Europa

Release Date: October 11, 2024

Adventure, TPP, science fiction, indie games, exploration games, singleplayer

7.3

OpenCritic

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A narrative adventure game about an android exploring the secrets of an abandoned world. The title is an independent project by one of Blizzard Entertainment's studio employees, who was inspired by films created by Studio Ghibli.

Videos and Screens

[1:04] Europa Europa – Release Date Trailer – Nintendo Switch

[1:32] Europa Europa - Switch Reveal Gameplay Trailer

7.3

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 56% of Critics. There are 34 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

God is a Geek: 9 / 10 by Sean Smith

Europa is a gorgeous, transcendent mood piece that becomes an effective mindfulness exercise, an escape from reality.

Full Review

VGamingNews: 6 / 10 by Drew Sherratt

Europa isn’t quite the boundless adventure that I was expecting. The joyful aerial exploration is held back by portions of lead-heavy ground traversal, slowing the gameplay to a crawl and sapping enjoyment from the experience. The visuals are striking at a distance but fail to hold up to closer scrutiny, making the decision not to make the game an entirely fly-by experience all the more baffling. Underpinned by a meaningful message that’s delivered with real heart, and boasting an incredibly powerful soundtrack, Europa, sadly, feels like an agonising near-miss.

Full Review

AltChar: 92 / 100 by Asmir Kovacevic

Everything in Europa is crafted to fully immerse and relax you, which was clearly the developers' goal—and they nailed it. From start to finish, the game has a therapeutic effect, allowing you to enjoy every moment in a completely stress-free experience.

Full Review

Europa is an indie narrative adventure game inspired by the films created by Studio Ghibli. Its originator and chief designer is Helder Pinto, who combined his work on the game with his role as art director at Blizzard Entertainment (Overwatch series). He was supported in the creative process by friends, including Alex Petherick-Brian (programming), Craig Harris (animation) and Brian Horn (narration and cinematic interludes).

Plot

The story depicts the fate of an android named Zee, who takes a journey on the titular paradise moon in the shadow of Jupiter. The protagonist explores the desolate world, learning about the history of an ancient civilization and the last living human being.

Mechanics

Europa is a first-person game with a play model focused on solving puzzles, uncovering secrets and exploring a desolate yet extremely colorful land. As the android Zee, we take a journey, moving both on land, water and even the heavens. This is possible thanks to the use of the Zephyr jetpack, which gains new capabilities over time. It allows for instant movement between locations.

Noteworthy is the diversity of the visited places - at every step we come across traces of ancient people, including abandoned villages, monumental fortresses or ubiquitous huge robots. They appear in a variety of scenery, including among great lakes, snowy peaks or sky-high islands.