I had been looking forward to Aphelion for a long time. I hadn’t played any other games by the developer, Don’t Nod, but I was captivated by the trailers released in the run up. I made the mistake of having very fixed ideas in my head of what the game would be and when it came to playing it, I realised that it was nothing like I envisioned. For once though, that wasn’t a total disappointment.
The game opens, showing that a spaceship carrying the team Hope-01 made up of Ariane and Thomas, has crash landed on the planet, Persephone. This team were supposed to be looking for a place humanity could call home but on arrival they find the planet is not as they expected. The previous team that they were unaware of have all met terrible fates and now they are being hunted. Add onto that Thomas being seriously injured in the crash and drama is guaranteed!
Playing As Two Characters
First and foremost this game is a cinematic experience. There were times where it felt as though gameplay took a backseat as Don’t Nod were intent on relaying their story. The graphics here are beautiful, making characters lifelike and scenery captivating. But of course, the gaming parts were key for me! Having the two characters in two different locations and with Thomas being injured and so unable to physically do the same actions, opened up a whole wealth of new opportunities without compromising the integrity of the game. Ariane very naturally became the explorer, traversing the landscape with a grappling hook and when there was nowhere to clasp on, proceeding with sheer stubbornness! From her we learned about the surroundings and came to see what humans would be up against were they trying to settle in such a place. Thomas on the other hand gave us background, uncovering the work of the previous team and how that has caused the planet to change and awaken the ‘Nemesis’ which now stalks them. With courage he faces his injuries and the murders of those who arrived before him. I have seen people with the opinion that he is little more than a walking simulator and I get where they are coming from, but to see the wealth of information that the developers have put in and to appreciate the bond between him and Ariane added so much for me.
Nemesis
For a space exploration the atmosphere was key and for that we really did need the enemy, Nemesis. Think of it like a giant space worm that is black and moves through the air and you are getting close! It is blind, relying on the sense of sound to track its human prey, so stealth makes up a lot of what you will be doing. I’m convinced that sometimes whilst creeping, Nemesis still ate me, but maybe Ariane just has clunky space boots! The controls can be a bit temperamental, with a reluctance for the character to always navigate from grapple to wall ledge and descend to the ground. Ariane also had a habit of getting stuck in rocks and was unable to move backwards or jump. Eventually I found that turning on her electromagnetic scanner somehow unstuck her. I don’t know why but at least it got results!
Final Thoughts
In short, Aphelion is not perfect. It makes many scientific mistakes, the controls do lack a fluidity and some people may not like the two different styles of gameplay within the one offering. But at its heart there is a beautiful creation here. The game is not overly long or taxing with the route heavily scripted, so think of it more as a journey, a telling of a tale where you get moments to star, and you won’t be disappointed.
A full playthrough of the game is available to watch here on my YouTube channel.