Europa Review (PC) – A Beautiful Journey

Europa is an adventure platforming game from the mind of Helder Pinto, the former artist on Overwatch 1 and 2. Europa has been in development since 2017, but it first caught my eye earlier this year. A wondrous creation from Novadust Entertainment, that gives me Studio Ghibli vibes has been a pleasure to play.

Game Name: Europa
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC (reviewed)
Publisher(s): Future Friends Games
Developer(s): Novadust Entertainment
Release Date: October 11th 2024

Inspired

Upon first loading Europa, even just on the title screen, I could tell that I was in for an intriguing adventure. If you’re unaware, Europa is a third-person adventure puzzle game. Think of it as a blend of Zelda-style puzzles and the aesthetic journey found in Journey, a game that clearly inspired it.

As for Europa‘s story, it focuses on discovery. You play as a young boy named Zee, who seems to be all alone on Jupiter’s moon and sets out to uncover some answers. Along the way, you will collect pages of a journal that narrate the story of what happened on Europa. While I found the mystery of Europa compelling, this is a game that prioritizes the journey over the destination.

Feeling Zen

So, how does it play? You primarily jump, hover, and glide throughout the gameplay, interacting with objects as needed. Jumping is mapped to the A button when using an Xbox controller (on PC). Holding the A button enables a charge jump using Zee’s jetpack. This jetpack can absorb energy, which is then used for hovering. As you traverse the world, you can find special crystals that upgrade the jetpack. These upgrade crystals allow your jetpack to store more energy, enabling you to reach greater heights or stay in the air longer.

Speaking of staying airborne, you can hold the A button to glide while in the air. With the right combination of guiding and hovering between energy bubbles, you can remain aloft for quite a while. The fluidity of this movement is wonderful, though jumping can feel imprecise, leading to unnecessary mistakes. Occasionally, you may enter areas filled with purple crystals that disable your jetpack.

Fighting That Special Feeling

Europa offers a laid-back, chill experience, and while there is no traditional combat, Zee does encounter threats. As you progress, you’ll face guardian turrets that shoot beams of energy at you. The key to overcoming these turrets is to find a nearby switch that disables them.

You’ll also come across proximity mines that explode if you get too close, sometimes even suspended in the air. Another hazard you’ll encounter is zappers that seek you out and disrupt your gliding or hovering. While these adversaries initially provide a welcome change, they ultimately feel like obstacles that detract from what makes Europa special: its atmosphere and exploration.

A Puzzling Landscape

Transitioning from elements that detract from Europa to those that enhance it, you’ll need to solve a variety of puzzles as you explore. One moment you’ll be collecting little wisps to unlock a gate, and the next you’ll be jumping over disappearing blocks.

The only downside to these puzzles is that they can sometimes be too simple to be deeply engaging. However, I got the impression that this simplicity was intentional. These puzzles are designed to complement the natural flow of gameplay, rather than act as roadblocks to your progression. In this way, puzzles become almost second nature, enhancing the zen-like experience of the world.

Europa More Like Paradise

I can’t discuss Europa without mentioning its stunning presentation. From the title screen to every blade of grass, this game is visually striking. When combined with its audio design and musical score, exploring this world feels like a true paradise.

Much of the story and emotion of Europa comes through in its music and visuals. These two elements together make the game worth playing, as they embody the soul of Europa.

Smooth But Not Perfect

On the performance front, Europa provides a solid experience, though I was disappointed by the absence of a 120fps cap. It’s odd that you can cap at 144fps or higher but not at 120fps, which is the maximum output of my display. You can play uncapped, but I encountered some issues that dropped the frame rate below 60fps while capping at 60fps felt rock solid.

As for bugs, I didn’t encounter any game-breaking issues, but there were some collision problems that caused me to get temporarily stuck on rocks or walls.

The good news is that I’ve been informed a day-one patch will add additional polish to the game, so you may not experience these issues.

All Journeys Come To An End

Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Europa, and I would happily play it again. The incredible music and visuals stand out in this highly relaxing, journey-like experience. I wish the game would stick to what makes it special rather than introducing enemies that disrupt its flow. A little extra polish wouldn’t hurt either. Ultimately, I just wish it were a bit longer than the 3-4 hours it offers, as I didn’t want it to end.

Review Disclosure Statement: A copy of Europa was provided to us for review purposes by Future Friends Games. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: One or more of the links above contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission should you click through and purchase the item.