I am a sucker for good pixel art, and 9 Years of Shadows has it in spades. The upcoming Metroidvania uses music, and color to tell its tale. “Color has been stripped from a once-prosperous land due to a calamitous curse leaving the world in shades of only black and white. Young operatic warrior Europa takes up her massive halberd and sets out to restore the chromatic essence of life.”Developer of 9 Years of Shadows Halberd Studios says there will be 20 rhythmic bosses to face off against across 11 different biomes.
Music is a huge element of 9 Years of Shadows; touting a soundtrack by composers Michiru Yamane (Castlevania series) and Norihiko Hibino (Metal Gear Solid series). An interesting fact was having the music composed and recorded at 432hz, the scientifically proven frequency to promote feelings of healing and positivity. Boss’ attack patterns will be tuned to their own respective track rhythm to create, “iconic flow states and the feeling of physically traversing a sheet of music, solidifying the music’s impact on the story, art, gameplay, and overall design.”
If you head over to the Steam page, you can check out a few other videos, one of which has some strong ties to old-school Sailor Moon.
9 Years of Shadows sings its way to PC via Steam and Epic Game Store on November 14. A Nintendo Switch version is also in the works and hopes to debut in the first quarter of 2023.
