Info about 9 Years of Shadows:

Official game description:
9 Years of Shadows is a side-scrolling Metroidvania by Halberd Studios. Travel alongside Europa, a brave warrior determined to enter the mechanical giant Talos and stop the corruption within before it swallows the world in darkness. Battle through tainted creatures, meet charismatic musicians and uncover the truth behind the curse that robbed the land of all color.
Many have tried to venture inside the twisted depths of Talos, a dormant fortress where several civilizations have settle over centuries. And, after losing everything she held dear, Europa has nothing holding her back from attempting what others could not achieve. As a noble fighter who refuses to be bound by the curse, she must enter the castle, find the source of corruption, and return the color once and for all.
This adventure is not for Europa to face alone. Inside the giant, she befriends Apino, a cute floating bear who seems to possess magical abilities that can restore color and replenish the health of his allies. He is also able to shield his companions from the multiple dangers that roam Talos’ hallways.
While exploring the castle, Apino can cleanse the corruption around Talos and shoot a variety of projectiles that can destroy dark crystals and inflict damage:
*   A fist that punches upwards when conjured.
*   A blast that travels along a surface until collision
*   A cyclone that returns to Apino like a boomerang.
Use the elements to your advantage to travel the map dynamically. Acquire the elemental armors that were once treasures to ancient civilizations and change on the fly and unlock special abilities to traverse your way: from swimming against waterfalls to traveling underground tunnels or gliding through warm air currents.
Harness the power of lightning, water, earth, and fire. Surprise bosses while you switch armors, perform strong halberd combos, and exploit your foes’ weaknesses to pave your way through the heart of the shadows.
Music is all but the soul of the game. Revitalize the world while you listen to a moving soundtrack composed by Miguel Hasson, as well as soothing pieces scored in 432hz by celebrated composers Michiru Yamane (Castlevania series) and Norihiko Hibino (Metal Gear Solid series). Meet these guest composers as in-game NPCs who aid in Europa’s quest throughout the game.
Music is the binding thread that combines gameplay and storytelling: collect musical notes and perform a healing lullaby to restore your health.
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_"Literally stunning"_ 
**Keen Gamer**
_"A stunning Metroidvania"_  
**GamesRadar+**
_"Excellent & responsive combat"_
**Game Rant**
_"Delights all the senses"_
**GameLuster**
_"Two thumbs up"_
**LadiesGamers**

Release date: Mar 27, 2023

Categories: Metroidvania, Side-scrolling, Action-Adventure, Character Progression, Exploration, Boss Fights, Story-driven Gameplay, Pixel Art Style

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game generally runs well on Linux systems and Steam Deck, with some minor issues reported on Steam Deck. The overall performance and stability are positive, with users experiencing smooth gameplay and no major technical issues.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game has a mix of positive and negative feedback regarding its performance on the Steam Deck. While some users report issues with controls, performance, and stability, others have had a seamless experience with good performance and enjoyable gameplay.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $8.00 - $18.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence indicates that the community generally finds the game worth purchasing only when it is discounted. Several reviews mention that the game is worth it on sale, with specific mentions of discounts ranging from 80% to 90% off the full price. Additionally, there are mentions of the game being worth around $8 to $18, suggesting that the fair price range is significantly lower than the full price. The sentiment that the game is only worth it at a substantial discount points to a lower perceived value.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 11.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes several direct references to the playtime required to complete the game. One user mentions that it took them about 8 hours to achieve 100% completion, while another user estimates that most people would complete the game in 12-14 hours. These quotes provide a clear indication of the typical playtime for game completion. There is no strong evidence provided for story completion, session length, or endgame playtime, leading to these fields being marked as null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players find the game enjoyable due to its art design and progression mechanics, but repetitive combat and lengthy boss fights can be tedious. The fun anchors around acquiring and using new abilities and armors.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Acquiring and using new abilities and armors
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive combat; Lengthy boss fights; Backtracking
  - Unlock drivers: Acquiring new abilities; Using new armors
  - Conditions: Paying attention to the map; Looking for breakable walls; Using progression tools effectively
- Player Archetypes:
  - Genre Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of the Metroidvania genre and its unique elements.
    - Playstyle: Explores thoroughly, appreciates art and music, and enjoys the challenge.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Metroidvania fan; genre enthusiast
    - Reference games: Metroid; Castlevania; Hollow Knight
  - Veteran Explorer (sale)
    - Motivation: Seeking new experiences within the Metroidvania genre and comparing them to classics.
    - Playstyle: Explores thoroughly, compares to classics, and enjoys the challenge.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Metroidvania veteran; experienced player
    - Reference games: Super Metroid; Castlevania; Metroid Dread
  - Completionist (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Completing the game to 100% and unlocking all achievements.
    - Playstyle: Explores thoroughly, focuses on achievements, and may replay sections to unlock everything.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: achievement hunter; completionist
    - Reference games: Metroid; Castlevania; Hollow Knight
  - Casual Newcomer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoying a relaxed and accessible gaming experience.
    - Playstyle: Plays casually, enjoys the story and atmosphere, and prefers a lower difficulty.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: casual gamer; newcomer
    - Reference games: Metroid; Castlevania


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Stunning Art and Music (weight 0.49): The game features an amazing and unique art style with beautiful music that creates a captivating atmosphere. Players consistently praise the artistic direction, pixel art, and soundtrack.
- Enjoyable Metroidvania Gameplay (weight 0.4): The game is praised for its fun and engaging Metroidvania-style gameplay. It is recommended for both beginners and fans of the genre, offering a classic but well-executed experience.
- Easy-to-Use Map and Controls (weight 0.13): The game features an easy-to-navigate map with useful markings and color-coding. Controls are also noted as easy to use, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- Enjoyable and Relaxing Experience (weight 0.11): Players find the game enjoyable and relaxing, with a gratifying experience from start to finish. It offers a mix of fun and challenging moments.
- Engaging and Well-Written Story (weight 0.11): The story is described as fun to follow, engaging, and well-constructed. It is simple yet charming, making it easy to understand and enjoyable.
- Recommended for Its Price (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for its acceptable price, offering solid value and an enjoyable experience that justifies the cost.
- Simple but Engaging Mechanics (weight 0.07): The game features simple mechanics that are easy to grasp but still engaging and innovative, contributing to a satisfying gameplay experience.
- Unique Health System (weight 0.07): The game introduces a unique health system that includes elements like QTE (Quick Time Events) and innovative mechanics, adding a fresh twist to the gameplay.
- Appropriate Difficulty and Length (weight 0.07): The game's difficulty is balanced and accessible, making it suitable for a wide range of players. The game length is also considered appropriate.

Common complaints:
- Boring and frustrating boss battles (weight 0.24): Many players found the boss battles to be monotonous, poorly designed, and frustrating. The bosses were often too easy, repetitive, and lacked integration into the storyline.
- Short and easy gameplay (weight 0.21): The game is shorter than expected and lacks replayability. Additionally, the game is considered too easy by many players.
- Frequent bugs and glitches (weight 0.18): The game has several bugs, including minor bugs, input-related bugs, graphical bugs, and bugs at startup. These issues affect the overall gameplay experience.
- Lack of enemy variety (weight 0.14): Players noted a lack of variety in enemies and their actions. The game could benefit from more diverse enemy types and attacks.
- Uninformative and outdated map (weight 0.14): The map is not informative, lacks useful details, and is outdated. Players found it difficult to navigate and motivate themselves with the given map.
- Poor combat mechanics (weight 0.11): The combat system is described as clunky, lacking depth, and poorly executed. Players found the combat feel to be unsatisfying.
- Excessive backtracking (weight 0.08): Players found the backtracking in the game to be time-consuming, excessive, and tedious, especially if they missed items or paths.
- Shallow and unremarkable story (weight 0.07): The storyline is criticized for being too simple, lacking depth, and not being impressive or unique. Character motivations and tragedies are underdeveloped.
- Frustrating save points (weight 0.06): The game has few save points, and some bosses do not have save points nearby, leading to frustration among players.
- Translation and technical issues (weight 0.06): The game suffers from poor translation quality, often appearing machine-translated with errors. There are also various technical issues reported.
- Sound effect glitches (weight 0.06): There are issues with sound effects, including looping sounds that persist until the game is restarted, causing annoyance and immersion-breaking experiences.
- Softlock issues (weight 0.06): Players have encountered softlocks near the end of the game, particularly after defeating the final boss, which can hinder game completion.
- Unmemorable music (weight 0.05): The music in the game is not memorable or particularly great, contributing to an overall forgettable experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Metroidvania-style gameplay (weight 0.18): The game follows the classic Metroidvania loop of exploring, fighting, and unlocking new areas. It is similar to Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, offering a good introduction to the genre.
- Combined health and mana system (weight 0.14): The game features a combined health and mana system, which is a unique resource management mechanic for health recovery and attacks.
- Well-designed map and levels (weight 0.13): The game has good level design with well-designed levels that encourage exploration and backtracking.
- Mixed gameplay reviews (weight 0.11): The gameplay is described as tranquil and suitable for beginners, but it also has problems and basic combat. Some players find it satisfying and recommend it, while others note its short duration.
- Unique boss fights (weight 0.11): The game features unique boss fights with different gimmicks, move sets, and mechanics, providing diverse and challenging encounters.
- Backtracking mechanics (weight 0.08): Backtracking is a significant part of the gameplay, with mechanics that involve exploration and revisiting previous areas.
- Unique and unlockable abilities (weight 0.08): The game includes a variety of unique abilities and powers that players can unlock, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Strategic and fast-paced combat (weight 0.07): The combat mechanics are strategic and fast-paced, offering a complex combat system that includes healing mechanics.
- Exploration-based gameplay (weight 0.07): The game emphasizes exploration and discovery, with mechanics that encourage players to explore and find challenges.
- Armor swapping mechanics (weight 0.07): The armor mechanics involve switching between different armors, each with unique interactions and abilities.
- Story-driven experience (weight 0.06): The game is story-driven with engaging characters and a unique art style, offering a well-written narrative.
- Elemental armor mechanics (weight 0.06): The armor system includes elemental powers tied to different armor sets, providing unique abilities and mechanics.
- Simple gameplay mechanics (weight 0.06): The gameplay mechanics are simple, with straightforward gameplay and level design that are easy to understand.
- Progression and RPG elements (weight 0.06): The game includes a progression system with different abilities and RPG elements that enhance the storyline progression.
- Variety of enemies (weight 0.06): The game offers a variety of enemies with diverse mechanics and attacks, adding to the gameplay complexity.
- Movement abilities and upgrades (weight 0.06): The game includes various movement abilities and upgrades, such as swimming, gliding, and traveling through tunnels, although some abilities can be frustrating to use.

Performance notes:
- Frequent bugs reported (weight 0.23): Many players have reported encountering various bugs throughout the game, ranging from minor issues to significant glitches that affect gameplay.
- Game freezing during endings (weight 0.2): A common issue reported is the game freezing during the ending scenes or credits, which significantly impacts the player experience.
- Audio issues and looping (weight 0.13): Several players have experienced problems with sound effects, including looping audio and glitches that persist until the game is restarted.
- Elevator glitches and issues (weight 0.11): Players have encountered various glitches related to elevators, including animation bugs and issues with elevator interactions after pausing the game.
- Softlocks and progression blocking (weight 0.07): Players have encountered softlocks and bugs that block progression, forcing them to restart the game or reload saves.
- Crashing and stability issues (weight 0.06): The game has been reported to crash at various points, including during cinematics and cutscenes, leading to a disrupted gaming experience.
- Input registration problems (weight 0.06): Players have noted issues with inputs not registering properly, which can affect gameplay and menu navigation.
- VSync and technical problems (weight 0.06): Technical issues such as VSync not working properly and other performance-related problems have been reported by players.
- Loading screen complaints (weight 0.05): Some players have complained about the presence and length of loading screens, which they find excessive for a 2D game.
- Texture and graphical glitches (weight 0.03): Some players have experienced graphical glitches, including characters or enemies getting stuck in textures.
- Map display issues (weight 0.03): Some players have reported issues with the map turning grey and not updating properly until the game is reloaded.
- Progress saving issues (weight 0.03): There have been reports of players losing progress due to the lack of an autosave feature, which can be frustrating for those who forget to manually save their game.
- Positive performance feedback (weight 0.03): A few players have reported that the game plays smoothly with no performance issues, indicating a positive experience in terms of technical performance.

Recommendations:
- Metroidvania fans recommended (weight 0.26): The game is highly recommended for fans of the Metroidvania genre, including beginners and enthusiasts. It is also suggested for those who enjoy similar games like Castlevania, Metroid, and Hollow Knight.
- Worth it on sale (weight 0.19): Many reviewers suggest that the game is worth purchasing, especially when it is on sale. It provides good value for its price during discounts.
- Short and satisfying experience (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for those looking for a short and satisfying experience. It is suitable for casual players or those who want a quick gameplay session.
- Good value and price (weight 0.06): The game is seen as a great value for its price, offering a worthwhile adventure and solid value for money.
- Unique mechanics and balanced difficulty (weight 0.05): The game is praised for its unique fighting system, interesting health bar mechanics, and balanced difficulty, making it stand out in its genre.
- Worth trying despite issues (weight 0.05): Despite some flaws and issues, the game is still considered worth trying. Reviewers suggest giving it a chance, especially if you enjoy the genre.
- Technical suggestions (weight 0.04): Some technical suggestions include playing the GOG version for fewer bugs and disabling Steam input for a better experience.
- Relaxing and tranquil experience (weight 0.03): The game provides a relaxing and tranquil experience, making it suitable for those looking for a less intense gaming session.
- Suggestions for improvements (weight 0.03): Reviewers have suggestions for improvements such as a lore journal and a collectibles tracking system to enhance the gaming experience.
- Recommended for 2D action fans (weight 0.02): The game is an excellent choice for fans of 2D action games, offering a fun and engaging experience.
- Recommended for its exploration (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for its exploration aspects and unlockable powers, providing an engaging and interesting gameplay experience.
- Unique concept and solid value (weight 0.02): The game is praised for its unique concept and solid value, making it a worthwhile purchase for those interested in the genre.

Other player notes:
- Missing characters issue (weight 0.02): There is a known issue with characters going missing in the game, and a solution has been proposed.
- Controller support suggested (weight 0.02): Players have suggested that the game would benefit from controller support.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.35): Players are frustrated by numerous bugs, glitches, and game-breaking issues that hinder progress and enjoyment. Poor game design choices, such as unclear map guidance, lack of save points, and difficult boss mechanics, contribute to the frustration. Additionally, issues with controls, combat mechanics, and repetitive gameplay elements exacerbate the negative experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.13): Players enjoy the game's beautiful graphics, fun combat, and unique mechanics like the health and armor systems. The engaging gameplay, well-designed bosses, and enjoyable exploration contribute to a positive experience. The combination of good music, pixel art, and overall gameplay mechanics makes the game enjoyable.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of depth, repetitive boss patterns, and uninspired story. Technical issues, bugs, and crashes also contribute to the disappointment. The game's potential is not fully realized, leading to a bland and underwhelming experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players are satisfied with the game's visuals, music, and overall enjoyable experience. The fluid gameplay, responsive controls, and engaging combat mechanics contribute to a positive experience. The game's atmosphere, story, and challenging yet fair bosses add to the satisfaction.
- Joy (weight 0.09): Players experience joy from the game's beautiful art and music, fun gameplay, and engaging story. The positive aspects of the game, such as its visuals, soundtrack, and enjoyable mechanics, contribute to a joyful experience. The game's unique design and overall great experience bring joy to players.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): Players appreciate the game's beautiful graphics, pixel art, and sweet soundtrack. The artistic design, story, and overall visual presentation are highly praised. The developers' efforts in creating a well-executed classic Metroidvania style with good music and fluid mechanics are appreciated.
- Positive (weight 0.05): Players have a positive experience with the game, enjoying its art, mechanics, and overall fun. The game is recommended for its good design, enjoyable gameplay, and high rating. Despite some issues, players find the game enjoyable and worth playing.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players express anger due to game design flaws, lack of keyboard/mouse support, and frustrating mechanics. The poor healing mechanic and repetitive routes contribute to a frustrating and anger-inducing experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Players are excited about the game's unique blend of cultural references, interesting gameplay mechanics, and fun combat. The representation of diverse characters and the epic nature of the game contribute to the excitement.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game exceeding expectations despite some flaws. The interesting powers and good graphics contribute to a surprising and positive experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the game's beautiful design, inspirations, and fantastic visuals and music. The detailed analysis of the game's features and the beautiful art style and soundtrack are highly praised.
- Impressed (weight 0): Players are impressed by the game's beautiful visuals and unique abilities. The combination of stunning visuals and unique gameplay mechanics leaves a strong impression.
- Enjoyment (weight 0): Players find the game's mechanics and dynamics fun and enjoyable. The unique gameplay mechanics and engaging combat contribute to a diverting experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0): Players appreciate the game's art, visuals, and soundtrack. The combination of beautiful pixel art and engaging music contributes to a positive and appreciative experience.
- Frustrated (weight 0): Players are frustrated by confusing mechanics and control issues that hinder gameplay. The lack of clear guidance and poorly implemented mechanics contribute to a frustrating experience.
- Challenge (weight 0): Players find the game's boss fights challenging and engaging. The difficult yet fair bosses contribute to a challenging and enjoyable experience.}