Aphelion is a cinematic third-person action adventure from DON'T NOD, the Paris-based studio behind Jusant. Set in 2060 as Earth approaches uninhabitability, the game follows two European Space Agency astronauts dispatched to survey a newly discovered ninth planet called Persephone at the edge of the solar system. Their mission is to determine whether humanity can start over there — a mission that goes wrong immediately when their ship crash-lands, scattering the crew across an uncharted frozen world.
The two astronauts offer distinct perspectives on survival. Ariane Montclair pushes forward through Persephone's shifting terrain using a Pathfinder tool to navigate the expanse, swinging over dark chasms and climbing melting ice with momentum-driven traversal that includes grappling, sliding and parkour. Thomas Cross, injured in the crash, relies on ingenuity and observation to piece together his surroundings. Players experience both sides of this separation as the pair work toward reuniting, their fractured personal bond becoming central to the story. The two share a deep connection left unresolved by the demands of their careers, and the complicated history surfaces as they grasp through the dark for one another.
Persephone itself is shaped by deadly weather and ever-changing terrain: a vast frozen landscape hiding something beneath the ice. The astronauts carry explorational tools rather than weapons — a Pathfinder, an oxygen tank, a grappling hook. As both characters explore and investigate, they uncover clues about the planet's strange conditions and what caused their ship to crash. A hostile alien lifeform stalks them through this world, forcing tense stealth sequences where players must use the environment to avoid detection, staying one step ahead of whatever is hunting them.
Aphelion is not yet available to play. It is listed for PC on Steam, coming from a studio whose previous release Jusant earned Very Positive reviews. Where that game sent players scaling a massive tower in near-silence, this one strands them on a frozen planet with something watching from the dark.