Platform reviewed: Steam (PC)
Also on: PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S
Price: $14.99
3D platformer adventures have always been a favorite of mine ever since I was a child. Diving into an unknown world, experiencing its multitude of wonders, and piecing together a story as you go, only to hit that plot twist that pulls everything together? There’s nothing like it, if you ask me.
Europa truly captured that same feel as I played through it. From the moment I launched the game, I was instantly captivated by the combination of its beautiful art style and music. And before I knew it, I was brought into a mysterious, colorful world told to me by my character’s father. And I must say, Europa’s story grabbed my attention within minutes of playing it.
I played as an android boy named Zee, whose journey through Europa guides him to the discovery of his past and how his father’s story leads to his own destiny. I was impressed by how quickly the game began to introduce you to the core mechanics of the game. Initially, I was given a backpack that appeared to double as a battery pack of sorts but before I learned the secrets of that, I was taught to glide. Something that was used quite frequently throughout my entire playthrough. While gliding through the air was a core form of travel throughout the game, I did encounter one mechanic that became troublesome at random times. A small feature within the game is how you are able to slide down anything that might resemble a slope. There were plenty of times that I used this to my advantage, and enjoyment, to expertly slide into a new scene and propel myself into the air into a glide across the skies, but there were also a few times, less than I could count on one hand, where my sliding became near infinite. I found myself unable to start running after coming off from sliding down a small slope and I would continue to slide across the ground. I even started sliding up a hill! These moments were infrequent, but when they did happen, it was quite jarring and took me a moment to collect my footing again.
As I stated, the story itself was told to me by Zee’s father through a series of journal entries that you find throughout your playthrough. And by the end of the story, I was able to go back and flip through the entire journal to view the story in its entirety, which was quite satisfying if I must say so. The journal also came with sketches of the scene Zee’s father was describing, which, again, were very beautifully done. Drawing also came in another form throughout the game. For the collectible hunters out there you’ve got a couple of options! I encountered a moment where I could interact with the environment and a nifty drawing of a nearby creature appeared! Collectibles also appear as big green crystals scattered across the land, some were very visible, while others were expertly hidden from plain sight. Admittedly, I missed a lot of these in my initial playthrough and I quite wish I would’ve slowed down to look for more of the drawings and crystals. But flying through the skies was just too fun! Next time.
Puzzles. Some of my favorite 3D platformers have a puzzle or two that keeps my mind thinking. And Europa did a phenomenal job at expanding on the puzzles throughout the game. Almost all of them were centered around these cubes, of several colors, that were around a particular zone. And using them was required to progress through the game. Each color responded to me in a different way. Some would appear or disappear when I jumped! While others shifted in a specific direction when I interacted with them. Europa also did a great job at giving me little reminders about the cubes and how they function when I hadn’t encountered a specific color in some time. It was brief, but enough for me to go, “Oh! Right!”
I did encounter some enemies along my journey with Zee. They were minimal in most zones, but enough to keep me on my toes and even got my heart racing at one point when I was dodging lasers and trying not to get blown up by mines at the same time, all the while running on ice. Phew! Needless to say, I highly enjoyed being able to deactivate some of them when I had the chance. Through some places, however, I was able to dodge them while using the combination of boosting myself up into the air and gliding through the skies. The booster does have a charge to it that will eventually deplete, but the game was very generous in supplying me with energy to recharge it. Europa also had a sneaky way of taking it away from me.
Overall, the game was quite enjoyable! The stunning environmental design and music kept me intrigued, while the game’s mechanics and plot captivated me in a way that made me feel sad that the story came to an end. Oh! And I mentioned a plot twist at the beginning of all this. There was a point, towards the end of the story, that I quite literally sat and stared at my monitor with my mouth agape. I came into this game knowing nothing about it and left with a fulfilled heart as Europa hit every point that I love about story driven games. Oh, and I made a fox friend along the way too.
Final Grade: B+
Europa hits every mark in my book for a good quality 3D platformer adventure. It follows the story of Zee, an android boy, as he discovers his past told through his father’s journal entries that are scattered across the land. Its captivating art style, music, and engaging story trapped me within its grasp just a few minutes into the game. Gliding through the environment proved to be my best friend and my worst enemy as I successfully dodged enemies but missed a few of the many collectibles hidden throughout this adventure! The emotional impact of this story’s plot twist will live on in my heart as I slide back into life to uncover my own destiny!
Review code provided by Future Friends Games.