Former Overwatch and Diablo 3 art director Helder Pinto is making an indie adventure game inspired by Studio Ghibli with a handful of friends. That game is Europa, and if the Ni No Kuni-like art style wasn’t enough to convince you of its inspirations, even a brief glimpse at Europa’s debut trailer will.
In Pinto’s vision, Jupiter’s moon Europa is a beautiful world with sparkling rivers, cozy cottages, and splendid, verdant fields – and it’s littered with remnants of an ancient civilization, including giant stone robots. It’s all very Castle in the Sky, but instead of thugs, sky pirates, and Mark Hamill, you get a lone android named Zee.
Zee comes to Europa searching for answers about the lost civilization and finds themselves wrapped up in the story of the last human. Zee’s journey spans the entirety of Europa, into the frozen tundras that still, somehow, manage to look cozy even at their frostiest and up into the sky, all with the help of a handy jetpack.
Upgrading this nifty gadget lets Zee explore further and higher, though even with upgrades and giant mechanical dragons, Pinto bills Europa as less of a traditional video game and more of a peaceful and meditative experience, more in line with what you’d expect from a cozy game.
Pinto began developing the project alone, though has since brought a few friends on board to help.
- Alex Petherick-Brian (programming)
- Craig Harris (animation)
- Brian Horn (narrative and cinematics)
- Joao Sapiro Josue” (character art)
- “Uriel Cordas” (concept art)
It’s an experience we’re eager to see more of, when Europa launches on PC via Steam sometime later in 2023.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
