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Europa

Europa is the closest thing we have to a Ghibli movie in video game form. With stunning visuals, a relaxing atmosphere, satisfying movement mechanics, and an intriguing mystery to uncover, Europa is a game worth losing an afternoon to.
80%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, replayability
88% User Score Based on 678 reviews
Critic Score 69%Based on 17 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchPCPCSteam DeckSteam DeckWindowsWindows

About

"Europa" is a single-player Mystery Action game with an emotive storyline, set on the verdant moon Europa. As an android named Zee, explore the breathtaking world, solve puzzles within the ruins of a fallen civilization, and discover humanity's relationship with nature in this 3-4 hour adventure. With free-flowing movement and a delightful soundtrack, "Europa" invites you to run, glide and fly across the landscape, building power and momentum as you search for answers.

Europa screenshot
Europa screenshot
Europa screenshot
Europa screenshot
Europa screenshot

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 695 reviews
story198 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions

  • Stunning visuals and art style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, creating a captivating atmosphere.
  • Relaxing gameplay with smooth movement mechanics, allowing for enjoyable exploration and flight.
  • Touching story that evokes emotions, enhanced by excellent voice acting and a beautiful soundtrack.
  • Controls can feel floaty and imprecise, leading to frustrating platforming sections.
  • Short playtime with limited replay value, as many collectibles are missable and require a second playthrough to obtain.
  • Some gameplay mechanics, such as enemy encounters and camera control, can disrupt the flow of exploration.
  • story
    369 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of Europa is a heartfelt and emotional journey, primarily centered around a father's love for his son, conveyed through beautifully narrated journal entries and stunning visuals reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. While some players found the narrative predictable or lacking depth, many appreciated its touching themes and the engaging exploration of a tranquil world. Overall, the game is praised for its art, music, and the emotional resonance of its storytelling, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy narrative-driven games.

    • “The story is touching and well told by an amazing narrator, and at the end a tear came down my eye.”
    • “The soundtrack is divine, and the story is so enthralling, cute, and emotional.”
    • “The story is well-written and thoughtfully explores the relationship between humanity and nature.”
    • “Just doesn't feel good to play, the puzzles aren't challenging or creative, the story is predictable and stereotypical.”
    • “The story never provided any hooks to draw me in emotionally, it has very little relevance to the gameplay, and it's also extremely predictable.”
    • “Where the game falls short is that the story is entirely told through the 'old man's' monologue in the book that you pick up pages for through your journey, but within the world itself there's little to no worldbuilding/storybuilding.”
  • graphics
    235 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning art style, often compared to the works of Studio Ghibli, creating a visually soothing and immersive experience. Players appreciate the beautiful environments, vibrant color palettes, and the overall aesthetic that enhances the game's calming atmosphere. However, some critiques mention that while the visuals are exceptional, they can overshadow gameplay mechanics, leading to a less engaging experience overall.

    • “The art style is absolutely stunning, reminiscent of a watercolor palette, creating a visually soothing and immersive experience.”
    • “The visuals are stunning, with beautiful scenery and locations which make me wish for more of an open world type game just like this.”
    • “A wonderfully cozy and chill puzzle platform adventure game with an art style that oozes Studio Ghibli vibes, and I am all for it.”
    • “The art style didn't click with me.”
    • “I feel like I've seen this kind of art style in many games, but it lacks the bit that makes it unique.”
    • “Too much focus on graphics and being a 'chill' game that it just misses out on being fun.”
  • music
    229 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has been widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, often described as soothing and perfectly complementing the stunning visuals and narrative. Many players noted that the soundtrack evokes a serene atmosphere reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films, enhancing the overall experience and making it a standout feature of the game. While some found the music occasionally generic, the majority felt it was a significant highlight, with many expressing a desire to obtain the soundtrack for personal enjoyment.

    • “The music playfully soars alongside your journey through the delightful scenery, and I highly recommend it.”
    • “The music is absolutely fantastic and that cannot be overstated.”
    • “The soundtrack offers a breath of the wild-esque experience with more focus on piano and strings - it fits very well with the overall design of the game.”
    • “The whole game is just music and visuals.”
    • “- boring and sleepy piano/synth music, the same music I listen to fall asleep.”
    • “Set against a backdrop of hauntingly atmospheric visuals and a melancholic soundtrack, the story follows a protagonist grappling with profound grief and existential despair.”
  • gameplay
    229 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Europa is characterized by its simplicity and relaxation, focusing on exploration and light puzzle-solving rather than challenging mechanics. While the flying and movement mechanics are generally smooth, many players found the overall gameplay to be shallow and repetitive, with a lack of variety and depth as the game progresses. Despite its shortcomings, the stunning visuals and cozy atmosphere make it an enjoyable experience for those who prioritize aesthetics over complex gameplay.

    • “The gameplay is super smooth, whether you're running, gliding, or flying around, and the puzzles hit that sweet spot of being fun without feeling impossible.”
    • “The graphics, the storyline, the gameplay... it was such a wonderful time and I'm happy I got to experience it.”
    • “If you enjoy relaxed exploratory gameplay set in stunning environments, head to Europa.”
    • “The mechanics felt choppy all the way through, and flying felt like a skill that I could never relax into.”
    • “The strengths of this game - the character movement and environmental design - instead of improving as you go, both become hampered by increasingly annoying platforming mechanics and visually dissonant enemies.”
    • “The real problem with Europa is, unfortunately, the gameplay, and when you advertise your product as being aimed at a more passive audience, this becomes a problem.”
  • emotional
    84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game "Europa" is widely praised for its touching narrative and heartfelt themes, often evoking strong feelings of empathy and connection. Players describe the story as both beautiful and profound, exploring themes of loss, isolation, and human connection, with many noting that it can be overwhelmingly emotional at times. The combination of a captivating soundtrack and visually stunning environments enhances the overall emotional experience, making it a memorable journey for those who appreciate heartfelt storytelling.

    • “Europa is an emotionally intense game that explores themes of loss, isolation, and the fragility of human connection in a beautifully haunting narrative.”
    • “The story was amazing; what I thought was going to be a relatively straightforward story evolved into such a remarkable tale that genuinely made me emotional by the end.”
    • “It’s an extremely heartwarming and sweet story revolving around a father’s love and a son’s beautiful curiosity of the world around him.”
  • atmosphere
    39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its serene and meditative qualities, enhanced by beautiful visuals, calming music, and a charming art style. Players appreciate the cohesive blend of art direction, sound design, and narrative elements, creating a relaxing experience that invites exploration and reflection. Overall, it is described as a visually stunning and emotionally resonant adventure that effectively immerses players in its world.

    • “Europa is a visually stunning, meditative experience with an incredible voice actor who perfectly complements the serene atmosphere.”
    • “Set against a backdrop of hauntingly atmospheric visuals and a melancholic soundtrack, the story follows a protagonist grappling with profound grief and existential despair.”
    • “Pros: gorgeous atmospheric scenery, with moments of flying around and through it.”
    • “And while those games have been developed by AAA studios back in the day, I have seen Crash Bandicoot fan games that had more narrative, a better atmosphere, and gameplay depth.”
  • grinding
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the lack of indicators for missed collectibles, which can make achieving 100% completion feel frustrating. While the game is described as fun and casual, the repetitive nature of certain puzzles and montages detracts from the overall experience, leading some to avoid exploration to minimize interruptions.

    • “The puzzles and flying montages often felt tedious.”
    • “I found it tedious to the point that I didn't want to explore too much to avoid running into them and stalling me for a few seconds each time.”
    • “Story was good if not a bit generic, only issue is there's no indicator on chapter select for which levels you've missed emeralds/chests or zephyr upgrades so the 100% will be a bit tedious but it'll be worth.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers moderate replayability through the collection of emeralds and hidden secrets, as well as the completion of Steam achievements. Players appreciate the opportunity to explore and gather collectibles, suggesting that additional downloadable content (DLC) could further enhance replay value.

    • “Besides that, I did enjoy the game, and there is replayability with finding all the emeralds and completing the Steam achievements.”
    • “As briefly mentioned at the beginning of the review, there are collectibles to gather along the way, so there is a bit of replayability in finding all of the hidden secrets of each area.”
    • “Maybe this could be a DLC to give it some replay value?”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is noted as a significant shortcoming, with reviewers highlighting a lack of growth or depth in the characters despite the engaging story, art style, and overall presentation. This absence of development is seen as a missed opportunity to enhance the narrative experience.

    • “The writing, art style, character design, narration, and soundtrack all culminated in an incredibly engaging story.”
    • “His character development is a huge missed opportunity: there is none.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highly praised, with players finding it so entertaining that they feel compelled to nominate it for multiple Steam award categories. This suggests that the comedic elements are a standout feature, resonating well with the audience.

  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates excellent stability on the Steam Deck, with multiple users reporting a smooth performance.

    • “It runs great on Steam Deck.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users generally find the optimization of the game to be impressive, noting that it delivers strong performance relative to its reasonable price.

    • “The price is decent, the performance is really good.”

Buy Europa

4h Median play time
4h Average play time
4-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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