Europa appears on the horizon for PC and consoles

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Announcements by Jack Allin
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Upcoming "peaceful game of adventure, exploration and meditation" inspired by Studio Ghibli

A moon may not sound like a very relaxing place to visit, let alone be the source of an "intimate story about growing up and humanity’s relationship with nature." But then, most moons aren't like the fictionalized version of Europa, the titular setting for the upcoming debut title from indie developer Helder Pinto.

The game is set on the moon Europa, but a much different version of Europa than the one we're accustomed to. This is no barren rock in space, but a "lush terraformed paradise in Jupiter's shadow." And yet for reasons unknown, it's no longer inhabited by humankind. What happened here that drove the human race away – or alternatively, to extinction? As an android named Zee, players must "run, glide and fly across the landscape, solve mysteries in the ruins of a fallen utopia, and discover the story of the last human alive."

Inspired by the films of Studio Ghibli, Europa presents a "breathtaking world of lakes, meadows and mountains ... scattered with the remains of a fallen civilisation." The journey is intended to be a peaceful one of "adventure, exploration and meditation," but rather than pointing and clicking your way across this extraterrestrial wonderland, here you'll be equipped with a jetpack. At first it will only have enough power to propel you from one "boost" point to another, but as you "uncover secrets, solve puzzles, and navigate hidden dangers in the ruins," over time you'll also gain the ability to upgrade the jetpack to boost yourself "further through the air until you can flow freely into the sky."

While Europa represents the first indie game from Helder Pinto, he's no stranger to the industry, having worked as an artist at Blizzard on such popular titles as Overwatch and Diablo 3. Along with a small team, Pinto has been working on the game for five years now, and at last its release is in sight, with an expected launch sometime in 2023 for Windows PC on Steam, along with as-yet-unannounced consoles.