Publisher and developer DON’T NOD has released a brand new trailer for its upcoming narrative third-person action-adventure game Aphelion. The trailer, which you can check out below, confirms that astronaut Thomas Cross will also be a playable character alongside protagonist Ariane, while also giving us a look at some gameplay and a look at some of the enemies that players will have to take on.
Dubbed Hide to Survive, the trailer also gives us a look at the personality of Thomas Cross, and how he tends to deal with the strange crises befalling the crew of the Hope-01 shuttle. The trailer also indicates that quite a bit of the plot of Aphelion will revolve around Ariane and Thomas trying to find each other after getting separated as a result of the Hope-01 shuttle crashing on to the planet Persephone.
With Aphelion, DON’T NOD seemingly wants to provide a unique take on the “stranded-on-an-alien-planet” narrative by giving us the perspectives of both characters that happen to be looking for each other. As we can see in the trailer, however, this quest is filled with its own perils, as both Ariane and Thomas will have to navigate through treacherous environments while also avoiding the attention of a strange alien lifeform, known only as The Nemesis.
Along with exploration and stealth, it looks like Aphelion will also feature some platforming elements as its two protagonists will have to scale the sides of cliffs and run through a frozen lake that seems to be collapsing right under their feet. The trailer caps things off by showing us a face-to-face encounter between Ariane and The Nemesis.
According to DON’T NOD, both characters will have their own unique gameplay styles. Ariane has been described as being more physical, which will come through in how she gets to traverse through the environments of Persephone. Thomas, however, is injured at the start of the story, and his gameplay will revolve more around his deductive capabilities.
Interestingly, the title will also feature a nod to the European Space Agency in the form of a specially designed patch worn by both Ariane and Thomas. The patch was designed by the game’s artistic director, Arnaud Barbier, in collaboration with ESA to represent the Hope-01 mission to observe and explore planet Persephone.
Aphelion was first unveiled back in June during Xbox Games Showcase 2025 with a trailer. At the time, only Ariane had been confirmed as the protagonist of the title. DON’T NOD had also revealed that the story would revolve around the discovery of a ninth planet in the Solar System – Persephone – and the Hope-01 mission to survey and explore the planet, which ultimately goes wrong.
Aphelion is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. While it doesn’t yet have a solid release date, DON’T NOD has stated that it will be coming out on 2026. PC and Xbox Series X/S players will also be able to play the title on day one through Game Pass. In the meantime, also check out details about the deal that the developer signed with Netflix to make a new game.
