Aphelion Reviews
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.
Aphelion is a title that once again confirms DON'T NOT's ability to create compelling stories. Although it is not always perfect, it manages to hold the weight well for its entire duration.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Aphelion has a heartfelt story that is well-acted and paced. It falls apart with unfinished gameplay and too many bugs to ignore.
It takes some time for the story to fully unfold, and the gameplay often relies on fairly traditional corridor-based principles, but the strong narrative compensates for these shortcomings to a large extent.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
DON’T NOD took a massive gamble by ditching combat, and it completely pays off. Aphelion hooks you through the raw panic of climbing frozen walls, babysitting your oxygen tanks, and tricking a blind, sound-tracking creature using your visor gear. The instant-fail stealth sequences against the giant tracking eye of The Nemesis is a bit punishing, but the incredible audio design and DualSense feedback turn this brutal trek into a memorable ride.
Aphelion is a narrative science-fiction game that places a strong emphasis on atmosphere, exploration, and the mystery surrounding Persephone. Thanks to its stunning art direction, highly effective environmental storytelling, and clever concepts involving electromagnetic waves, the game manages to hold your interest for much of the adventure. Unfortunately, several technical issues detract from the experience. Uneven animations, problematic collisions, and certain movement-related bugs sometimes prevent the game from fully reaching its potential. After a while, the climbing sections and stealth areas became so repetitive that I found myself no longer wanting to explore the next area.
Review in French | Read full review
For a studio with such a strong legacy in narrative gaming, Aphelion lands as one of Don't Nod's weakest projects in years. Beautiful visuals and a promising premise are ultimately buried beneath repetitive gameplay, sluggish pacing, and a story that never reaches the emotional heights it desperately chases.
Aphelion is a great sci-fi adventure that delivers on all fronts. The story, atmosphere, traversal, stealth, and visuals are all great. Ariane and Thomas give the mission a strong emotional centre, while Persephone gives the journey scale, danger, and mystery.
Aphelion is not a terrible game; rather, it is quite uneven, which is incredibly frustrating. It has brilliant moments from time to time, especially at the beginning, in the atmosphere, and in the sound design, but it too often falls back into repetition and mechanical simplicity.
Don't Nod is back, and they're doing it in style! Aphelion is a title we've come to appreciate for its top-notch storytelling, above-average scientific accuracy, and a thoroughly impressive technical execution. It's a game we'd recommend not only to sci-fi fans but also to anyone looking to enjoy a great adventure story—just the right length and with well-balanced difficulty. Finally, the price is the classic cherry on top of a delicious cake! It’s a shame that, unlike the developer’s other IPs, there won’t be a sequel.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Aphelion's held back by frustrating controls and gameplay that often works against you. Even with an emotional score and a decent narrative, it isn't enough to save what could have otherwise been a memorable experience. Unfortunately, Dontnod's latest falls short on many accounts, but it's propped up by some great performances and music.
Aphelion is a fine action-adventure game. I use “action” loosely here as there isn’t that much action, but there is more than we are used to in a Don’t Nod title. With a solid enough story there is enough to get invested in here. But with game play mechanics that faulter more than they work, and a final third of the game that drags on far too long, it’s hard to recommend Aphelion to anyone other than the die hard Don’t Nod fans.
Aphelion is yet another typical Don’t Nod game. Either you’ll devour the story with gusto, or you won’t give a hoot about it. Personally, I quite like their approach and enjoyed the game, and the story in particular. When it comes to gameplay, I’m torn. On the one hand, Ari’s climbing eventually started to bore me (even though it was fun and challenging at times), and on the other hand, I found Thomas’s gameplay more enjoyable. But by switching between the two characters at the right moments, it never became frustrating. In short: if you like short, linear single-player games with a good story and a healthy dose of sci-fi, then Aphelion is for you. If you don’t like that sort of thing, then steer well clear of Aphelion.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Aphelion could have been something truly special, because on one side, you have a beautiful, atmospheric world and a phenomenal, character-driven story that sinks its hooks into you. However, on the other side, you have clunky platforming, annoying checkpoints, and late-game stealth sequences that are guilty of outstaying their welcome. If you can look past the flaws and some of the more annoying moments when playing as Ariane, the narrative payoff and gorgeous cinematic presentation make Aphelion absolutely worth your time. Just be prepared for a few annoyances as you make your way to the end of the journey.
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 a small game that hits hard with big emotions by embracing the very best elements of science fiction. It embraces humanity and connection while still showcasing the genre’s love of alien planets and condemnation of evil corporations.
Aphelion leans heavily on cinematography and performances, but fails to modernize its dated gameplay or deliver a truly compelling story. Despite repetitive segments and uninspired level design, it still manages to entertain thanks to its more intense, survival-driven moments.
Review in Italian | Read full review