Europa director Helder Pinto, whose title's art resembles a stunning blend of Tears of the Kingdom and Studio Ghibli's most iconic animated films, describes how significant storytelling is to a game's world overall – and how his past work on AAA games like Diablo and Overwatch 2 taught him that.
Speaking at this year's Game Developers Conference, Pinto recounts the time he spent on big games like Crysis, Diablo 3, Overwatch, and Overwatch 2, explaining that going from AAA to indie development has provided valuable lessons in world-building. "After many years on AAA games, recently, I've discovered the ownership that comes with helping smaller teams and the indie space as well, where every decision is personal and every choice matters."
Pinto continues, describing his realization that storytelling is more than just an afterthought when it comes to effective world-building – in fact, it plays a very key role, and perhaps the most important. "I have worked on franchises such as Crysis, Overwatch, and Diablo, among others," recalls the lead. "Over time, working on these games, I've realized that storytelling isn't just an enhancement to world-building – it's what gives it meaning."
This meaning is core to games, as even the best-looking titles can "feel pretty empty" if they lack it, according to Pinto: "Whenever I hit a creative wall, I step back and I ask, 'What story am I trying to tell the player here?' More often than not, that question reveals that missing piece, because even the most technical and polished games can feel pretty empty without meaning." The director makes a good point here, and Europa serves as proof.
Playing the gorgeous indie mashup of Studio Ghibli and Zelda myself showed me as much. While the mind-bogglingly beautiful world was a delight to explore, it was the story behind it and its forgotten inhabitants that kept me hooked from start to finish. The little, oft-forgotten details like scattered notes or drawings provided life to the awe-inspiring setting, and what's even more, as Pint puts it, meaning.
