Europa – Review

If Lies of P had a colourful and cosy little brother

Europa is the title that piqued my interest in what the folks at Future Friends Games had to offer and prompted me to get in touch with them to be on their press list. The title was still in development at the time, but I was also getting used to cosy games, how to write about them, and even wondering if I loved them as much as I thought. I'm happy to say that the cosy games I've received from them have been among the best – which means I won't let them off the hook so easily after they've set the bar so high.

Anyway. Let's get back to our mutton. A small detail you need to know about Europa is that the Creative Director behind it is Helder Pinto, former Principal Art Lead for Blizzard between 2012 and 2023 for projects such as Overwatch 1 and 2, as well as Diablo – Reaper of Souls. And as if that wasn't enough, he also brought in Brian Horn as a collaborator – the current Cinematic Director for World of Warcraft who worked on titles such as Diablo 3 and 4, Hearthstone, as well as Starcraft 2. What I'm trying to tell you here is that these people weren't just picked up off the street and suddenly decided, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to start a game?" There's a talented team behind it, and my expectations are accordingly high.

Am I impressed by the people Novadust Entertainment has gathered to bring this project to life? Of course. Will I look at this title with an even more critical eye due to the quality they are expected to deliver? You can bet on it. Let's get to work.

“Is it possible to feel homesick for a place you’ve never been?”

With this line, Adam, the narrator, greets Zee, his son and our character, in the lands of Europa. Europa is a planet far, far away from Earth, where water tastes like wine, and life flourishes from every corner. More precisely, the appearance of humans on the planet seems to have awakened the planet's ability to breathe life into the world, transforming it into one of the best places for humanity to settle. So why is Adam missing? Why is Zee all alone? Why does he have a mechanical body that looks like it's made of wood? Why does he seem to have a connection with the creatures he encounters? These questions and many more will cross your mind from the very beginning of the game, prompting you to think about potential answers as you explore the fairytale-like planet. What's more, the narrator and the game itself are a love letter that encourages curiosity and how humans should use it as a creative force. As adults, we've probably forgotten curiosity and exchanged it for a cold, mechanical approach based on planning, strategies, and... we no longer know what it's like to dream of possibilities and how to allow ourselves to be curious, to experiment, and to be happy even when things don't work out. Europa reminds us that it's perfectly normal to let our curiosity run wild, just like when we were children.

The story is told through Adam's journal – its pages are scattered throughout the world, and you'll find some of them throughout each chapter, discovering the story and events that took place before Zee woke up in this fascinating world. To make things even cooler, the text is fully narrated, and I couldn't have asked for a warmer, more paternal, and loving voice than that of Earl Fisher, whom you might know from games like Atlas Fallen, Diablo 4 and Diablo Immortal, Borderlands 3, and many other popular titles. His friendly voice takes you back to when you were a child and were guided by a loving parent on the path of life.

I mentioned earlier that this game would be Lies of P's more colourful and cosy little brother – I didn't just do that to grab your attention. The story of Europa anchors itself in a few points similar to that of the souls-like title, and it seems that The Adventures of Pinocchio, the creation of Italian writer Carlo Collodi, is being used as inspiration for yet another interesting title. Obviously, I won't give you spoilers about these segments – I'll let you find out for yourselves.

Speaking of inspiration, Europa might remind you of titles like Hoa or RiME in terms of themes, artistic direction, gameplay, and emotional impact. Even if Europa tells a story in a cheerier tone than the titles I mentioned.

The game will take you through 15 chapters that will take you somewhere around 3-4 hours to finish if you play casually. If you want to get all the collectible items, you might spend another hour finding them all. Or you can use a guide, so you don't have to go through the game again just for them. I like to explore when I review games, and I use guides for games in my free time for a slightly smoother experience. Choose what you like best and happy treasure hunting.

Fly like a butterfly. Don't get stung by bees.

The game is 95% what I would expect from a cosy puzzle game. The mechanics are simple, easy, and fun to use. I played on a controller, so keep that in mind when I talk about controls. On that note, I encourage you to use one if you have the option, as it was an extremely pleasant experience and the controls are programmed to be user-friendly.

You have the basic controls for running and jumping, plus controls for flying and gliding. To fly, you need to collect a form of blue energy called Zephyr, which is scattered throughout the game world and can be found as energy orbs – later you'll find Zephyr lakes that will fill Zee's tank. There are also white crystals hidden in each chapter that allow you to store more Zephyr, which will help Zee fly for a longer period. Once you run out of Zephyr while in the air or if you jump from a high place, you can hold down the jump button to glide while controlling the character and where you want to land. The Zephyr orbs are cleverly scattered throughout the levels to allow for easy flying and navigation. You will also encounter wind tunnels that give you a boost, or wind columns that help you reach higher platforms. My only regret when it comes to flying is that I would have liked it to be a more frequent activity – a very large part of the joy of playing Europa came from gliding and admiring the landscapes, and I was saddened every time I had to descend and look for objects to progress. Honestly, I would be more than happy if the people at Novadust developed a cosy title focused on flying, as they did a wonderful job with it in this one.

The developers deserve a huge thumbs up for the level design and how the game flows. As I mentioned earlier, you have a few items to find and collect throughout the game and associated achievements – all journal pages, all crystals that extend Zephyr capacity. But here's the interesting part: you'll discover most of them naturally, just by playing the game. We're also given an introductory scene before each chapter, highlighting areas where collectible items are located. You don't have to make titanic efforts to find them all, with the exception of the Emeralds. These are intentionally hidden, but you have a counter that keeps track of them and... pay attention... they remain collected if you decide for any reason to abandon the current save file and start a new game – you don't have to look for them all again. This aspect represents the 5% of gameplay that didn't delight me and broke my immersion. I don't know about you, but when I hear "collectibles," my brain goes into anti-cosy mode and I become a kleptomaniac goblin looking for them even in a snake's mouth – and as I said, this breaks immersion. When it comes to Europa, I decided at one point that I just wanted to enjoy the game and deal with this problem after I went through the story.

The puzzles are easy to solve and intuitive. Mostly you have to jump on different blocks that may or may not disappear – some of them can be made to appear or disappear by the character when jumping – or you have to move them clockwise to get from point A to point B. For other puzzles, you have to find hidden torches or cubes and activate them to advance to the next level. And for others, you have to find some fireflies to unlock the next level. Just like with collectibles, it's easy to find these mechanisms that allow you to progress in the game. I've said it once and I'll say it again: in Europa, I feel that the game flows naturally and I love that.

A wise choice on the part of the team is also the inclusion of a Zen Mode immediately after launch – this is the mode I preferred to play after trying the normal game mode for 1.5 hours on launch day. What exactly does Zen Mode do? It eliminates hostility from the game. There are sections where some of the creatures roaming Europa called "gardeners" will attack you, but Zen Mode gets rid of that. I preferred this game mode over the normal one because my main intention with this type of experience is to disconnect from everything after a long day of work and let my mind wander and relax. That, and the fact that I usually play and review a lot of titles where everything and everyone tries to kill my character at the first opportunity. I also need a break now and then.

This is what a “cosy” experience should look and sound like

If you've read my most recent preview, you know I had pretty big problems with the colour palette, as well as the lack of contrast and outlines in the game I was talking about. I'm happy to tell you that Europa is an extremely colourful game that has mercy on your little eyes and doesn't try to stab them. The aesthetic based on watercolour colours helps in this regard. There is balance, warmth, and it's easy on the eyes.

If we're talking about different environments and aesthetics, there's diversity here too: green plains, snowy tundras, underwater regions, floating fortresses, etc. Each with its own specifics. Each with unique gardeners roaming them. You can even sketch some of these creatures in Zee's notebook when you encounter new species.

As Helder Pinto also mentions in a short in-game video, they designed it as a relaxing and meditative experience. And music plays an important role in creating this experience. If you've ever listened to music and low-frequency sounds while trying to study, write, work, meditate, or even fall asleep, then you'll feel at home with Europa's sound direction. The music is diverse enough to capture the essence of each region – you won't have to worry about hearing the same melodies or variations of them repeated endlessly. The sound effects for running and flying are not invasive either. The only element that is slightly annoying is Zee's scream every time he jumps or falls – they are extremely repetitive and quickly became irritating.

Final Verdict

There are many aspects to appreciate about Europa and very few that disrupt the cosy experience. On the positive side, there's a cool story focused on themes like reflection and self-exploration, intuitive movements and mechanics, an extremely natural flow of gameplay sections, an artistic direction focused on watercolour and eye-friendly colours, and a sound direction that contributes to the idea of a meditative experience. The only less pleasant things are the Emeralds that you don't naturally find while playing, and searching for them takes you out of the immersive state; Zee's repetitive screams when he jumps or falls; a story that lacks deeply emotional moments like we find in other cosy games. But hey, that means you can play whenever you want to let your mind wander freely and you can stop peacefully if you've had too much calm and quiet and are ready to go to bed or do something else.

It gets a solid 8.5 from me and is worth the £16 you'll pay for the game. It also has an introductory offer during the launch period, and you can get it now for £15. Plus, you can replay it quietly whenever you want a calming experience. Once you finish the game, you have the option to choose which level you want to replay.

That's all from me. Have fun roaming through Europa.

Played on: PC
Release date: 11 October 2024
Developer: Helder Pinto, Chozabu (Alex PB), Novadust Entertainment
Publisher: Future Friends Games

Review by Constantin Dumitru