From the Indie World and playing the demo released soon after, I knew Europa was one I wanted to play. A relaxed vibe while on an adventure, Helder Pinto and Novadust Entertainment have created a wonderful experience of traversing across the land of Europa to reach The Island. Along the way there’s light puzzles to solve and things to find while admiring all this beautiful scenery.

The demo allowed access to the first two chapters of Europa, introducing the android Zee, who is the viewpoint this world is seen by. The basics of movement are introduced with the first chapter, with the levitation device seeing use starting from the second. Or at least when it comes to flying. That levitation device is powered by Zethyr energy, but even without any Zethyr within its tank, it is still possible to perform powered jumps and glide. Moves introduced with the first chapter.

That demo introduced how this story is told, with the notebook pages written by Zee’s deceased father Adam detailing the history of Europa’s settlement. And just how things went wrong. These notebook pages guide the journey, acting similar to mission markers with their orange light being clear to see. The narration while listening to these pages being read is easily understandable, feeling almost whimsical with certain sections.

The notebook pages aren’t the only thing being collected on this journey. Crystal stars increase the amount of Zethyr energy the levitation device can hold. Emeralds are also waiting to be found, with 40 in total to hunt down. Zee has a sketchbook, with many of the animals and relics of the past able to be included in it. Only the emeralds are tracked with how many are found, but the sketches made can be looked at any time. Just like the notebook pages.

When offering thoughts on the demo, I said that the puzzles didn’t go against the relaxed nature of the game. They’re easily solvable. I expressed my hope that such would be the case further in. And such is true. Throughout the entire journey, there was never a puzzle that I spent too long thinking about. There’s enough variation when it comes to the puzzles that repetitiveness isn’t an issue. Even if the types of puzzles encountered are few.

While there’s no combat in Europa, and no health to be aware of, there’s still a few encounters with hostiles to navigate. Gardeners are the robots the humans used to build Europa, but they eventually turned on the humans. These robots will track Zee, firing a disabling laser that will knock Zee down while depleting Zethyr. Flying insects will swarm Zee to consume the Zethyr within the tank. Crab-like creatures fire disabling energy bombs that do the same thing.

Then there’s the purple crystals, which are placed in areas that are meant to be navigated with jumping puzzles. After all, where would the challenge be if you could just levitate through them? And so the purple crystals completely deplete any Zethyr within the tank, and also stop glides from being performed. As said, no puzzle is ever difficult, so such isn’t an issue.

What potentially could be an issue is the control of Zee. There seems to be a slight delay in input recognition, or at least when it comes to stopping. I’ve let go of the stick a times for Zee to keep moving just a bit longer than I’d have expected. Since there’s no narrow walkways to be navigating, it’s not too much of a problem. But when jumping around, those few extra steps could easily see Zee falling.

With my thoughts on the demo, I did say it would be the history being recounted in this notebook pages that would drive me through the game, and that has indeed been the case. Well, as I also noted, once I’d finished exploring an area. And there’s a lot to enjoy when it comes to that exploration. The many meadows with their lakes, temples and other ruins of the civilisation now gone. Underground caverns and snowy mountainside. I loved seeing it all.

And that story, as already said, is told through narration of these notebook pages. Telling of one man who hopes this civilisation can be for his child what he never had. Its descent into ruins. And what comes after. It’s a nice tale, one which carries hope of survival through it, even in the dark events that took place. Even with the ending, there’s hope for a better future, even in, if I understood it right, the destruction of the past.

Europa is a lovely adventure that exudes wonder and relaxing vibes. The painterly visuals, the calming piano tunes, simple to solve puzzles, and little in the way of fast-paced action all combine to create a very lovely experience. An experience I can easily recommend.

Images Taken From:
Europa | Nintendo Switch [Docked]