Aphelion Review – Keeping Hope Alive

It’s always a good thing when the world you’re exploring in a video game becomes a character in its story. Aphelion nails that down, and the result is a title where you’re lonely but never alone as you make your way across its vast expanses, the whites of its icy surfaces given a dash of color by the sun and some excellent reflections.

But is that enough to make this one a must-play adventure? Well, yes and no. Yes, because the story on offer is nuanced and riveting. No, because the gameplay does get a tad repetitive once you manage to get over the sheer beauty and scale of Persephone, the planet that you explore as either astrobiologist Ariane Montclair or engineer Thomas Cross.

The two of them are on Persephone to evaluate its viability as a suitable planet to support human life in the wake of Earth becoming uninhabitable. Things are quite bad, and the two astronauts are under the assumption that they’re humanity’s last hope, exploring an unknown planet in search of The Source, an entity that’s on Persephone that might be the key to evaluating its ability to sustain life.

Of course, things don’t go according to plan, and Ariane and Thomas are separated when their ship crashes on Persephone. While Ariane manages to get away unscathed, Thomas isn’t so lucky, and must deal with a severe injury as the pair of them try to find their way back to each other while making a beeline for The Source.

That covers the game’s premise, but how does that evolve into a story that’s equal parts poignant and mysterious? The various character’s complex lore is a major part of that, their personalities and individual goals creating some friction before their voyage to Persephone is brought to an abrupt end.

In the aftermath of their separation, Persephone kind of becomes a third wheel, an obstacle that needs to be overcome in their effort to find each other again. While Ariane is able to move and navigate its landscape with no hitches, Thomas is impaled in his attempt to escape the crashing ship via an escape pod that crashes elsewhere, and must take it easy as he tries to find and reunite with Ariane.

"Playing as either character often brings up wistful thoughts that they have about their fellow companion on a journey that’s very lonely for the most part."

Both astronauts come with a Pathfinder, which helps them identify useful points of interest on Persephone’s surface, and a grappling hook that’s quite nifty at creating new paths through hostile terrain. An EM wave emitter also helps with both those functions, and Ariane puts it to good use once she discovers that The Source runs on electromagnetic waves.

Playing as either character often brings up wistful thoughts that they have about their fellow companion on a journey that’s very lonely for the most part. It’s here that Perspehone truly shines, its grandeur tempered by a sense of isolation and an element of the unknown that almost feels like it’s right there beside you, lingering out of sight but never truly gone.

It’s a planet whose beauty is ethereal, but that comes at the price of an oppressive silence that’s so constantly present, you feel like you could reach out and touch it. The visuals on this one are top-notch, and help to sell Persephone’s scale and its intense conditions with aplomb.

Persephone is the perfect backdrop for Ariane and Thomas’s somber reflections on their bond, and the importance of their mission. You find snippets of lore in a few places that we’re not going to spoil, and it all paints a picture of desperation blended with hope for a better future for humanity and it’s a great motivator to keep going forward with either character whenever the game switches you fro one to the other.

"The visuals on this one are top-notch, and help to sell Persephone’s scale and its intense conditions with aplomb."

That’s Aphelion’s biggest strength. It underscores Ariane’s determination and Thomas’s cheery disposition with their own insecurities, and does that so subtly it immediately stands out as a game whose narrative shines. It’s a pity then, that the gameplay doesn’t feel as intriguing.

Making your way across Persephone is a challenge, for sure, but it does get quite repetitive once the initial novelty wears off. The game relies too much on sweeping vistas and moments of splendor without translating that into a series of systems that make engaging with Persephone’s many mysteries as intriguing as it could have been.

As Ariane, you’re going to be identifying points of interest and climbing, leaping, and swinging across the land to get there. Of course, you’re not truly alone on Persephone and a mysterious entity called Nemesis stalks your every step. It’s an imposing adversary, but one that’s let down by an AI that seems geared towards simplicity rather than an actual challenge.

As Thomas, you find yourself relegated to travelling on foot as his injury doesn’t allow him to scale new heights the way Ariane does. Even worse, his oxygen supply is damaged, and you find yourself plotting routes between refill stations with a sense of urgency that was very welcome. There’s enough variety to make the two protagonist’s chapters feel distinct from each other, and the directions that the story takes them in are quite organic and well-written.

Equally well-handled is the game’s score, with the music being a personal highlight of the experience for me. But the soundtrack isn’t the only thing that’s good. The developer recommends a headset with this one, and it’s so darn immersive with cold, lonely winds howling around you as you make your way across Persephone, the hope of humanity riding on your capable shoulders.

"The developer recommends a headset with this one, and it’s so darn immersive with cold, lonely winds howling around you as you make your way across Persephone, the hope of humanity riding on your capable shoulders."

As far as performance is concerned, the game sustains a steady framerate and a level of visual fidelity that makes it stand out. The reflections off of Ariane’s uniform and helmet, as well as off icy surfaces are outstanding, while areas with poor visibility due to the weather feel as imposing as they would in the real world. And with loading screens relegated to the beginning of each chapter, the whole thing feels quite seamless and immersive.

It’s evident that Aphelion is a more narrative-driven title while its gameplay feels like it exists only to give you something to do between exposition-heavy cutscenes. That might be a bad thing in a lesser title, but this one is so nuanced that I found myself thinking about what I might do if I were stuck in a similar situation. It prompts introspection, and presents its melancholy in a way that’s so relatable you find yourself wanting to see what happens next.

Aphelion is very easy to recommend for those of you who want to kick back and dive into a story that you’re sure to like. But if you’re looking for a bit of a challenge, the lack of difficulty options and a more traversal-focused gameplay loop are going to disappoint you. To be fair, I don’t see how potential difficulty options is going to change things for the better, but I must commend the addition of options to make the gameplay even simpler for those of you who want it.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi adventures, you won’t regret picking this one up. But if you’re looking for a more involved gameplay loop, this isn’t the game for you. I’d still recommend picking it up on sale just to experience its story and visual splendor, though.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.