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Join Now!Earth is dying. The ice caps are melting, crops are failing, and humanity is on the brink. In a desperate bid for survival, we look to the stars. The European Space Agency launched the Hope-01 mission to Persephone, a newly discovered planet on the very fringe of our solar system. A potentially habitable zone on the surface may hold the key to our survival. This is the DayOne Aphelion Review.
Before we get started, it’s important to note that this review is spoiler free. While I’ll touch on the narrative and characters, and provide an overall impression, I won’t reveal any key plot points beyond that, so rest easy.
Star-Crossed
Aphelion begins by introducing our two main characters, astronauts Ariane and Thomas. Their mission is to investigate and survey this new world and make a determination as to whether humanity can survive on the surface. The opening cutscene makes it clear that our two heroes have a deeper connection, and over the course of around 6 hours or so, I grew to care for both of them deeply.
While I found the narrative to be very engaging, it is elevated in no small part thanks to a genuinely excellent performance from both leads. The stubborn and brave Ariane, played by Vanessa Dolmen, and the resilient and resourceful Thomas, played by Eric Geynes.
Like only the best games can, these two artists brought their characters to life, and I was hooked on seeing the story through in just two sessions. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some best performance nominations for both come the end of the year.
Crash Landing
Following a brief and solemn moment tinged with sadness, Aphelion starts with a bang. The Hope-01 mission encounters some highly unusual electromagnetic activity, and their ship crash-lands on the surface of Persephone. Thomas is missing, and Ariane is alone.
Ariane’s first priority is sheer survival. Played from a third-person perspective with more than a hint of DON’T NOD’s previous work in Jusant, you’ll guide Ariane out of the wreck of the Hope-01 craft.
She’s an agile climber, and to keep players on their toes, leaps to outcroppings and ledges have a timing element to them, and players will need to be paying attention to ensure Ariane doesn’t fall. Our lead has a handy grapple, which can hook onto predetermined points in order to either ascend tricky climbs or swing across larger gaps. She’s also equipped with the Pathfinder – think of it as a pair of fancy binoculars, with which she can scan the landscape and orient herself to plan a path to different objectives.
As she desperately searches for signs of Thomas’ survival, she’ll soon discover more about Persephone and the unusual electromagnetic field that seemed to bring the Hope-01 down. Her EM Scanner can eventually be used to actually manipulate the field, introducing a neat puzzle element to the game that becomes an important recurring design element, both in exploration and the narrative.
All Seasons
When it comes to the planet Persephone, the environment artists at DON’T NOD have done great work. It’s a gorgeous, desolate environment, which becomes quite varied as you progress through the story, despite my concern that ice and rock would become repetitive over time.
We’ll traverse bright but bleak snow-covered landscapes and dark, icy caves with more than a few precarious moments. We’ll investigate incredible landmass formations that defy belief and even struggle through a ferocious equatorial storm, which comes with all sorts of environmental challenges to contend with.
Ariane and Thomas are incredibly well-detailed and animated, outside of the occasional wonky climbing animation that doesn’t always quite land. The latter is something that only pops up infrequently, alongside an occasionally iffy camera – but don’t worry, these are very minor quibbles.
All of this is supported by excellent ambient audio, and a killer (if somewhat Interstellar inspired) soundtrack – this is a team that has really nailed the overall production.
Split Fiction
As the story progresses, we’ll eventually switch over and play from Thomas’ point of view. While Ariane certainly has a hard time of it following the crash, Thomas really goes through some tough moments.
Where Ariane’s gameplay segments are more action and exploration, Thomas takes on more of a detective-like role, uncovering more of the mystery surrounding Persephone.
He’s been wounded more severely than the bumps and scrapes Ariane has endured, and his primary goal is one of survival. One plot thread we’ll also focus in on is uncovering evidence of another mission to the planet – despite being told Hope-01 was the first. Intriguing.
Again, no plot spoilers from me here, but the way that narrative bounces between both protagonists is excellent, and had me hooked from start to finish, while providing a nice change of pace between both characters.
No-one Can Hear You Scream
One element folks should be aware of going into Aphelion is a slight sci-fi horror element. In good ol’ lone-astronaut-stranded-on-a-planet fashion, we’re not alone out here. As we begin to explore, the game does an excellent job with audio cues and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimpses of something out there, lurking in our peripheral vision. An entity, an as-yet undiscovered lifeform called ‘The Nemesis’.
This ethereal beastie is a fantastic concoction of skipped-frame animation and audio design, and it is unsettling to say the least. During these encounters, Ariane and Thomas must be silent in order to avoid detection. Make too much noise, and it will come for you and see you off in short order.
These stealth sections do evolve as the game progresses, with methods introduced to distract the creature, and thus become larger platforming-meets-stealth puzzles in their own right. Unfortunately, they begin to outstay their welcome come the end of the game, and are stretched out a little too often for my liking. There are some convoluted encounters dampening the pacing of the final third of Aphelion that took a bit of the shine off for me. It’s a minor gripe, though, and for those of you who hate horror and find this aspect off-putting, I would say to struggle through it and make the attempt. Aphelion is absolutely worth the journey.
Choose Hope
This is DON’T NOD at the top of their game. Tried and true game mechanics are elevated massively by fantastic art direction, sound and creature design. Most importantly, Aphelion weaves a gripping narrative with two incredible performances from the main voice cast. As a video game, it’s not doing anything new when it comes to game mechanics, but what it does do, it does very well indeed.
Aphelion is a thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi adventure of loss, desperation, survival, and importantly, hope. Despite a few very late-game wobbles, this is one mission for humanity you should undertake.
Review code provided by the publisher.
Aphelion
Played on
PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Ally X
PROS
- Beautiful art and sound design
- Incredible performances from the main cast
- Gripping narrative
- Just the right length
CONS
- Camera occasionally creates a problem when platforming
- Stealth mechanics start to wear out their welcome
