wish more metroidvania games played and looked like this. It really scratched an itch no game other than…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game gets painfully boring around the halfway point where you have all your powers. There were at least two points where I felt like I was in the final area only for the game to just keep going. I did not finish this game and will not be going back to it. Pros: - The art is great - The soundtrack is sometimes excellent - The controls are solid - There are lots of hidden areas to find - The map is useful and is color coded based on the type of hazards you will find in a given room…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, hee's the intro to a game called 9 Years of Shadows by Halberd Games and Indie.io. #9yearsofshadows #videogames #indiegames #metroidvania
unlabelledView post →LIVE NOW!!! Indie Gaming Sunday! Checking out 9 Years of Shadows, cause the devs next game, Mariachi Legends, look super fuckin cool! Luckily they have a nice looking metroidvania for us to check out now! www.twitch.tv/assistmedoom
unlabelledView post →6 / 10. Ambitious, but plagued with annoying issues 9 Years of Shadows is a really ambitious Metroidvania that tries to go full head with the classic Castlevania series. The graphics and soundtrack are gorgeous and the animation and movement feel very fluent, like that of a very well polished game. But... The main issue that this game has, is a big inconsistency in timing. Setting the game to VSync, does nothing as the framerate will be allover the place. So, instead you must use a multiple…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is unfortunately part of my least favourite genre of metroidvania's alongside Ghost Song and Indivisible, the "Everything looks and sounds beautiful but is wasted on this game" genre. Visually the pixelart and CG's are genuinely stunning, I stopped sometimes to admire the detail of the characters and surroundings. Music sounds good, nothing too memorable but soundtracks don't need to be. And I'd say they don't deserve to be in a game with such poorly implemented gamedesign, convicted…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TODAY @ 8 PM MDT New game time! I bought this cool looking metroidvania last sale, so I'm gonna be checking it out! 9 Years of Shadows! I saw some screenshots that reminded me of Saint Seiya and I'm intrigued! www.twitch.tv/dokuroscarmi... #scarmiglive #vtuber #vsky #9yearsofshadows #metroidvania
unlabelledView post →As far as metroidvanias, go its fine. Short and sweet. Nothing crazy. The game in fact might be to easy with how the healing works. The problem with this game is the bugs. I've ran into so many small bugs the really made my playthrough frustration. Bosses becoming unable to die causing a softlock. Achievements not popping up on bosses. Final cutscene getting bugged if you are over 60 fps. This is just to name a few bugs on my playthrough. Is this the worst game I've ever played. No but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it has been a while since I played a good Metroidvania, this one had cool elements literally and figuratively. hope to see more like this in the future.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even years after release, there are still significant bugs including soft locks, crashes, audio glitches and more. I crashed on the ending cinematic, for one. Also, the game just is not that good. The healing system needs more thought put into it, enemies (especially bosses) can be exceptionally tanky and often will repeat basic patterns ending up into boring fights, and the music can be bland at best and downright grating at worst. Save your money and go get a different Metroidvania,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't get past the past the part where I hold down the right trigger. Nothing happens. Broken game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is visually stunning, you can tell that a lot of love and effort was put into the art direction. However, the actual gameplay is just way too lackluster for me. The elemental armors are a cool mechanic but that's the only thing that's interesting gameplay-wise, the combat mechanics are very dull/mediocre compared to most other games of this genre.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sorry, chat! No DND today! But! I'll make it up to you by finally playing a LONG requested game (mostly by our DM @minion-of-the-east.bsky.social), and playing 9 Years of Shadows! I hope to see you all there! www.twitch.tv/dojaymi
unlabelledView post →📦 9 Years of Shadows Collector's Edition for PS5 by @tesuragames.bsky.social includes: 💿 Full Physical Game 🏰 Talos Secret Postcard 📦 Original Art Collector’s Box 🖼 Double-Sided Poster 🎴 Holographic Cards Set 🛡 Europa Golden Brooch 🛒 en.tesuragames.com/games/9-year...
unlabelledView post →No checkpoints = my time not being respected
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9 years of Shadows is a unique and amazing Metroidvania. I’m so impressed by the visuals as well as the unique abilities you unlock and the boss fights. There are so many bosses and all feel unique. The ability to keep your health up so as not get hit is also very interesting. I had a few bugs during my playthrough. For example, the “hug” button at the start of the game didn’t work, but after restarting it worked. 9 Years of Shadows is very challenging in my book, and I felt confused about…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is not bad, the art design, the concepts and mechanics are kinda cool, but there are some issues to adress, the bosses take too long to beat, they are not really that hard, they just have a lot of health so it gets kinda boring to fight them, specially if you die and have to start all over again. Also some times the controls don't respond as they should, when using an elevator, it takes a while to get control of your character again, some hit boxes are broken, I've died a few times from…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, here's today's main menu, this time featuring the 2023 metroidvania game 9 Years of Shadows by Halberd Studios and Freedom Games. #9yearsofshadows #videogames #indiegames #shorts #mainmenu
unlabelledView post →🌹💀SCHEDULE💀🌹 A new game starts! I bought 9 Years of Shadows last steam sale, so I'm gonna be playing there! It looks like a cool metroidvania and I love those. Especially as comfort games. Then on saturdays I'll introduce a new regular feature: Horses! #scarmiglive #vtuber #vsky
unlabelledView post →Metroid Mania Humble Game Bundle: bit.ly/4boQnms my affiliate link $14 for 7 games - 9 Years of Shadows - Axiom Verge 2 - Cookie Cutter - Ghost Song - Death's Gambit: Afterlife - The Knight Witch - Axiom Verge - 50% off Death's Gambit: Afterlife - Ashes of Vados
unlabelledView post →A good 10 hour metroidvania. It's a decent mesh of Metroid and SotN, I enjoyed the progression and unlocks and the combat is fairly straight forward with a unique health and heal system that makes the game somewhat easy overall. In general the bosses are very easy all the way through. I beat the final boss in one try if that says anything. The game is kinda linear for a metroidvania, it's not too huge or anything, but there's enough varying paths and backtracking to make it all feel fun to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a simplified review, if you'd like to hear more detailed thoughts, please let me know. For reference, I played this game after many of its QOL updates were done, so my experience could've been a lot worse. Gameplay I personally thought the combat was fun. I think the shield mechanic added a very interesting gameplay loop by forcing us to consider when it was and wasn't a good idea to do so. I personally didn't mind the game being a more linear metroidvania. The way the charge attack…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decided to try replaying this and I realized why I didn't like it after about an hour in. The game is really pretty and could have been really good if not for a few really abhorrent choices by the developers. Save points are literally save points, if you die at any point after a save, all progress since that point is gone. Combat is ok but could have been better if movement were a bit more fluent.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its mid , i dont know what to say more the art is good but the animation is stif , the gameplay is not fun at all, game is so easy i can just stand far and shoot enemies but the bosses is hard , its unbalanced .
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game crashes on save areas after getting helios armour then corrupts the file in deleting all progress
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →📦 9 Years of Shadows is now available on PS5 in amazing physical editions by @tesuragames.bsky.social! 💿 Full Physical Game 🏰 Talos Secret Postcard 📦 Original Art Collector’s Box 🖼 Double-Sided Poster 🎴 Holographic Cards Set 🛡 Europa Golden Brooch 🛒 en.tesuragames.com/games/9-year...
unlabelledView post →📦 Now available the amazing 9 Years of Shadows PlayStation 5 editions created by @tesuragames.bsky.social! Collector’s Edition: 💿Full Game 📦Original Art Collector’s Box 🖼Double-Sided Poster 🏰Talos Secret Postcard 🎴Holographic Cards Set 🛡Europa Golden Brooch 🛒 en.tesuragames.com/games/9-year...
unlabelledView post →This is an elegant title. If you like Metroidvanias and you're tired of Hollow Knight or Wisping about, or your Salt and Sanctuary is a little tired out, give this a spin. Pixel art menageries of decorators high on their own supply and the gameplay doesn't suffer for the trip. Controls are tight, and knowing the mechanics DOES save your butt in a boss fight. The concept is a little silly, but this is a video game I'm not expecting art to transcend; I'm looking for art with a purpose The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had a boss hit me even though I wasn't in its attack zone, and somehow I lost interest. The backtracking is too long, and there simply aren't any teleporters. I'm not far in the game yet, but I can imagine it will get even more annoying for me later on.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Trying out a brand new game for Metroidvania Mondays. Looks like "What if Saint Seiya had a Metroidvania game" Come join us on Twitch as we play 9 Years of Shadows and help us get closer to our 100 follower goals www.twitch.tv/DontAndCare?...
unlabelledView post →TODAY @ 8 PM MDT 9 Years of Shadows Continues! Last time we fought a hard boss and can now swim under water. So expect me to sing Once in a Lifetime at least once. But what will we find next? Who knows! www.twitch.tv/dokuroscarmi... #scarmiglive #vtuber #vsky #9yearsofshadows #metroidvania
unlabelledView post →🌹💀LIVE💀🌹 Starting a new game tonight! A metroidvania from last year I missed, I think. 9 Years of Shadows! I saw a screenshot that reminded me of Saint Seiya and my ancestors smiled upon me. www.twitch.tv/dokuroscarmi... #scarmiglive #vtlive #vtuber #vsky #9yearsofshadows #metroidvania
unlabelledView post →Good morning scarlords! It's mondey! Back to the office again... Had a little bit of trouble but nothing that the ole unplugging and replugging the cable didn't fix. Tonight I'm starting a new game! A metroidvania I bought last sale called 9 Years of Shadows! I'm excited to start it!
unlabelledView post →Branching out to more than abdl stories and putting my thoughts out there for game reviews as I play a ton of games and have plenty of thoughts. Check out my review of 9 Years of Shadows. www.deviantart.com/ccdpa/art/Ga... www.pixiv.net/novel/show.p... archiveofourown.org/works/66005908
unlabelledView post →my game of the year list i didn't play a lot of games released this year so this is just a list I played for the first time in 2024 10- UFO 50 9- 9 Years of Shadows 8- Castlevania Dominus Collection 7- Marvel Rivals 6- Celeste 64 Fragments of the Mountain
unlabelledView post →LIVE NOW More 9 Years of Shadows! This game still looks like She-Ra and I refuse to apologize. twitch.tv/gaige_neumann <-- Entrapta stan #vtuber #lewdtuber
unlabelledView post →“Am I having a stroke?” -Jane 9YearsOfShadows after everyone treating the phantom stuffed bear as a common occurence Usually indie games sacrifice good graphics to focus on developing good gameplay, 9 Years of Shadows goes to the other route instead, making itself pretty for the trailers but ending up as having almost no substance. Gameplay It’s metroidvania, so you know the gist, progression isn’t rolled out in form of keys that unlock doors but gameplay additions, such as double jump,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recently completed 9 Years of Shadows in roughly 12 hours, earning 28 out of 34 achievements. For players chasing the platinum trophy, everything appears achievable in a single playthrough in around 16 hours, with no missable trophies that I could identify. The game is an excellent Metroidvania in the classic sense. The platforming feels tight and responsive, backtracking is well-integrated, and the boss design is consistently strong throughout. The game opens in a muted, colorless world…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stream time! I don't know what to do so panic pick a game I haven't played yet and try it on stream. The game in question being 9 Years of Shadows, a cool looking Metroidvania www.twitch.tv/aria_azure
unlabelledView post →I finished this game completely in 18 hours and I absolutely recommend it. firstly and most obvious the gorgeous art style and animations, every ability, npc, and enemy in the game look visually stunning. secondly the game is a very good casual/beginner friendly metroidvania, id personally recommend it to anyone as their first. the combat style though simple is really fun and I love the elemental mechanic. to conclude if you're looking for a chill metroidvania with stunning visuals and fun…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Years of Shadows is a beautiful metroidvania that stands out thanks to its incredible pixel art, emotional atmosphere, and fantastic soundtrack. The game does a great job blending fast-paced combat with exploration, and every area feels visually unique and full of personality. The music especially deserves praise — it perfectly matches the emotional tone and makes the journey memorable from start to finish. The combat is smooth and satisfying, with the armor system adding variety to both…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like the developers are actively trying to waste my time. Playing this game right after ENDER LILIES was a mistake. The QoL features in ENDER LILIES set a standard in my mind that this game offends again and again. I went the wrong way, walked like half a dozen uninteresting corridors, was forced to watch an elevator cutscene, found a save point, saved the game, continued down the path and after some other screens, got to a place where I needed an item I didn't have yet. Now I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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