Some of the best stories in gaming are told in short-form, high-effort mediums, and I go out of my way to track them all down. Gone Home, Last Day of June, Before Your Eyes, and tons more have had a profound emotional effect on me, and I end up recalling a lot more of these experiences than I do in these few hours than I do after playing long AAA games. With Europa being a mainstay at several Wholesome Directs, I was thrilled to see this title which aims to bring the player into a “flow state” with its soaring heights and gorgeous landscapes. Has it been worth the wait?

The world of Europa sees you take the reigns of an android named Zee, resembling a young boy, with a jetpack-like device strapped to your back. Zee floats about with this device across tons of grassy, icy, and dream-sequence landscapes that are breathtaking at certain junctures. You’ll piece together the story of the floating isle and the indigenous, robotic wildlife on Europa called Guardians. There are some extremely compelling Guardian designs, like one whose body is composed of a hot-air balloon and a dragon-like flying one that takes up the majority of the screen.

Amidst Europa‘s eye candy and aurora skies is a whole lot of traversing and some light puzzle-solving. These puzzles are thankfully very, very simplistic and straightforward, and won’t be a barrier for entry for anyone afraid to use their brain during this adventure. Moving about from place to place can get a bit exhausting as the verticality of Zee’s device makes for some fun ups and downs, but it’s a very horizontal adventure that doesn’t see much use out of this central gameplay mechanic and results in just a lot of walking instead of more involved platforming and jumping.

When Europa works, though, it really clicks. I found myself fully immersed for the majority of its 3 hours of playtime, absorbing each page of the journal that Zee’s father left behind. Thanks to stellar voice acting and a soundtrack that is to die for, getting lost in Europa is almost a guarantee. If there’s something to raise a stink about, it’s that Zee’s grunts only have a few lines recording and hundreds of leaps and falls take place in any playthrough, I would have loved to do without hearing this on a seemingly-infinite loop any time I wanted to jump – which was a lot.

At a very reasonable price point of $14.99, Europa comes well recommended. A passing glance at the trailer below gives a glimpse of how its movement appears, but it truly feels different once you have control of Zee and can feel it for yourself. For a passion project from a small dev team, it truly is quite an accomplishment and will be fondly remembered by those who dig in. If you can put up with its short length and somewhat tedious gameplay loop, Europa will have a heartstring-pulling, satisfying tale to tell for you.

A PC review copy of Europa was provided by Future Friends Games for the purposes of this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Europa

$14.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Striking Visuals
• Immersive Soundtrack
• Easy to Pick Up and Play

Cons

• Gameplay Gets Same-y Quick
• The kid's Voice is Annoying