In the blink of an eye, your situation can change. Good or bad, you have to acclimate to the situation and hope for the best. In the case of Aphelion’s protagonists, that means facing impossible odds while stranded on an alien planet after your ship crash-lands and your partner is presumed missing.
Dontnod’s latest game features strong science fiction, mixed with an intimacy. Set in 2060, the story is set in a world where Earth is no longer habitable, and humanity heads to the stars to seek a new start. The European Space Agency sends Ariane and Thomas on the Hope-01 mission to search for a potentially habitable planet so humanity can begin anew.
Journey to Persphone in Aphelion
Starring Thomas Cross, the sci-fi adventure game’s other playable character and fellow ESA astronaut, alongside the game’s first protagonist, Ariane Montclair. The astronaut duo, while travelling the edge of the solar system, crash on the uncharted planet Persephone, based on Planet Nine, and explore the planet as they try to figure out the mystery of their unplanned landing.
Crashing into Persephone, the dual protagonists are forced apart with each character facing their own struggles as the pair work to reach each other and complete their mission. However, not all is as it seems, as the pair discover they are likely not the first expedition to the planet, a surprise to both characters.
What transpires is a story-driven adventure interspersed with various obstacles. With no combat in sight, Ariane and Thomas use their wits and equipment to maneuver the planet’s surface.
Ariane is the more nimble of the two, capable of climbing and scaling cliffs, walls, and other environmental features. The planet is covered in snow and ice, but things are not as they appear, and we quickly see that more than meets the eye is unfolding.
Frustrating Exploration
Aphelion’s story has great moments. Ariane and Thomas are a budding couple who also work together on the Hope-01 mission to Persephone. Noticing Thomas ejected from an escape pod, Ariane sees his projections when she awakens and begins tracking his position. The journey to him is filled with perils, and we often witness her struggles to glimpse him, made possible by the planet’s electromagnetic pulse.
Thomas’s sections are different than Ariane’s mainly because he’s dealing with an injury that limits his movement. With an injury and a busted-up suit, Thomas explores Persephone while needing to replenish his oxygen frequently. Thomas frequently comes across former expedition research bases that hint at what the planet is and what happened to the team.
On top of that, there’s an electromagnetic force inhabiting the planet, and it is the second most infuriating thing about Aphelion. The monster will stalk Ariane through the campaign, and you must stealthily make your way around it to move forward. The stealth sections are weak, underseasoned, and not fun. They provide me with nothing but irritation, and perhaps would’ve been better off completely removed from the game.
The second thing I don’t like is just how clunky the controls are. They frequently work against you — especially when you’re trying to climb up the side of a cliff or down an ice ledge. Both characters also sometimes catch on to the environment and become stuck in place, and it sometimes requires a checkpoint restart to correct themselves.
Ariane also must walk across ledges and narrow paths, so you have to use the analog stick to keep her perfectly balanced, or she’ll fall off. You can catch her to correct her balance, but I had situations where it wouldn’t register my movement.
Verdict
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.
[The publisher provided an early access copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
