Europa – PC Review

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Fancy something a bit more peaceful? Fancy a game where the focus is on exploration and meditation? Well, Europa might be exactly what you are looking for. This is the creation of a small team led by the former Overwatch and Diablo3 Art Director, Helder Pinto. Then published by Future Friends Games Europa attempts to go against the grain and give you a more chilled experience.

Chilled, Peaceful, Exploration

So let’s dive into this peaceful game of adventure. Join us on this journey.

Gameplay

I will start off by saying, the game is only around 4 hours long, Don’t let that detract you from continuing your reading though, as it packs a lot into a small game. All in all Europa is an incredible game with simplistic controls, which leaves a smile on your face.

Europa has a very touching story of exploration, joining an android named Zee on Jupiter’s moon. Zee sets out on an adventure to discover the mystery of the fallen utopia on a mission to discover the story of the last human alive.

screenshot of europa showing your character Zee stood in front of a house with a waterwheel
Who would live in a house like this?

Your journey through Europa would be nothing without your Zephyr jetpack. This aids your exploration, collecting shards to increase the maximum capacity allowing you to hover. It also helps you reach higher platforms and fly through the air. Be careful though, if you venture near the purple crystals they will drain the energy from your Zephyr.

Creatures

Through your Europa adventure, you will come across a number of different creatures. Each time you find a new creature you will get a prompt which will then draw a sketch in your notepad. This is a neat way to keep track of what you’ve encountered. From deer and rabbits to flying robots.

Along your way you will also find pages of your notebook that have seemingly been ripped out. These give a glimpse into the story and help give you a bigger picture of what happened to bring you to where you are. All the notes are voiced by an elderly gentleman who tells of a heart-warming story of the last human alive.

As you move through the levels the puzzles start with a simple lighting of fires, eventually though they become more difficult to solve. Thankfully they are never truly impossible so progress should never be halted. Watch out for the turrets though, they like to catch you off guard!

Graphics & Audio

Europa is a stunning game, with a paper texture overlay making you almost believe you are playing a watercolour painting. The vibrant colours all around the game delivers around each and every corner. I really could go on talking about the graphics, but it’s easier for you to check out the screenshot below.

screenshot from europa showing the environment and graphics you would expect during europa. the lush green environment with the stonework buildings, please note the creatures flying in the foreground and a number of energy spheres where you can charge your zephyr jetpack
Look at those views.

The calming sound effects during the game add to the beauty of the game. All of the sound effects in the game combine to create an orchestral score that is a joy to the senses. Honestly, it’s incredible.

Longevity

With the game being relatively short at 3-4 hours, you could be thinking what’s the point? Please don’t let the time for a play through stop you from picking up Europa. There is more to the game than just going through the story. For instance there are collectables as well. Aiming to 100% will obviously elongate your experience, but honestly I’d recommend taking the time to just enjoy the game however you choose to play.

Final Thoughts

So Europa is a stunning experience, a calming adventure of exploration leading to one of the most engaging storylines I’ve experienced in a long while.

It is my pleasure to give Europa the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.

Disclaimer: A code was received to write this review.

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