Review cover Europa GBAtemp review
Nintendo Switch

Product Information:

  • Publisher: Future Friends Games
  • Developer: Novadust Entertainment, Helder Pinto
  • Genres: Adventure, exploration
  • Also For: Computer

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
Indie game Europa just launched on PC and Switch. Should you explore this terraformed version of Jupiter’s moon?

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Europa’s story begins when Zee, an android resembling a young boy, receives a message from his “father”, Adam, which encourages him to venture forth across Europa, the moon he is currently in. The latter has been terraformed by humans but they seem to be strangely missing. 

As Zee explores this moon of Jupiter, he encounters diary entries from Adam which slowly reveal the history of Europa’s terraforming efforts and the fate of its human settlers. These recordings, scattered across the ruins of utopia, depict a relatable narrative of humanity and nature.

A short journey across a Ghibli-like world

The small development team at Novadust Entertainment have been open about their Ghibli inspirations for Europa and it shows. Its vibrant and colourful landscapes filled with ruins, towering peaks and curious creatures feel like an interactive Studio Ghibli animation.

Another apparent influence is that of The Legend of Zelda with its focus on exploration, but Europa adopts a more relaxed pace. It encourages players to take their time to take in the gorgeous environment, explore their surroundings and fill out their bestiary with sketches of the peculiar “gardener species” left behind to cultivate Europa. 

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Despite its Ghibli and Zelda inspirations, Europa’s designs are original and feel different than the latter examples. It really thrives on moments of quietude, rather than conflict, and focuses on the simple joy of discovery accompanied by soothing tunes.

Stress-free exploration across Europa

Assisting Zee’s explorations is the Zephyr jetpack. It allows Zee to glide across valleys, boost jump to platforms and stomp on weak floors. It’s really the game’s main mechanic and can even be considered as an extension of Zee’s form. This means of traversal and exploration is original and provides a relaxing experience when Zee chains boots to glide across large distances akin to a bird riding the wind. This sense of freedom pairs well with Europa’s open-world design and cosy aspect.

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While it’s a mostly stress-free experience, there are some environmental hazards to bear in mind. Zee will come across turrets and mines that are better avoided. Getting hit by them won’t result in a game-over screen, but will see Zee momentarily stunned. Such encounters serve as a gentle nudge to try a different approach and also make the experience less of a walking simulator. Furthermore, there are some light puzzle elements to keep the player engaged. They aren’t particularly difficult and the game as a whole is rather forgiving.

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That said, the solo exploration of Europa’s ruins has some downsides. Across its 3-4 hour playtime, Zee does not interact with any NPC and it’s only Adam’s notes that serve as a storytelling mechanic. The experience is a lonely one across an empty and desolate planet which would have benefited from more interaction and more exposition of its lore as Europa seems to have more to tell than what Adam lets on.

Europa: a tranquil adventure

Europa is available on Switch and PC; and it feels right at home on a handheld. Having played the Switch version, it is a decent version, although not the best one. There are occasional dips in frame rate and noticeable pop-ins, particularly in busier areas. I also experienced crackling audio during some cutscenes and chapter transitions. Even if these issues don’t detract too much from the overall experience, a bit more polish could elevate Europa’s presentation on Nintendo’s handheld.

Overall, Europa is an original, tranquil experience. It wants you to lose yourself in its beautiful, desolate world. It does achieve this aim with its focus on stress-free exploration but the sense of solitude does not always play in its favour. That said, it is more than a decent debut for the indie team and I hope they revisit this universe again.

Europa | Steam & Switch Official Launch Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • A beautiful Ghibli-inspired world
  • Emphasis on jetpack traversals that blend well with the open-world design
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Some technical issues on the Switch
  • World feels lonely and devoid of interactions
7
Gameplay
Exploring Europa’s open world by gliding around with a jetpack is captivating, although the lack of interaction and challenge is often felt.
8
Presentation
Europa’s visuals and sound design create an enchanting world that encourages peaceful exploration, even if some performance issues hold it back on the Switch.
7
Lasting Appeal
Europa is a rather short experience that feels about right for what it has to offer in terms of gameplay.
7
out of 10

Overall

Europa offers a short and tranquil experience that encourages exploring its Ghibli-like universe in a stress-free manner.
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If you search for technical details of Switch release: both modes 30 FPS, no dynamic resolution, very aggressive TAA. Handheld 360p, docked 520p.
 
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Reactions: Blythe93
Man those screenshots look rough. So much TAA it looks like a watercolour painting. Just goes to show not many devs can (or bother to) optimise for the Switch well.

And then you look at BOTW or TOTK
 
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What makes me mad is that this game takes place on Planet Jupiter, and the devs named this after the continent Europe.

Fucking assholes.
 
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Reactions: Ligeia
What makes me mad is that this game takes place on Planet Jupiter, and the devs named this after the continent Europe.

Fucking assholes.
Okay... So geography isn't your strong sort. It's okay (Europa isn't exactly nearby... Or in the news at any time). But why didn't you even read the intro of the review? Why do you get mad because of an assumption? :unsure:
 
> World feels lonely and devoid of interactions

If i feel like walking around in a boring world again I'll just continue doing TotK sidequests instead of buying a whole new game for that purpose.
 
Okay... So geography isn't your strong sort. It's okay (Europa isn't exactly nearby... Or in the news at any time). But why didn't you even read the intro of the review? Why do you get mad because of an assumption? :unsure:
First, I'm VERY good at geography, actually.

Second, I know about this game since when the news of the trailer came out on this website. And while the Ghibli-like artstyle is something of a plus, it still bugs me that this game is named Europa. Those in America or Asia won't bother much, but I do!
 
First, I'm VERY good at geography, actually.

Second, I know about this game since when the news of the trailer came out on this website. And while the Ghibli-like artstyle is something of a plus, it still bugs me that this game is named Europa. Those in America or Asia won't bother much, but I do!
*sigh* i want going to start a flame war, but sure... Have it your way.

First: Europe isn't Europa. Could be that it is the same in your language (it is in Dutch), but most of the world uses English where the words are different.

Second: if you knew about the game, why did you mistake a continent for a planet? Europa isn't some fictional name but an actual existing moon of jupiter.

Third: i still don't know what you're bugged about. So people with less geographical knowledge (and won't notice the spelling difference) might mistake it for our continent... So what?
 
First, I'm VERY good at geography, actually.

Second, I know about this game since when the news of the trailer came out on this website. And while the Ghibli-like artstyle is something of a plus, it still bugs me that this game is named Europa. Those in America or Asia won't bother much, but I do!
Sometimes I genuinely don’t know if you’re a dedicated troll or you’re just profoundly dense, help me out here.
 
*sigh* i want going to start a flame war, but sure... Have it your way.

First: Europe isn't Europa. Could be that it is the same in your language (it is in Dutch), but most of the world uses English where the words are different.

Second: if you knew about the game, why did you mistake a continent for a planet? Europa isn't some fictional name but an actual existing moon of jupiter.

Third: i still don't know what you're bugged about. So people with less geographical knowledge (and won't notice the spelling difference) might mistake it for our continent... So what?

To be fair. Europa is Europe in Portuguese (dev is Portuguese), but yeah, it isn't named Europa for that reason (there's also the goddess Europa).
 
Finished it yesterday.

I’ll ignore the performance issues. It’s been addressed enough here, and honestly if you aren’t lowering your standards for Switch then you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.

Journey and Abzu are still the gold standard for experiential walking simulators. Europa is a nicely conceived world, but it lacks the stylistic consistency of Journey and Abzu. Those two have a visual simplicity that is actually a strength. Europa tries too hard to be BotW and falls short.

It’s very empty. There are creatures moving around, but for the most part you don’t interact other than “drawing” a picture of them in your sketchbook. Movement is fairly slow and clumsy. You have to constantly charge up jumps. There are horizontal and vertical boosts that help, but the tedium of charging jumps gets old pretty fast.

There’s a very forgettable story told by a narrator reading from pages you collect. It’s a lazy way to tell a story, and frankly I found the narrator a little irritating and skipped it or only half paid attention. The main character’s childish grunts are extraordinarily irritating though!

For this kind of game to shine, it has to wow you visually. Journey and Abzu show you it need not be wowing you with amazing realism or high end GPU fireworks. This game isn’t awful, but there are already a ton of uninspired experiential walking simulators like Omno or the gazillion mystical fox games. Europa is fine, but not better than that.

A random aside: your character looks weirdly like Alfred E. Newman, complete with tooth gap. What’s up with that?
 
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Reactions: Ligeia
*sigh* i want going to start a flame war, but sure... Have it your way.

First: Europe isn't Europa. Could be that it is the same in your language (it is in Dutch), but most of the world uses English where the words are different.

Second: if you knew about the game, why did you mistake a continent for a planet? Europa isn't some fictional name but an actual existing moon of jupiter.

Third: i still don't know what you're bugged about. So people with less geographical knowledge (and won't notice the spelling difference) might mistake it for our continent... So what?
Europe is "Europa" oldest European languages. I absolutely loved how in the movie 300, Xerxes said "Europa" instead of "Europe" when talking to Leonidas.

"But I am a generous god. I can make you rich beyond all measure. I will make you warlord of all Greece. You will carry my battle standard to the heart of Europa."

To be fair. Europa is Europe in Portuguese (dev is Portuguese), but yeah, it isn't named Europa for that reason (there's also the goddess Europa).
Yep. Not to mention the dev Paradox has been using "Europa" for the longest in their Europa Universalis game series. Never "Europe" Universalis.
 
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Review cover
Product Information:
  • Publisher: Future Friends Games
  • Developer: Novadust Entertainment, Helder Pinto
  • Genres: Adventure, exploration
  • Also For: Computer
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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