Aphelion review – A sci-fi adventure with a strong story

If there’s one thing to say about French developer Don’t Nod, it’s that it’s not afraid to step out of its comfort zone. Its games have ranged from action-packed titles to narrative-driven adventures, and have had players assuming the roles of vampires, exorcists, school girls with supernatural powers, and more. Its latest title is switching things up yet again. In Aphelion, available now on consoles and PC, you’ll take control of a duo of protagonists who are hoping to find a better future for mankind. Well, at least until things go awry.

The premise is this: by the year 2060, Earth will be unhospitable. But there’s a shred of hope. A new planet called Persephone has been discovered, and there’s a possibility it could be suitable as a new home for humanity. So, the European Space Agency launches Hope-01, a scientific mission to survey Persephone and discover whether it’s a suitable place for life to start anew. Leading the mission are two accomplished astronauts: Ariane Montclair and Thomas Cross.

Take a chance on Aphelion and you’ll quickly discover that it’s a stunning looking game, with very detailed character models and impressive animations which almost make it feel like you’re watching an interactive movie at times. Its soundtrack is fantastic, too, with some very rousing tracks to heighten the drama, and the voice acting of both of the central characters is equally of high quality. It’s just a shame that, as you delve into the game further, the voic acting of some supporting characters isn’t quite as convincing.

It doesn’t take long for disaster to strike in Aphelion, with the game pretty much opening with the Hope-01 scientific mission suddenly plunged into chaos. The result is the team’s ship crash-landing on Persephone, with Ariane then waking to find herself alone. It’s here where you’ll start your adventure, first escaping what remains of the ruined ship, then taking your first tentative steps on the alien planet. Thing may have got off to a bad start, but maybe you can still finish your mission. Although finding Thomas is the first thing on your agenda.

Thankfully, playing as Ariane, your athleticism allows you to traverse the ruins of your ship and the icy tundra of Persephone with relative ease. You’ll soon find yourself shimmying across ledges, jumping across gaps and using your grappling hook to rappel, clear large crevices, and more. In a nod to Tomb Raider, there’s are plenty of harrowing sliding sequences too, where Ariane can meet a painful end if you don’t steer her to safety.

There are other gameplay elements when playing as Arianne, too. Using her scanner you can tune into certain trails of a strange electro-magnetic force, for example, which can be used to manipulate the environment around you. This comes in particularly useful upon discovering that you’re not alone on Persephone, with a strange alien creature hunting you down in certain areas. In these scenarios you can use your scanner to bolster your basic stealth skills, tuning into strange rocks and activating them to create a helpful distraction.

You’ll not always be in control of Ariane in Aphelion, however. Some of the chapters here will put you in control of Thomas, who starts his journey in another location on Persephone after making use of an escape pod. And thanks to sustaining an injury, he’s unable to traverse its terrain in the same athletic way as Ariane. His gameplay has a slower, more investigative angle, then, made even more tricky in parts due to his oxygen tank being damaged.

It’s safe to say that the story at the heart of Aphelion is its strong point, with you really coming to feel for Ariane and Thomas throughout the ten or so hours you spend with them. It’s disappointing, then, that the gameplay lets that story down a little, being so very vanilla. And to make that gameplay even less impressive, there are technical issues that make taking control of Ariane and Thomas feel clunky and awkward at times. There’s also a late-game focus on stealth that feels a little drawn out.

If you can look past these issues though – and many will thanks to the story and excellent presentation on offer – you can have a very enjoyable time with Aphelion. Its gameplay may not be all that ambitious and lacking some polish, but those who appreciate a strong narrative will find enough to pull them though to discover the game’s emotional climax.