DON’T NOD had us from the very start. We absolutely loved the first Life is Strange, while Vampyr was incredibly unique for its time, and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was one of the best games we’ve played. To us, they simply can’t go wrong.
We were extremely excited about Aphelion; we couldn’t wait to see how a studio celebrated for narrative storytelling would attempt to master complex action mechanics. To us, Aphelion initially felt like the love child of Jusant and Banishers, only with a sci-fi spin. The setup itself is genuinely compelling. You are intertwined in a carefully planned and executed story set in 2060, depicting a dying Earth and the frozen, uncharted frontier of Persephone. Following two separated, crash-landed astronauts is a brilliant narrative hook. It seemed like the perfect game, but actually playing it can be a wildly uneven experience.
In Aphelion, we jump between two characters, and the game plays quite differently depending on who we’re controlling. Ariane’s chapters are meant to be adrenaline-pumping, featuring sections where we use grappling hooks, slide across ice, and hide from or outrun menacing aliens. The devs have done a good job, but, sadly, not a great one. In practice, the movement feels remarkably stiff. It clearly wants to emulate the flow of an Uncharted game, but it lacks that crucial fluidity.
Missing a jump usually means instant death and a frustrating hike back from an unforgiving checkpoint. And the QTEs—oh lord, the quick-time events. Almost every time we jumped, we had to press a button to avoid slipping and falling to our death. It happens way too often; it’s not fun, just tiring. It feels like every time we jump, there’s an 80% chance for a QTE to be triggered. The stealth is similarly punishing, demanding a level of pixel-perfect precision that quickly drains the terror out of the encounters, leaving only irritation behind.
Between missions with Ariane, we switch to Thomas. Not only is he injured, but he is also tied to a limited oxygen supply, causing his sections to sometimes slow to a crawl. This isn’t necessarily a flaw; rather, it’s a drastic change of pace that allows us to breathe and focus on solving environmental puzzles. While undeniably simplistic, we welcomed each of these segments. The actors did a wonderful job of making us care for the characters—after just the first hour, we truly wanted to be with them, to see them succeed, and to finally witness their reunion.
Aphelion is deeply compelling. It’s a moody sci-fi mystery set in a unique world, elevated by stellar voice acting and a haunting score by Amine Bouhafa. While there are some technical hurdles—specifically with stuttering and optimization—they aren’t quite deal-breakers. The QTE climbing can be bothersome and the stealth sections could have been more refined, but the story, the acting, and the beautifully designed world ultimately melted our frustrations away.
This is clearly another labor of love. It is an ambitious project that perhaps lacked the resources to fully realize its grand vision. If you loved DON’T NOD’s previous titles, we highly recommend giving this one a try. Their creative DNA is present throughout and, with a little patience, you will likely find yourself enjoying this surreal journey.
8/10
ID Card
- Developer: Don’tNod
- Publisher: Don’tNod
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
- Release Date: April 28, 2026
- Genre: Narrative Adventure / Sci-Fi Survival
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