9 Years of Shadows similar games & best alternatives

9 Years of Shadows

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Android, Xbox Series X|S, iOS • 2023

Should you play it?

Fight to bring beautiful colors back to a hand-crafted world of darkness and discover the story of Europa, a young warrior, and her ghostly childhood companion, Apino.

What works
  • Beautiful pixel art and vibrant visuals
  • Engaging and varied boss fights
  • Unique elemental armor and traversal mechanics
  • Captivating soundtrack and sound design
  • Tight and responsive controls
Things to keep in mind
  • Lack of fast travel makes backtracking tedious
  • Some bosses rely on waiting mechanics and can be repetitive
  • Game is relatively short with limited replayability
  • No autosave and unskippable boss cutscenes frustrate players
  • Some bugs and crashes reported

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Pepper Grinder

  • Gestalt: Steam & Cinder

  • Afterimage

  • Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut

  • ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist

  • Catmaze

  • Cookie Cutter: Overkill Edition

  • Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

  • Aggelos

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Aggelos

  • Vernal Edge

  • ITORAH

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Escapism

    Darksiders Genesis

  • Fantasy

    Rogue Legacy

  • Autonomy

    Zelle

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

9 Years of Shadows: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Status. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Expression, Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Continuation.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    3

    "Players explore a mansion and later a castle with freedom to navigate and interact, though some gameplay sections are linear; combat requires player reflex and decision-making."

    Capsule for Zelle Zelle

    "Players can freely explore the castle and choose how to approach combat and traversal with different armors and abilities, though some areas lock armor choice."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    2

    "Combat is accessible and fun but not highly challenging; boss fights provide some difficulty and skill testing."

    Capsule for High On Life High On Life

    "Combat and boss fights provide skill challenges, but overall difficulty is moderate and some bosses are easy; upgrades are minor numerical buffs."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -4

    "Focus is on solo play and personal progression without competitive or ranked modes."

    Capsule for Castlevania Advance Collection Castlevania Advance Collection

    "Focus is on solo play and personal progression without competitive or ranked modes."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    -3

    "Game is short and some players stop after completion; limited replayability but some enjoy casual revisits."

    Capsule for Underminer Underminer

    "Game is relatively short and linear; some players find it less replayable and easy to disengage after completion."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

    Capsule for MiSide MiSide

    "Entirely single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Unique glaive mechanics and elemental effects offer creative combat options; limited level design variety."

    Capsule for Dark Sector Dark Sector

    "Unique elemental armor system with traversal and combat effects; some player creativity in combat and exploration."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No social dominance or power over others; gameplay is individual and balanced."

    Capsule for Morbid: The Seven Acolytes Morbid: The Seven Acolytes

    "No social dominance or power over others; gameplay is individual and balanced."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Players enjoy immersive fantasy world and story, using the game as a fun distraction and stress relief."

    Capsule for Darksiders Genesis Darksiders Genesis

    "Players enjoy immersive fantasy world and story as a form of stress relief and distraction."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment rather than obligation."

    Capsule for Resident Evil Revelations Resident Evil Revelations

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment rather than obligation."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    2

    "Players experiment with different weapons, strategies, and level editor; however, core gameplay is somewhat repetitive."

    Capsule for Commander Cool 2 Commander Cool 2

    "Players experiment with different armors and combat styles, though core gameplay is somewhat routine."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    2

    "Some exploration of castle rooms and discovering new traps and weapons, though mostly structured levels with set waves."

    Capsule for Castle Of Alchemists Castle Of Alchemists

    "Exploration of castle areas with some secrets and collectibles, though linear and limited backtracking."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    2

    "Customization via armor and weapon choices that visually appear on character."

    Capsule for Zombotron Zombotron

    "Character customization limited to armor changes with visual and gameplay effects."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    4

    "Strong fantasy setting with imaginative characters, magical abilities, and mythical bosses."

    Capsule for Rogue Legacy Rogue Legacy

    "Strong fantasy setting with magical armors, curses, and imaginative bosses."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

    "No social or community features; solo experience."

    Capsule for Dust: An Elysian Tail Dust: An Elysian Tail

    "No social or community features; solo experience."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    2

    "Players improve skills and unlock upgrades, though progression is limited."

    Capsule for Beyond Gravity Beyond Gravity

    "Players learn boss patterns and improve skill; upgrades provide minor progression."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay without physical activity or rehab elements."

    Capsule for The Ranch of Rivershine The Ranch of Rivershine

    "Sedentary gameplay without physical activity or rehab elements."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement during combat and exploration."

    Capsule for Absolver Absolver

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement during combat and exploration."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -5

    "No social or emotional relationship building; solitary play."

    Capsule for The Alien Cube The Alien Cube

    "No social or emotional relationship building; solitary play."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management roles; individual gameplay."

    Capsule for Rogue Legacy Rogue Legacy

    "No leadership or group management roles; individual gameplay."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Players collect items, power-ups, and level up to improve stats and abilities."

    Capsule for Touhou Luna Nights Touhou Luna Nights

    "Collecting armors, upgrades, and items to increase power and abilities."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    2

    "Generally balanced challenge with moments of tension in boss fights; overall enjoyable flow."

    Capsule for Tales of Symphonia Tales of Symphonia

    "Generally balanced challenge with moments of flow; some frustration with backtracking and boss fights."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Vibrant visuals, music, and action provide sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for Yakuza 0 Director's Cut Yakuza 0 Director's Cut

    "Vibrant visuals and engaging music provide strong sensory stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

    "No social recognition or status systems."

    Capsule for Alan Wake Alan Wake

    "No social recognition or status systems."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    3

    "Narrative immersion through character development, lore, and environmental storytelling, though story is secondary to gameplay."

    Capsule for Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Warhammer: Vermintide 2

    "Narrative immersion with story, characters, and lore integrated into gameplay."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    2

    "Combat and boss fights require pattern recognition, timing, and tactical use of abilities."

    Capsule for Narita Boy Narita Boy

    "Boss fights and combat require pattern recognition and tactical use of abilities."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    2

    "Some suspense and challenge in boss fights, but overall moderate tension."

    Capsule for Toukiden 2 Toukiden 2

    "Some suspense and challenge in boss fights, but overall moderate tension."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    3

    "Generally considered good value for price given unique experience and content, despite bugs."

    Capsule for Hand of Doom Hand of Doom

    "Good perceived value for price with quality art, music, and gameplay despite some bugs."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    3

    "Combat involves attacking enemies and bosses with melee and ranged attacks."

    Capsule for Rabi-Ribi Rabi-Ribi

    "Combat involves attacking enemies and bosses with melee and ranged attacks."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    2

    "Players must manage health and avoid death in combat; some resource management involved."

    Capsule for The Vagrant The Vagrant

    "Players manage health and shield resources to avoid death in combat."

Last update: 01/06/2026