9 Years of Shadows
Next Fest Livesteam!
We're excited to be participating in the Steam Next Fest! Catch our livestream with Halberd Studios on Oct 4th at 11am ET, where they will be showing off the latest demo.
For more follow us on Twitter, Tiktok and join our Discord!
This stream is pre-recorded and will be looped through the duration of Steam Next Fest.
Dev Update #12 - The Last Stretch
A month ago, we entered the QA phase, which is when we take care of details and perform the finishing touches before launch day. We noticed that the area we liked to focus our efforts on is the improvement of the experience of the game, which is the final leg of the race.
Because of this, we reconvened with our publisher and together decided that the best course of action to release the game the way we intend to, would be to reschedule our launch date to November 14th, 2022. We understand that this is not the ideal news for our community, and we apologize for the inconvenience it may represent to you.
Everyone on the team is eager to share this project with you and has been working relentlessly. We are confident that these additional few weeks will make a difference in the performance and ultimately represent a better experience for you.
We know the community is excited about the release, so we want to give you something to look forward to. We will be featured in Steam Next Fest, which takes place between October 3rd and 10th, so make sure you don’t miss out.
As always, we appreciate your enormous support and love, and we are convinced that when 9 Years of Shadows is released in a few weeks, everything will be worth this extra effort.
- The Halberd Team
Dev Update #11: The Reveal
We truly hope everyone is doing well and excited in this gamer month! It’s well known that this month is full of amazing news, conferences, contests and big reveals, and, as part of this wonderful community, we simply couldn’t stay behind. Everyone who has followed the progress of 9 Years of Shadows is aware of the long and emotional journey the dev team has gone through, and you have all been there with us as we near the end of the race. Therefore, it is only fitting that we finally reveal what you have been asking for a while: the official release date!
If you caught us in gamescom2022earlier today, you probably watched our latest trailer where
we announced the Steam launch to be on October 10th!. If you missed the trailer or want to
watch it again, you can take a look at it here:
That date is solely for PC, however. The launch date for Nintendo Switch will be moved to Q1 of 2023. The reason the Switch release has been moved is due to several talks we’ve had with other developers who went through a similar process. The version of the game submitted to Nintendo has to have been through more technical revisions than that of Steam. As you know, we always want to deliver the best possible result, which is why we feel taking that extra time is the best decision at the moment.
We are truly excited to show you something we have been working on lately. You may have seen one of our backer-enemies Limo in previous updates, but it feels fitting to show you more of the foes Europa can encounter inside Talos. Meet some of our mid-bosses: Miria, the Reaper, Frinise, the Horned God, Ulf, Nissi and Limo.
Everyone on the team is beyond grateful for the people who have supported us up to this point. We have a special shoutout for Volta, an extremely talented artist who creates masterful animations and who went above and beyond to make this game something to remember. There have been good days and tough days, but we’ve always had a single goal in mind: to make you all a part of the world that is 9 Years of Shadows. And that time is rapidly approaching.
In the meantime, keep up with our socials to find out more about Talos’ castle, Europa and other
beloved characters and more insights about their universe!
Dev Update #10: The Genesis
One of the highlights for the team most definitely was our feature in this year’s Save and Sound Music Festival, where our Creative Director and composer, Miguel Hasson, shared his thoughts on the game’s narrative and some musical insights as well.
In case you missed our showcase, you can check it out here:
If that left you curious about more on 9 Years of Shadows’ story, we’ve got you covered. On her journey through the ancient castle, Europa will encounter several lore pieces that encompass some of Talos’ oldest memoirs. From the Ancient Civilizations that once inhabited the giant to the orphans who spend their remaining days sheltered, much history awaits to be discovered.
Have a glimpse of what our hero might find scattered around:
As always, thank you for your constant support and love. Don’t forget to follow our social media to keep up with our team as we near the end of this heartfelt journey.
Dev Update #9: Our Latest Showcase
If you haven’t seen our latest game trailer, take a few minutes to check it out! It features new story elements, lots of gameplay, and, of course, characters and mechanics relating to music. If you want to get a clearer idea of how 9 Years of Shadows is shaping up, don’t forget to check it out on our YouTube Channel!
As you can see, the trailer walks us through many different areas within Talos Castle, and we can also watch Europa switch between a variety of different abilities. But one you didn’t get to see, was Europa’s dive-kick, a powerful combo that can obliterate an enemy from above.
And our excitement spreads to more events happening soon! Since music plays a pivotal role in the game, we will also partake in Save and Sound, an online musical festival that focuses on gaming soundtracks. Be sure to check out the event starting July 14 at 10:00 AM PDT.
We will be sharing some examples soon, so be on the lookout and follow our socials.
Dev Update #8: Creatures of the Deep
Summer always marks the beginning of amazing gaming events, and this year it’s no different. 9 Years of Shadows will be featured in Guerrilla Collective on June 11th, a digital game showcase with developers worldwide. Make sure you catch that on Twitch or YouTube.
Furthermore, we will also appear in IGN’s Summer of Gaming on June 10th, which our team is very excited about. You can also check it out on Twitch, YouTube, or their own website.
If you have been following our social media, you might have noticed various rooms from Talos Castle have been featured. One of the most prominent ones is our underground water ecosystem, a massive area submerged into the depths of the giant and covered in age-old vegetation. The original civilizations who inhabited Talos Castle sought to build their empire with the resources at their disposal; while some favored fire and earth, others preferred the peacefulness of water.
Now, all that remains are deep-buried vestiges of their culture, ready to be discovered by the adventurous or the curious. When Europa visits this part of the castle, she may need to fight past powerful currents to uncover their remnants.
But as you know, for every beauty inside Talos, there is danger lurking about. With a varied assortment of enemies, hidden bosses await for the unwary to stumble upon their lair and strike. Just take a look at the nightmare that is the Tantalous Roach, a massive insect whose eyes would follow you everywhere you go.
For more terrifying creatures and extraordinary characters, be sure to consult our Bestiary! We will regularly reveal new beasts through our socials, so be sure to follow and take a look whenever you can! If you missed our post from a few days ago, take a look at Limo, a powerful slime mage from one of our dear backers.
Thank you as always for your support and be ready for an amazing update coming soon!
The Halberd Team
IndieLiveExpo Showcase!
We're excited to be showcased at Indie Live Expo this weekend! Check out Indie Live Expo’s stream showing off the game at the following link:
https://indie.live-expo.games/en/
Thanks for your support and we’re super excited to show off all of our hard work!
Dev Update #7 - A Trip Down Memory Lane
This time, we would like to introduce you to some characters that set the tone for the game’s story. Meet Bebel and Wynton, two a mystic bassist and a nostalgic trumpeter that once belonged to a famous orchestra before finding themselves inside Talos Castle. With talented hands and a penchant for rhythm, musicians merge their craft in a beautiful symphony.
As for other iconic characters, we have been talking about one in particular for the past couple of updates, the mysterious warrior Draythus. You have seen his portrait, but what do you think of his latest idle?
And last, but certainly not least, take a look at the portrait of this noble couple. Though wealthy and well-respected, deadly diseases spear no one, regardless of their station. As a result, this portrait is one of the only reminders their daughter has of her parents, along with her halberd and a beautiful dress.
Fueled by the powerful memory those heirlooms represent, Europa is ready to face anything. If you want to know more about the foes Europa will have to face, you might want to stay tuned tuned to our socials. As of this week, we will officially launch our Bestiary, a compilation of Talos’ most dangerous and intriguing creatures.
In fact, the most important creatures featured in the Bestiary are backer-enemies, interesting characters backers of a certain tier created, and we have decided to upgrade them to a boss category. When you run into NPCs such as Bebel and Wynton, they will have quests that may steer you in the direction of these terrifying foes.
Thank you for your everlasting support, as always! We will have exciting news soon, so make sure you follow us and join the conversation.
- The Halberd Team
Dev Update #6 - The Journey Continues
Cinematics are a wonderful way to set the mood for specific in-game moments, and every time Europa appears, she shapes up to be the ultimate savior. Just take a look at her Gaia Armor cinematic.
As always, we pay special attention to everything related to music, and we love hearing the places each track transports you whenever we release a new song. In that spirit, let us know what you make of our latest track for the first level, Talos Entrance.
Naturally, if you want to get an even more accurate perspective of how that track will be integrated within Talos Castle, try listening to it while you contemplate this hallway, which lies just at the heart of the first level.
Lastly, there is no better way to immerse oneself into a fantasy universe than understanding its story, which is why we would love for you to know more of 9 Years of Shadows’ lore. For instance, we’ve been exploring Europa’s childhood to build her entire journey in depth. What do you think of our young warrior in this concept art?
Remember to follow our social media to stay in the loop with the development of the game, get to know the team better, and be a part of an amazing community. Thank you for your never-ending support!
Dev Update #5 - A Peek At Talos
In our latest update, we shared some concept samples in the making of characters, breakables and other elements within Talos Castle, but what we haven’t given you, is a glimpse of the castle’s exterior, which is coming along nicely. What do you think of this new idea?
We have also reimagined some of the most relevant areas Europa and Apino will visit, such as the save room. We wanted to focus on setting up the place to emanate a supernatural aura. What do you think of this new version?
Part of creating an overall supernatural feeling to Talos is designing new enemies, such as the Myron Thrower, a gigantic monster that overwhelms its enemies by throwing its offspring at them. Would you face it in combat?
As usual, music is another area that is continuously in motion. From character themes to area tracks, we love to compose pieces that draw you into the universe, and there’s no better way to begin than with the very first track you will listen to as you launch the game. Listen to our introductory track, Crystalline Tears:
Once again, we would love to thank you for your good wishes. That community support is our driving force to push on and create new ideas for 9 Years of Shadows. We have interesting news coming soon, so keep up with our socials to stay up to date with our progress.
