Europa Review – A Beautiful Story with Meditative, Straightforward Gameplay

Europa bills itself as a story-driven adventure full of exploration and meditation. From early gameplay previews and trailers, the game’s art style and free-flowing world drew comparisons to the world of Breath of the Wild, leaving many gamers eager to jump in.

I admit that when I sat down to play Europa, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The game has a free flowing approach to movement, and the player spends a good bit of time gliding through the air. As someone who gets frustrated easily in platformers, I worried this might hinder my enjoyment.

What I found in Europa matches what’s on the tin – the game’s focus is on its story, and the gameplay guides you through in a way that makes even jumping across vanishing cubes feel cozy.

Key Details

• Publisher: Future Friends Games
• Developer: Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB), Novadust Entertainment
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
• Price: $14.99
• Review Copy Provided: Yes

A Beautiful, Expansive World

The art style in Europa is wonderful, creating a world you want to sink into. As you slide, glide, and surf through every location, you see ancient structures and strange fantastical creatures.

For all the beauty in this world, it does feel a bit empty at times, especially early on. There are a few collectibles, but much of the progression is quite straightforward in the early chapters – float straight ahead, follow the on-screen prompts, and enjoy the cinematic sweeping camera work when entering new areas.

This is the kind of game that makes me want to take screenshots whenever we get a cutscene. The world is just that beautiful, and the scenery changes as you progress through the story.

Though the first few chapters left me wishing the world had more to explore, Europa does get more complex as you progress. Soon, you’re dodging enemies and hopping on cubes that vanish at a moment’s notice.

It’s clear the developers want to ease you into the mechanics, slowly amping up the things you need to do in the world as you go. At times, however, this feels a bit directionless. Granted, that’s what some gamers want in a cozy game. Personally, I was wishing for just a bit more to do early on.

An Emotional Story with a Message

The world you explore isn’t the only thing that becomes more complicated – and a bit harder to handle – as you progress. You begin Europa at a grave, so it’s clear we’ll be dealing with heavier topics like grief. After all, Zee is the only one awake and alive on the planet Europa, and you really feel that isolation as you collect journal entries from his father.

The journal entries are beautifully voice-acted, giving the sense of having a story read to you. There are also lovely illustrations and sketches added by Zee and his father.

At first, the journal entries are incredibly hopeful and optimistic. However, as you continue to collect the pages, you begin to learn that the story of Europa is complicated.

As you about what came before Zee began his journey, the message of Europa becomes crystal clear. The game explores the complicated relationship between human beings and nature. This beautiful world is full of ruins, and we begin to understand how it got that way. Slowly, we see what led to the emptiness Zee now wanders through.

If a bit heavy-handed at times, the story is touching and emotional. It tackles big topics like the environment, hope, and conflict – as well as fatherhood and loss. Some players might find the subject matter a bit of a mismatch with the promise of meditative, soothing gameplay. Personally, I enjoyed having a story with a little emotional weight to it.

Learn To Play As You Go

One of the things that stood out to me most about Europa was the tutorial. Many games set you in, tell you a few things, and let you loose. Not so with Europa.

In some ways, the entire game is the tutorial. As you encounter new objects and obstacles, pop-ups let you know what to do with them. Nearly anything you need to know about glows with a giant, easy-to-stop light, meaning you’re not likely to get lost searching for what’s next. These hints help avoid any frustration that might take away from the coziness and free-flowing vibes of the game.

That said, sometimes it felt just a bit too helpful. Between the hints and the glowing guides, it’s not until you reach some of the mid-game puzzles that you really encounter much you have to do beyond flying on ahead.

Speaking of puzzles, I occasionally had issues with certain switches not reacting when I pushed them the first time. Since you have to meet specific requirements to activate them, this can be confusing. A couple of times, I was confident I’d gotten everything I needed, but the switch wouldn’t press. I had to walk away and come back before the game would respond, but I could see some players going back to try and figure out what they missed if they have this issue.

Despite this minor stutter, Europa is a soothingly straightforward game to play. The tutorials make things crystal clear, and the sense of having a guide throughout the game fits with the themes. Zee is collecting old journals that guide his way to understanding what happened in the past, and you as the player are collecting tutorials that help you unlock new elements of the game. It felt like I had my own ancestral spirit guiding me, much as Zee is guided by those who came before.

I think gamers looking for an experience that truly lives up to the cozy name, with little friction and mild, relatively simple obstacles to keep things interesting, will love Europa for what it offers.

Final Score – 7.5/10

Europa is a comforting, easygoing game that guides players through every step of the way. The difficulty slowly builds up as you explore, letting players settle into mechanics before dodging obstacles.

For all the beauty and the captivating storyline, at times I wanted a little bit more game from the game. The world feels a smidge empty early on, with many pretty setpieces you can’t truly interact with. While the gameplay is meditative, you’re only pursuing one objective – getting to the end.

If you want a relaxing gameplay experience where you fly around a pretty world while a meaningful story unfolds, Europa will fit the bill.

**A Steam review code for Europa was provided to Bonus Action for the purpose of this review**

About the Author

Amanda Kay Oaks

Editor

Amanda Kay Oaks is a writer, book witch, and video game enthusiast based in Latrobe, PA. She writes about books, games, and more from an office packed with crystals and Pokemon plushies. When not engrossed in work or fictional worlds, Amanda can be found in the kitchen, on her yoga mat, or walking her dog, Azula.

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