Europa Nintendo Switch Review 6.5/10 "Its visuals, charm and story do enough to lift it above average" 🌏 @EuropaGame #IndieGame #GameDev

Having seen the trailer and played the game, I can tell you right now that it's not possible to review Europa without mentioning Breath of the Wild, so I won't try. This game, like the aforementioned (Linked, you might say) Nintendo smash, is an open-worldy, puzzley platformer. 

The game has you play Zee, an android, as you explore the breath-taking views of the eponymous moon of Jupiter. You're guided through the journey by the voice of your deceased creator/father, who speaks to you through his journal, pages of which you gather as you progress.

Gameplay involves solving fairly gentle puzzles to move onwards through the map. You'll collect flame-like wisps, light lamps, and as in BOTW's shrines, push metal balls into sockets. Exploration is by way of your jetpack, enabling you to glide further and reach high and distant ledges. Collecting upgrades enables you to fly higher and longer, and using the jetpack is great fun once you get the hang of it. It's not true open-world, although the levels are big enough that you don't feel constrained. And the graphics are impressive enough that when you reach a vista point and the camera zooms out, you get a real 'wow' feeling.

The creatures you'll encounter on the way are weird and wonderful, a mixture of organic and cybernetic, and as you unlock more journal fragments you learn that they are the result of a terraforming experiment by humans in the past. Some are friendly, some not so much, but there's no damage meter or death. This means you don't have to retrace your steps much or redo sections, meaning that Europa is suitable for younger gamers too. One frustration though is that it's quite easy to get stun locked by some enemies, which really got on my nerves when it happened.

Graphically the game is reminiscent of Miyazaki movies, particularly nature-focused ones like Howl's Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke, and as mentioned above can be epic in scope. The animation is a little jumpy though and the controls take some getting used to. The music is gentle and lends itself well to the relaxed atmosphere, and is dynamic to the point that it rises when you complete certain parts of the game.

SUMMARY
Overall, while Europa isn't troubling my 2024 best-of list, its visuals, charm and story do enough to lift it above average and make it worth a look.

6.5/10

💧MELTING💧