Nintendo Switch 2 Review: Featuring Indie Game – “Europa”
I bought a Nintendo Switch 2 a few months back – and to be pointed, I really enjoy the system. Warning: I am a Nintendo Freak – and by that, I mean, I do not play many other platforms. In my youth, I used to game pretty hard on PC, SEGA, & Nintendo platforms, but as I’ve grown into a woman, I only play Nintendo. I most recently got back into gaming, honestly, due to curiosity of how the games have evolved (not much) and I’d like to mention Lupe Fiasco, so due to this song.
A quick rundown of the Switch 2 – it does not vary enough from the initial release of the initial system, which I now call, the Switch 1. Honestly, I think that the gaming companies should only move their players to new systems when they have made significant changes. As this is primarily a handheld system, I’m also mildly upset that it is so big. I’ve adapted, but I do prefer the size of the Switch 1. Also, I’ve noticed that I might be a little too insular – I’m not taking advantage of the cool online gaming features. I do not have great Internet in my area (WTF Google, no fiber for the Southside of Atlanta, almost 16 years in now), so I’m not doing much online gaming. I do research, however. I’ve spent the last month playing Pokopia and I’m exhausted. Pokopia is amazing, but I doubt that I will be able to take advantage of how cool the game is without a Nintendo Online Membership and some online gameplay to visit the cool isles in the imaginations of others. I’ll do a more in depth review of Pokopia another time – right now, I want to write about a lesser known game, Europa. This game, now sold in the online Nintendo store, was developed, at least in part by NovaDust Entertainment.
Someone mentioned this game on Threads (@prabhjotlamba via Gaming Threads) and I immediately wanted to experience it for myself. After a few days of contemplation, I decided to download it. It is immediately breathtaking visually, with its Ghibli inspired styling – I do not believe there are very many games which look like this on the market. Not only that, it currently has a 15.00 price tag. Whoa! I immediately enjoyed Europa upon first gameplay, however, I do not believe that the game is complete.
I was engrossed in the world of Europa, but I lost interest quickly. The visuals bleed into each other too much, the camera angels are odd at times when gliding and landing, and maneuvering through some of the needed movements for the character can be difficult on the Switch 2 controllers when using handheld play. I also had a lot of confusion after entering into the main part of the game – how do I make progress from the ruined temples? I believe that the free roam doesn’t give enough guidance to move beyond this point. I also think that the soft focus is very difficult to play with.
The game itself is very cute. Lovely, even. I can see the differences between the main development teams at Nintendo, or whomever they may outsource to, and the team behind Europa. I do believe that it is still worth playing, but with realistic expectations.
