This mexican game is a classical style metroidvania with fun combat, tight controls and colorful pixel art. It owes a lot of its style to Symphony of the Night, but it has a personality of its own and no RPG mechanics to muddle things. It also has a very clear anime inspiration.

I have a nice time with it, but it has a lot of problems. I found a lot of bugs and crashes (I really hope those are patched in the release version), the music was just ok and the plot is a mess. The exploration is also very light, with the secrets very easily found.

You can read my full review in spanish in GamerFocus: https://www.gamerfocus.co/juegos/9-years-of-shadows-resena-critica-analisis-opinion-metroidvania-mexico/

As I said in the review, is not an amazing game, but it is good enough to have a nice time. It can help you scratch the metroidvania itch while Silksong finally arrives.

This game is… alright. It has some stuff going for it - beautiful pixel art (similar quality as Blasphemous), interesting combat mechanic, smooth controls. Some really fun boss battles.

But there’s just not much beneath the surface. The level design feels very repetitive. Exploration and room designs rarely feel unique. I couldn’t stand the lore or the story as a whole. And same with the art direction - great execution though.

I’m sure many will like it, but it’s one I know for sure I won’t play again. By the end I just was ready to move on.