There’s a lot to like about Aphelion, especially when it comes to the overall atmosphere and storytelling. The upcoming sci-fi adventure from Don’t Nod immediately establishes a strong sense of place and tension, leaning into the studio’s strengths in narrative-driven design.
At the same time, early impressions from a recent hands-on preview highlight where Aphelion still feels rough around the edges, particularly when it comes to its core gameplay.
Aphelion Preview: A Tense And Beautiful World
The build of the game I played included two playable sections—Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 of the game—both centering on Ariane, one of Aphelion’s two main characters. Visually, Ariane stands out. Her facial animations are detailed and expressive, helping convey the emotions of the situation. There are moments where the lip sync doesn’t fully line up with the dialogue, but the voice acting itself is effective. You can feel the tension in her performance, which goes a long way toward grounding the experience.
Chapter 1, as you’d expect, serves as the game’s introduction. Ariane’s ship has crashed, and she’s trying to make her way to safety while also searching for her crewmate, Thomas. Story details are filled in through voice logs that provide insight into her thoughts and journey. Being able to revisit those logs at any time is a welcome touch as it allows the narrative to unfold naturally without slowing things down.
Aphelion’s environments are one of its strongest elements. The scenery is impressive, particularly when you pause and take in the scale of the world around you. There’s also a noticeable level of environmental reactivity. Move too close to flames, for example, and Ariane visibly reacts to the heat. These moments help sell the world and reinforce the sense of danger.
That immersion is occasionally disrupted by technical issues, including random clipping and minor glitches that pull you out of the moment. However, those are things I’d fully expect to see addressed before the full release later this year.
In regard to gameplay, well, that’s where Aphelion feels less confident. Much of the preview revolves around climbing, often using conveniently placed ledges that don’t always feel natural within the environment. Nearly every jump also requires a button press to keep Ariane from falling, a mechanic that quickly becomes repetitive. Both chapters also feature balance-focused bridge crossings, reinforcing the sense that the core gameplay loop doesn’t change much between sections.
There are attempts to introduce variety. Chapter 1 includes a sliding sequence where Ariane is falling and must avoid obstacles along the way, while Chapter 4 shifts toward stealth. In that later section, you’re required to sneak around an alien creature and avoid being detected, which adds a different kind of tension. These moments help break up the pacing, but they also underline a desire for more meaningful gameplay differentiation across the experience that will hopefully come throughout the other chapters.
The story itself is intriguing, and it’s clear that Aphelion is more interested in its narrative and atmosphere than in mechanical complexity. That approach will work for some players, but the gameplay needs to do more to support the story rather than feel like an obstacle to it.
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Based on what was played, Aphelion has a strong foundation, but whether it truly comes together will depend on how much the gameplay evolves over the course of the full game. For now, Aphelion feels like a familiar Don’t Nod experience, rich in mood and storytelling, but still searching for the right balance between narrative ambition and engaging play.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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