If your eyes are in need of something soothing after blinking your way through the night and this year’s Game Awards, then may I introduce you to Europa, an absolutely lovely looking new adventure from developer Helder Pinto.
Sporting a gorgeous Ghibli-esque art style, Europa promises a “peaceful game of adventure, exploration, and meditation” on terraformed moon in Jupiter’s shadow. Here, among lakes, meadows, mountains, and the remnants of a fallen civilisation, players – cast as an android called Zee – can run, glide, and fly across the landscape as they try to uncover the story of their creator.
Alongside an “intimate story about growing up and humanity’s relationship with nature”, Europa promises puzzles, secrets, and hidden dangers, with players able to gradually upgrade their Zephyr jetpack to boost higher and further.
Europa, which has been in the works since 2017, is described as a “passion project” for developer Helder Pinto, who also works as a principle art lead at Blizzard, with credits on the likes of Overwatch 2 and Diablo 3. As development has gone on, Pinto has expanded Europa’s team to “help make Europa the best game it can be. ”
Europa launches in 2023, and will be making its way to Steam and unspecified consoles.
