Last Updated on May 5, 2026 @ 17:51:34 PM.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try out DON’T NOD’s brand-new space adventure game Aphelion, which puts you in the shoes of two astronauts as they venture to a planet called Persephone, as they attempt to discover whether or not this planet can be habitable by humans as the Earth floods and becomes inhospitable.
Throughout this adventure, I was able to explore various locations, each with its own unique landscapes, while also experiencing the game’s story in all its glory through both the playable characters and experiencing their individual stories as the game progressed.
Aphelion’s Persephone is Beautiful and Mesmerizing All At Once
From start to finish, one of the biggest draws for me while playing Aphelion was the game’s world of Persephone, as the different locations that you can explore throughout the game are nothing short of beautiful, with each scene looking as beautiful as the next, even with the minimalistic design being clear as day.
Although the locations aren’t full of NPCs, buildings, or anything but ice and misery, that didn’t stop the developer from making the world of Persephone a sight to behold, as each location is well-crafted with the perfect amount of detail to make the player feel immersed within the game.
What made these locations even more interesting was how the exploration of each location was handled. Yes, the game is very linear and tasks the player with following a specific overall path. There isn’t one set way to venture throughout the world, but there are, in fact, a number of paths the player can take to their main goal, allowing for different playstyles.
This was something that I found to be a lot of fun while exploring the game world of Aphelion, as I was able to take the different paths to explore the game world with a bit more depth, choosing to climb more and perfect my rock climbing or take an easier path of walking with a few jumps and less climbing.
Having these options was a lot of fun, as it encouraged me to explore the world more while looking for the few secrets there were but also allowed me to see more of the beautiful scenery that lurked around each corner.
The Story Was Very Heart Wrenching With Numerous Powerful Moments
From the get-go, the story of Aphelion kicks off with emotion at its forefront, with the player witnessing what is clear to be a relationship between the two main characters of the game and their venture to Persephone inevitably ending poorly, with unfortunate situations causing the characters to crash land on the planet.
Straight away, for me, while playing the game, I was immediately gripped by this story as it leaned straight into the desperation the characters would be feeling, and the fear they would have during the situation they were stuck in, and this feeling was something that could be felt throughout the game, both through the natural story and the amazing voice acting from the cast.
When it came to every scene, every voice line, and just the general exploration of the game’s world, the story could be felt throughout the entire game, with no moment feeling like a waste of time or a pointless endeavor, but instead feeling as though every moment and every step was worth it.
In terms of the pacing of Aphelion, I was very impressed by how DON’T NOD was able to keep my attention throughout the story while also ensuring that I kept my mind on both the playable characters, rather than just caring about one and forgetting about another.
Without spoiling the ending of the story, I will mention that the game’s story upheld its overall tone and was able to deliver on the emotional stakes that were demonstrated throughout the game’s story, even making a stone-hearted person like me shed a tear every now and then throughout the game’s story and specific moments, whether they be happy or sad tears, towards the end.
Aphelion’s Gameplay Was a Lot of Fun, But it Wasn’t Without its Hardships
Throughout Aphelion, the gameplay was rather simplistic with very little to remember or struggle with, as a majority of the game relies on either climbing, hiding, or running, with a few additional features later on that I won’t spoil.
With my time playing through Aphelion, I found the various gameplay mechanics very easy to get used to, with very few errors coming into play, as one mechanic relied on me pressing a button while climbing to ensure I grabbed onto a ledge without issue; although I may have stumbled every now and then, I was able to keep a consistent level of successes to ensure I climbed safely and quickly.
Along with these mechanics being easy to grasp, there was quite a lot of fun to play with during the adventure, as the story was constantly changing to allow the player breaks between the two versions of gameplay before they got bored. To me, this was a good choice from DON’T NOD, as having the constant gameplay of climbing for the entire game would have gotten boring quick, so swapping between that and the timed explorative gameplay of the second protagonist was a smart move.
However, when it came to the gameplay of Aphelion, it wasn’t always smooth sailing, as there were a few moments in which the gameplay would glitch in various different ways, both breaking the immersion and just overall screwing me over, leading to silly deaths at unnecessary moments.
For example, during the early sections of the game, I was greeted by a glitch in which, while climbing a long section of walls, the character Ariane began glitching with her arms, leading both arms to move and glitch in her body, generating a very silly but immersion-breaking glitch. The other glitch I often came across that caused me distress was how the jumping wouldn’t always work the way it was supposed to, most often while climbing and jumping towards certain platforms, but instead of grabbing onto the ledge, it would glitch into the wall and kick me away or turn me around.
These glitches, albeit annoying, were still relatively rare in comparison to how much I would climb around and take action within the game, but I was quite frustrated with these glitches being persistent enough throughout the game and a few other minor glitches that ruined the look of the game in numerous ways, so it did cause me to get fed up by the end of the game.
That being said, putting those glitches to the side, I was able to enjoy the relaxing gameplay within Aphelion while it was working, and I was able to explore a lot of the game world with ease throughout the majority of the game.
Aphelion
Summary
For me, the overall world of Aphelion was incredible to behold, as the scenery was very beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to see what was waiting for me around each corner.
The gameplay was very challenging in the sense that it was fun to play, but there were a few issues during my run that made it very problematic and made me lose my patience.
The game’s story was fantastic, with emotions bursting at the seams with every cutscene, dialogue, and location being filled with so much emotional impact that even a person like me, who doesn’t feel emotion that often, was able to feel for Aphelion.
HOURS PLAYED: 6
PLAYED ON: PS5
- The pacing of the game was fantastic as it didn't feel rushed, but instead felt well planned out.
- The characters were very likable allowing me to feel more for them and eventually get attached to the story more than normal.
- The game world was beautiful with most scenes taking my breath away due to the detail.
- The gameplay was a lot of fun and was very easy to grasp.
- I often came across quite a few glitches that either slowed me down in gameplay or broke my immersion.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of Replaced, or check out our article talking about the upcoming Alien Isolation sequel.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
