Europa review: Soar away from your troubles

As a fan of the delightfully cozy Studio Ghibli films, any game that looks to channel those vibes is pretty good in my books. Developed by Novadust Entertainment, Europa has Ghibli written all over it in its narrative as well as its soft and pretty visuals. While the jetpack-based exploration and puzzles are a boost of fun, there are a few inconsistencies that stop this from being one I’d return to on a rainy day.

Nothing that happens is ever forgotten

Europa places you in control of a little android boy called Zee on the titular, once-frozen moon of Jupiter. As Zee, it’s your job to explore the rolling green fields of the terraformed moon using your Zephyr jetpack in a bid to find your father Adam, solve the mysteries of where everyone went, all while sketching the inorganic wildlife and scooping up collectibles.

The visuals are certainly a highlight of the experience, with each area looking like it’s straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. There’s a charming softness to the environment, the friendly animals, and even some of the dastardly robots that act as some slight resistance to your journey.

However, as much as I loved the aesthetic, the game too quickly shifted from a Ghibli-esque waterwheel farmhouse vibe to nothing but ancient ruins. It would have been so lovely to have more small towns or other wooden buildings to explore rather than endless stone structures and monoliths.

Listen to the voice of the wind, it carries a dream

When it comes to exploring, that’s where Europa really shines. With his trusty Zephyr jetpack, Zee can take to the air with a jump before gliding and flying around. In order to recharge the jetpack, you’ll need to collect blue, glowing energy that’s scattered around the environment.

As you’re flying around, your eye will be drawn to points of interest as you search for your next bump in energy. It’s this nice little push-pull, where you’ll be running a tad low, and the game will offer you just enough of a recharge to keep you going.

However, there can be some frustrating parts with those dastardly robots I mentioned. While blue will recharge the jetpack, these robots and other hazards will hit you with purple energy, draining your power. Too often I was just enjoying the experience of exploring only to be knocked out of the air and grounded. At this point, I wasn’t able to take to the skies until I ran around and found the robot’s off switch.

Despite the pesky ‘bots, the worst thing that will happen on Europa is you’ll get knocked down or slowed. Little Zee will just get right back up and soldier on. This lack of risk, and the fact the area sizes aren’t overwhelming, certainly helps keep the stress low and the game moving forward. Even straying a little too far out of bounds is relaxing, as you’ll be gently blown back into the play area like a leaf on the wind.

The wind is rising. We must try to live.

The exploration is just one part of the gameplay loop, the other is solving puzzles. These amount to little more than finding wisps in an area to unlock gates, moving blocks around to reach distant ledges, and others focused on platforming. They’re rather simple in their design, which tends to match the relaxed atmosphere the developers are aiming for.

One of the developers, Helder Pinto (who has previous credits as Diablo 3 art director), wanted to contribute a change of pace to your gaming catalogue, and the goal has certainly been reached. The inspirations of Gris, Journey, and Abzu are apparent throughout the whole experience, so it’s less about getting stuck on puzzles and more about the journey.

The wind beneath my wings

Unfortunately, even relaxing journeys can have their uneven grounds that threaten to twist an ankle. In Europa, you’ll collect hidden crystal stars to upgrade your jetpack and sketch the various android animals and artifacts you come across. But this sketching mechanic was inconsistent. Sometimes the game would prompt me to sketch a new creature while other times I’d spot some new animal and wouldn’t be able to draw it in my notebook.

As someone who enjoys getting all the Achievements in a game, I wanted to loop back and find any of the hidden crystals I’d missed. But after the credits rolled, I discovered there’s no chapter select or details on which areas have collectibles I was missing. Though it’s a short game, not being able to easily tie up loose ends was disappointing.

Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away

Narrative games sometimes struggle with balancing the flow of gameplay and storytelling. For Europa, the team at Novadust Entertainment has managed to keep the pacing tight throughout the entire experience, ensuring that the gameplay doesn’t detract from the story, and the tale doesn’t stop you from taking to the skies. Even if the journey has a few rough edges, Europa is an immersive and thought-provoking game that nails the Ghibli sense of wonder.

This review is based on a Steam code provided by the publisher. Europa is releasing on Steam and Nintendo Switch on October 11, 2024.

Loren Chandler

Contributing Editor

Loren Chandler comes from a land down under. She’s a lover of all things video games, tea, cats, reading, and craft related. If you checked in on what she’s playing at any given time, it’ll either be a survival-crafting game or one of the cute and cozy varieties.