Try as you might, you’d be hard-pressed to find another game that encapsulates the feeling of a Studio Ghibli movie as well as Europa does.
Set on the titular moon of Jupiter, Europa follows our young protagonist as he follows in the footsteps of his late father, a colonist from Earth who fled the dying world to join the ongoing terraforming project on the moon’s surface. You’ll slide, glide, and fly your way across the magnificently green garden moon as you collect your late father’s journal pages, sketch pictures of the local fauna, and explore the landscapes and history of your found paradise in the stars… and the fate of the people who once inhabited it.
It’s difficult for me to describe just how well Europa captures both the look and feel of Studio Ghibli.
You can likely see it in this review’s screenshots, but stepping into the game for the first time, it becomes impossible not to see the resemblance. Europa proudly advertises and wears its Ghibli inspirations. It translates the art to a 3D space in a way I didn’t believe could be done, and I struggled to understand it even after seeing it firsthand. Everything from the game’s color choices, textures, and every facet of the art style screams Ghibli, with one exception being our protagonist’s face. Something about the character’s model manages to break the illusion. I’d barely consider myself an artist (not sharing my sketchbook doodle in this review, so just take my word for it), but if I had to pinpoint why the look doesn’t work, it would be a lack of shading or defining lines on the character’s flatly colored face. It’s the one exception to an otherwise phenomenal execution of a timeless and inspiring art style.
That exception aside, the game not only looks like a Ghibli film presented in three dimensions but is often so good at mimicking its inspirations that it creates the illusion of being in the 2D plane of a Ghibli movie. I doubt my screenshots capture the phenomena I’m talking about, but there were several moments in the game where I looked at a distant landscape, such as a temple or plane on the horizon, and thought, “Wow, what a phenomenal 2D background that is. It’s too bad I can’t go to that place.” I then found myself immediately surprised that the amazing background drawing was, in fact, a three-dimensional plane in front of me, and I could actually go to that place.
I’m not entirely sure how well that concept translates to you, dear readers, but it was very jarring to experience firsthand and left me in awe. The way the game makes you feel, not as if you’re traversing a level designed in an engine but rather that you’ve somehow been transported into an actual Ghibli movie is impressive, to say the least, and that alone makes the game worth playing.
In addition to Europa’s amazing visual experience, the game is also fun to play, something that can be pretty rare with titles that focus so hard on the visuals.
This, of course, is due to Europa’s use of movement mechanics. A relaxing experience about exploration, you will find yourself navigating beautiful landscapes and quiet ruins as you uncover the secrets of the people who once inhabited Europa.
Doing so requires the help of advanced exploration technology, which gives Europa some incredibly satisfying movement mechanics. You’ll find yourself high jumping, sliding, gliding, and flying across the game’s landscapes, often for prolonged periods and always with a fantastic view to accompany you. The game makes you feel light as a feather, soaring through the air effortlessly without the fear of falling. Frankly, it made me resent that some of my favorite games feature incredibly limited movement and fall damage. Ending a long glide in Europa with a long slide downhill is an extremely satisfying experience.
The game features a plethora of puzzles, none of which are too complicated and require little more than exploration. Pairing these simple yet mentally stimulating little puzzles with the game’s gorgeous landscapes, atmosphere, and freeing movement mechanics makes for a very liberating and relaxing title.
True to its inspirations, Europa isn’t a game that is going to demand a huge commitment of your time, nor will it overstay its welcome. The game can be finished in just about three hours, making it about the length of a couple of Ghibli movies. In a similar fashion to Ghibli movies, Europa wants nothing more than to help you relax, awe you with phenomenal visuals, and intrigue you with a captivating story of mystery and exploration.
There’s nothing more I can say about Europa without spoiling the experience or putting this review at risk of redundancy. While writing it, I realized that a lot of the feelings I had while playing the game could hardly be expressed in writing. If you are anything like me and find yourself unimpressed by your first glance at Europa, I urge you to ignore that impulse and give the game a chance. While certainly not a game that will change me forever or be something I play every day, I found myself pleasantly surprised, impressed, and awed by what Europa achieved. I think this game has a lot to offer anybody. It’s managed to pique my curiosity.
The Final Word
Europa is the closest thing we have to a Ghibli movie in video game form. With stunning visuals, a relaxing atmosphere, satisfying movement mechanics, and an intriguing mystery to uncover, Europa is a game worth losing an afternoon to.
Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Europa is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch.
Ni no Kuni would be Studio Ghibli in video game form, since you know they worked on the game. But yeah “closest thing” for sure. lol
In my opinion, Europa captures the feeling of Ghibli films better than the Ni no Kuni series. Blasphemous, I know, but this is mostly due to the technology difference allowing Europa to translate Ghibli’s style into 3d better. That, and I don’t think Studio Ghibli made the Ni no Kuni games with the explicit purpose of making them feel like their movies; They were doing something new, whereas Europa was made specifically to replicate the look and feeling of a Ghibli film.