Aphelion Reviews
As if frostbitten of any nuance, intrigue, or genuine character, Aphelion may just be Don't Nod's most boring title of all time.
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.
Aphelion is a beautifully created game by Dontnod and while it's gameplay has its issues, the narrative is pure sci-fi perfection
Aphelion may stumble in its mechanics, but when it places focus on the storytelling, atmosphere and spectacle, it’s exactly the kind of experience DON’T NOD excels at. It’s intriguing, mysterious and clever - we just wish it was tighter in terms of save points and how the gameplay is handled.
One small step for... well, you know the rest
As a complete package, Aphelion mostly lands, especially when it comes to the story. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged, and it’s one of those games whose story cleverly combines a variety of emotions. You will be scared, happy, and also curious to see where everything goes. I enjoyed the game’s ending, but I can see some people will dislike where we leave these characters.
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.
An experience that I don’t think even DON’T NOD fans will enjoy, firmly in the “play it and forget it” category, and if it’s remembered at all, it’ll only be for its ending.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Aphelion delivers a visually striking world and excellent soundtrack, but ultimately fails where it matters most ' gameplay. The story never truly gains momentum and the characters feel generic, resulting in an experience that feels style-over-substance. Despite strong audiovisual presentation, the game serves as a reminder that presentation alone is not enough to carry a title.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Aphelion does well in both providing a good story with emotional pull, while also providing an experience that differs from the studio's previous works. The investigative portions may feel light, but they also provide a nice break from the stealth and climbing sections. The investigation, stealth, and climbing make the game feel more involved than what some may expect for a genre that can border on being walking simulators or Western versions of the visual novel. The presentation is great, and the runtime feels just right, making Aphelion an experience that's well worth checking out.
Aphelion is a third-person adventure set on a remote planet. With two playable characters and the planet Persephone as the true protagonist, its climbing mechanics and stealth sequences aren't enough to draw us into the experience. DON'T NOD repeats some of its past mistakes by forcing drama and intensity in an adventure where science fiction is relegated to a secondary role. A flimsy excuse to watch the characters suffer and declare their love for one another to the strains of a cello throughout the four or five hours the experience lasts.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A worthwhile sci-fi story that is marred by questionable gameplay. One would expect more from Don't Nod.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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 visually impressive and cinematic sci-fi experience, but it lacks enough mystery and strong narrative progression. The gameplay, while simple, is not always smooth and can feel frustrating at times due to its design. On the other hand, the game succeeds in offering a strong artistic presentation, supported by consistently high-quality music throughout the journey.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
After finishing Aphelion, the feeling is one of having lived through a journey that bets much more on emotion than on spectacle for its own sake. Even while using a fascinating science fiction setting with visually imposing scenery, the game chooses to tell a deeply human story, centering the relationship between the protagonists, their sense of responsibility, and their desire to keep exploring even as every certainty falls away. This choice defines the entire production and lets the work stand out within a genre where action and big plot twists often take center stage. One of the aspects we appreciated most concerns precisely the consistency of the experience. From start to finish, Aphelion never loses sight of its own identity. It doesn’t suddenly try to turn into a shooter, doesn’t throw in superfluous mechanics to artificially inflate variety, and doesn’t constantly chase spectacle. Every element, from the narrative to the gameplay to the audiovisual side, pulls in the same direction, helping build a balanced, believable adventure. This is a quality we shouldn’t undervalue today, especially in a market where many productions end up overloading themselves with systems and content and lose sight of their original vision. The art direction undoubtedly stands as one of the highest points of the whole production. The alien scenery constantly conveys that sense of wonder and isolation that should accompany any good space exploration story. Every vista communicates something to the player, not just on an aesthetic level, but on an emotional one too. The narrative won us over too, and we especially appreciated the developers’ choice to tell the story without constantly resorting to long exposition dumps or overly explanatory dialogue. They let much of the information emerge through exploration and the interactions between the protagonists, letting the player feel like an integral part of the journey. On the gameplay side, though, the mechanics always do their job competently, but they rarely surprised us. The mechanics the developers introduce work, fit well into the progression, and feel pleasant to use, but they hardly ever come across as truly innovative. Personally, I don’t consider this a particularly serious flaw, since the game doesn’t base its value on mechanical complexity. Still, it’s undeniable that greater gameplay evolution would probably have made the experience even more memorable. The challenge level also stays fairly contained. The exploration sections and puzzles generally stay accessible, letting the player focus mainly on the narrative. What keeps coming through, though, is the quality of the overall construction. Aphelion proves that revolutionizing a genre isn’t necessary to make a good video game. Having a clear vision, developing it with consistency, and taking care of every detail so all the components work in the same direction is enough. The title achieves exactly that: it builds a harmonious experience, where narrative, gameplay, graphics, and sound complement each other without any single element overpowering the rest. This is a title that manages to stand out through the quality of its execution and its ability to emotionally engage the player. It belongs to that group of games that would rather leave players with memories tied to characters, landscapes, and emotions than to a constant chase after the shock factor. And for that reason, I can only recommend it wholeheartedly.
Aphelion is the equivalent of a burger from a fast-food restaurant. You know it’s not good for you, it’s not the greatest and it’s not going to blow your mind but it will satiate your hunger. Give this game a try if you don’t mind playing through a slow-burn, climbing, walking and light puzzle solving game with gorgeous visuals and a rather standard sci-fi story.
Aphelion has the look and sound of an ambitious cinematic sci-fi adventure, with a visually striking planet, strong performances, and an excellent soundtrack. Unfortunately, its frustrating climbing, repetitive stealth sections, heavy corridor design, technical bugs, and underwhelming story turn that promise into a slow and often tedious journey.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Aphelion is a faithful portrait of DON'T NOD: ambitious ideas and rare narrative sensibility, undercut by a recurring inability to fully deliver on them. Persephone, Ariane, and Thomas deserve to be discovered — but the cracks show, and in a genre where atmosphere and coherence are everything, they weigh more than they should.
Review in Italian | Read full review
For me, the overall world of Aphelion was incredible to behold, as the scenery was very beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to see what was waiting for me around each corner. The gameplay was very challenging in the sense that it was fun to play, but there were a few issues during my run that made it very problematic and made me lose my patience. The game’s story was fantastic, with emotions bursting at the seams with every cutscene, dialogue, and location being filled with so much emotional impact that even a person like me, who doesn’t feel emotion that often, was able to feel for Aphelion.
Aphelion is really close to greatness. The narrative itself is impeccable and one that taken on its own might as well be one of the best of the year. I stand by that. The writing is passionate to the point it makes you root for its dual protagonists. The fact the game itself is concise aids it greatly, as it never outstays its welcome. But it’s impossible not to wonder how many times Don’t Nod must try to create a masterpiece only to fall short by a few crippling issues. I do not have the answer, but I long for the day they succeed.