Aphelion

Aphelion marks the full maturity of Don’t Nod, as the team successfully breaks free from its self-imposed "creative cage" to deliver a raw and essential sci-fi work. Thanks to the collaboration with the ESA, the journey on Persephone avoids all clichés, transforming into a plausible and terrifying projection of our climate crisis and the urgent need to seek refuge elsewhere. The gameplay effectively splits between Ariane’s physical exploration and Thomas’s slow-burn investigation, where oxygen management and the threat of the Nemesis convey the scale of a titanic environment indifferent to human life. Visually monumental, the title stuns with its photorealistic glaciers and an alien soundscape enriched by Amine Bouhafa’s soundtrack. By tackling urgent themes like the New Space Economy and climate migration, Aphelion is not just a video game, but a political work that reminds us that the future depicted is no longer a matter of "if," but "when."

Aphelion is a fascinating and visually stunning adventure that has some of the best audio work that I've ever witnessed. Gameplay-wise it is quite simplistic – and that may drive some people away.

While I had a blast embarking on this journey to Persephone with Ariane and Thomas, I do wish it were on the longer side. Even at seven hours long, there seemed to be room for the narrative to venture to deeper, more interesting places. Who knows, perhaps we’ll see that in the future. For now, though, this is a sci-fi epic well worth your time.

Aphelion is a cinematic adventure that tells a dramatic tale about two astronauts’ passion and commitment to one another and the mission. Although its gameplay is conventional and follows in the footsteps of its inspirations, the design amplifies the sense of isolation, heightening the tension of each moment. A touching and grounded story, the game leaves a lasting impression, proving that even among the stars, it’s the human connection that resonates most.

Aphelion may not allow players to connect as personally as they did with Max and Chloe to Thomas and Ariane, but it does represent many of its themes admirably. The vast, hostile and seemingly uncaring landscape of Persephone is beautiful regardless of the pain it inflicts upon the protagonists. Worthy of its playtime, Aphelion is the interactive equivalent of binging a single season of TV over a few nights – the rough bits don’t stick around long enough to ruin the overall experience.

Aphelion treads familiar waters for anyone who has played an action adventure game in a post-Uncharted world. But its emotional and grounded narrative about the search for hope is potent enough to look past many shortcomings.

Aphelion tells a gripping story of humanity's last chance for survival on a distant frozen planet through the eyes of 2 astronauts. The adventuring segments aren't as enjoyable as the story but if you're a fan of DON'T NOD games, you won't want to miss this one.

Aphelion delivers a compelling narrative and immersive atmosphere through its unique dual-protagonist system. It successfully blends high-stakes survival with cinematic platforming, yet suffers from repetitive mechanics and technical unreliability. Although the production values impress, unpolished controls and collision bugs frequently hinder the experience, preventing this ambitious sci-fi journey from reaching its full potential.

Aphelion may not impress all that much on the gameplay front, with its traversal and stealth sections sometimes marred by its clunky controls, but its story and presentation pick up the slack, making it an enjoyable trek across an alien planet on the whole.

Aphelion is a pleasant, well-crafted, and visually captivating sci-fi adventure that remains engaging to play, especially thanks to its setting and the credibility of its spacefaring imagination. DON'T NOD builds a world that is beautiful to explore and a story solid enough to carry the journey, but it never quite manages to give the gameplay the same strength as its artistic vision.

A worthwhile sci-fi story that is marred by questionable gameplay. One would expect more from Don't Nod.

Aphelion isn’t a particularly bad game, but its gameplay and story are a little too safe to create an experience that is memorable.

Aphelion has an interesting story to tell, with some stunning character and visual moments on display, but some noticeable technical issues need to be addressed.

A slow-paced space adventure with an interesting central mystery that will satisfy only those players who are interested in melancholic stories where happiness, love, and a future are not guaranteed. A well-acted game about searching for a new home among the stars, which was sadly kept away from its true potential by slim gameplay variety.

Aphelion has some excellent moments regarding the story, but is let down by consistently frustrating gameplay where you feel punished for no reason.

Aphelion is very much a compelling, though mechanically nuts and bolts narrative adventure that embraces linearity and spectacle above all else. Though its embedded dynamic of interpersonal relationships is engaging, the technical flaws, occasional clunkiness and aged-like-milk stealth sections sadly do much to undercut its otherwise impressive qualities.

Aphelion is easy to admire from a distance, but the closer you get, the emptier it feels. Its story relies on a relationship it never really builds, and the gameplay does little to keep things interesting in between the nice-looking moments. Aside from the performances and the immaculate soundtrack, the game is as distant and impossible to connect with as its namesake.

Aphelion is a deeply frustrating mix of both brilliant and baffling design: part gorgeous, best-in-class narrative adventure. One boasting cinematic presentation backed by superb lead performances, further enhanced by the year’s most compelling, science-grounded sci‑fi story. But also, part dreary third-person action-adventure, undercutting the pace of its narrative with clunky platforming, tedious stealth and puzzle sections, and Thomas’ oxygen-management nonsense. In the end, this tight narrative adventure is stretched into an over-long slog. Sure, it’s well worth seeing through for the story, but with a sharper gameplay focus, Aphelion could have been essential.

Aphelion is exactly what you’d expect from a Don’t Nod game. More interesting narratively than in gameplay, it boasts strong graphics, sound, and atmosphere—but not much else.

A solid first half carried by convincing performances, appealing environments and an excellent soundtrack won't save Aphelion from its unsatisfying resolutions and simplistic gameplay for everyone.

At the end Aphelion devolves into trial-and-error frustration, with the game too often not working the way it taught you it would. There’s some thematic resonance in that—it falls apart just as Montclair and Cross’s mission did, just as the earlier expedition did—but it’s unintentional. Don’t Nod discovers that the edge of the solar system isn’t just farther than its ambitions can go; it’s so far it effectively breaks a game. Yes: Aphelion flies too close to the sun.

Despite some stunning visuals and an excellent soundtrack, Aphelion sadly doesn’t have the narrative prowess that DON’T NOD is known for. Bland characters and a story that doesn’t deliver on its promising premise, plus a tedious gameplay loop makes this sci-fi adventure a disappointment.

After an initially positive impression, Aphelion fails to achieve liftoff. Shallow and outdated climbing mechanics, coupled with an abundance of boring stealth sections, make the narrative the only hope for this mission. However, with a lack of compelling characters or performances, the gravity of two unlikeable leads proves too strong for Aphelion. Despite strong visuals, instead of reaching for the stars, this sci-fi journey ends up falling back to Earth.

A near future third person sci-fi adventure whose believable characters, expressive animation, and glorious icy backdrops are undermined by a linear story with too little variety in its interactions.

For all its effort, Aphelion severely lacks the ingenuity, polish and emotional impact of Dontnod's other titles. It is simply OK, a fairly decent action adventure. One that might as well have been made 15 years ago.

What we ultimately have here, what you're being asked to invest in, is the cover band version of Ad Astra. It's a gaming experience that feels as though it's been held together with duct tape, and only in fleeting moments does the narrative emerge that made me forget these otherwise obvious shortcomings. It's a shame, and I take no pleasure in sending a talented studio back to the drawing board, but I cannot recommend Aphelion, not even to those who pick it up "for free" via Game Pass. It simply isn't worth your time.

Despite being so seemingly narrative focused, Aphelion really feels like it boils down to "nothing happens, the end".The cast gives some great performances and the score is great to listen to, but even they can't save the dull, meticulous gameplay from feeling any less tedious.