I was expecting combat in Aphelion, but I’m actually glad it’s not there

Global warming and climate change are issues that won’t go away any time soon. While the topic has been explored plenty of times through the lens of video games, Aphelion separates itself by intertwining humanity’s search for a new home into a personal, heart-wrenching love story.

While some of its gameplay mechanics feel like an afterthought, the deep relationship between its two protagonists kept me invested until the end.

Aphelion takes place in the 2060s, when climate change has completely decimated Earth, forcing humanity to find a new home amongst the stars. Two astronauts, Ariane and Thomas, are sent on the first manned mission to the frozen planet of Persephone to make sure that it’s suitable for life.

Their ship malfunctions, causing a crash and separating them. Along the way they hope to reunite with each other while uncovering Persephone’s secrets, but soon learn that they may not be alone after all.

Planet of ice

The mysteries surrounding Persephone and its environments are intriguing enough to make me want to understand more about the icy planet. I enjoyed scouring every corner to see which collectibles I could find to absorb the lore. Aphelion’s story has a personal touch as we get to see glimpses of Ariane and Thomas’s relationship. Ariane trained her whole life for this mission, often neglecting Thomas and focusing on her work.

However, as the elements start wearing her down, she becomes more vulnerable, pining for him and won’t give up until she sees them reunited. On the other hand, Thomas is ultimately supportive of Ariane’s life choices, and underneath that beneath her icy exterior is someone who just wants to be understood and loved. Getting to grips with this emotional core through each dialogue sequence is what makes Aphelion compelling.

Despite the unrelenting cold, Persephone is a gorgeous planet to traverse. The light reflecting off ice sheets provides a sense of hope that juxtaposes the perilous situation that Ariane and Thomas find themselves in. There are a few areas on the planet where the ice has melted, giving way to earthy tones and rocky terrain that help diversify the environments.

Persephone’s electromagnetic waves are particularly prevalent and really help the atmosphere. They also work as clever in-game objective markers to guide players on where to go. The waves themselves are colorful, reminiscent of the real-life Northern Lights, and add a splash of visual variety in a game otherwise filled with crisp white ice.

Aphelion’s performance on console is stellar too. Playing on Xbox Series S, I didn’t experience any crashes or any debilitating setbacks that could’ve hindered this journey.

Surviving the unknown

Throughout Aphelion, you play as both Ariane and Thomas, both with distinctly different playstyles and mechanics. Ariane’s gameplay consists of climbing across the environment, incredibly similar to how it feels in Uncharted.

That aside, Ariane’s segments have a surprising amount of variety, like scanning electromagnetic waves to open up new platforms. The game has chase sequences, sliding down mountains, and at one point, dodging lightning strikes amidst a snowstorm. For a game without any combat at all, these moments are just as tense and engaging.

With all the climbing Ariane does, Aphelion’s collision physics can get a bit wonky. Sometimes, when she makes contact with a ledge, she might just miss even though it feels like she definitely shouldn’t have, leading to a ragdoll-style death. It’s funny at first, but it can become frustrating over time.

When Thomas was separated from Ariane, his suit and body were punctured by a pole. His injuries prevent him from traversing and climbing freely as Ariane can, so Thomas’s main gameplay gimmick involves traveling between different tanks to refill his suit’s dropping oxygen levels.

His segments also feature their own investigative segments, but those just boil down to reading a few documents to figure out a passcode or two. Unfortunately, Thomas’s gameplay mechanics aren’t nearly as fleshed out as Ariane’s, and this results in his chapters being rather boring compared to hers.

As Ariane and Thomas try to survive on Persephone, they’re both hunted down by a hostile entity called the Nemesis. Its inclusion not only makes the story more interesting, but it also gives them both a proper villain to face in an otherwise desolate world.

When Thomas was separated from Ariane, separated from Ariane, his suit and body were punctured by a pole. His injuries prevent him from traversing and climbing freely as Ariane can, so Thomas’s main gameplay gimmick involves traveling between different tanks to refill his suit’s dropping oxygen levels.

His segments also feature their own investigative segments, but those just boil down to reading a few documents to figure out a passcode or two. Unfortunately, Thomas’s gameplay mechanics aren’t nearly as fleshed out as Ariane’s, and this results in his chapters being rather boring compared to hers.

As Ariane and Thomas try to survive on Persephone, they’re both hunted down by a hostile entity called the Nemesis. Its inclusion not only makes the story more interesting, but it also gives them both a proper villain to face in an otherwise desolate world.

With no weapons to defend herself, Ariane has to outmaneuver the foe in stealth sequences to reach her next objective.

Disappointingly, these sequences are almost exclusively tied to Ariane, and Thomas mainly interacts with the Nemesis in cutscenes, further reducing the gameplay variety between the two characters. Plus, the stealth sequences themselves aren’t very challenging, lessening their tension and impact.

Still, Aphelion is simultaneously riveting and isolating outside of these weak spots. The pacing is sublime; the game only takes about eight to 10 hours to complete, and each chapter doesn’t overstay its welcome. Ariane and Thomas demonstrate that even when people are physically apart, absence only makes the heart grow fonder.

Should I play Aphelion?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility features

,Aphelion has accessibility features such as subtitles and the ability to adjust their size, add backgrounds to them, and display the names of those speaking. There’s also closed captioning, color blindness mode for the three major dichromacy types (protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia). You can also reduce camera shake.

There are gameplay adjustment options too. You can toggle on automatic catch so that Ariane doesn’t miss ledges when she climbs. You can highlight ledges too, making the ones that are climbable more distinct against the environment.

On Thomas’s side, you can toggle infinite oxygen, ensuring that he won’t die if his tank runs out.

How I reviewed Aphelion

I played Aphelion for 9 hours on Xbox Series S using the standard Xbox Wireless Controller. In that time I completed the game and searched for as many collectibles as I could before heading back into Chapter Select to find the ones I was missing.

Chapter Select provides useful info about the number of ice sculptures, audio files, and text logs you’ve yet to find. There are no alternate difficulty levels to try.

First reviewed April 2026