Aphelion answered the eternal question for me of whether the story or the gameplay in a game is more important

The sci-fi adventure Aphelion is the latest game from the makers of narrative-driven games like Life is Strange. MyMMO editor Jasmin has been really looking forward to the game, as she is a big fan of groundbreaking stories, especially in space. And the game is damn lucky to have a good story, because otherwise she would never have reached the end of the game on the PS5.

Ever since Mass Effect entered my life, I have found great pleasure in games that connect the vastness of space with an epic story. For example, I discovered other gems like The Outer Worlds and I Was a Teenage Exocolonist.

Aphelion fell right into this category. Behind the game is the developer team from Don’t Nod, known for groundbreaking stories like in Life is Strange. I also enjoyed Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, as the story kept pushing me forward.

And I had the same effect with Aphelion. The sci-fi game showed me that the winner of the eternal question of whether a game should focus more on story or gameplay is clear for me.

Two missing astronauts in space must find each other

The premise of Aphelion may not reinvent the wheel, but it is exciting enough to keep you engaged. In the year 2060, Earth has largely become uninhabitable and is on the brink of collapse. Humanity is desperately searching for a new home.

Therefore, we take on the role of ESA astronauts Ariane and Thomas. They are sent as a vanguard to the edge of the solar system to investigate the mysterious planet Persephone. This planet is completely frozen but could potentially be colonized by humanity in the future.

However, the landing approach goes horribly wrong. The spaceship crashes, and the duo is separated. On the hostile surface, Ariane and Thomas must find each other again. The problem: Ariane has to fight through the most dangerous weather conditions like ice storms, while Thomas must prevent himself from bleeding out due to his severe injuries from the landing.

Throughout the story, there are many unique discoveries, and over time you get to know the planet Persephone better and better. This curiosity drove me to the end of the 7-hour game.

Because I wanted to know more and more secrets surrounding the planet and ultimately experience the conclusion of whether this planet could be a new home for humanity. This is exactly what fascinates me about the sci-fi genre: the idea of countless planets, each differing from the other and having its own rules, is super exciting.

The question of whether Ariane and Thomas will find each other again lingered over my head the entire time. It is answered towards the end of the game and becomes important for the grand finale – without giving away too much.

Particularly positive, I would also like to highlight the individual bases. Every time I entered a building that had laboratories, hospitals, or research-related tools, I felt like a real astronaut. You can tell that the developers worked with the European Space Agency to enhance the realism in the game.

Diagrams found lying around felt like real research results. And the technology you found around every corner never seemed too outlandish.

The gameplay drove me to the brink of madness

In contrast to the otherwise good story, the gameplay leaves much to be desired. With Ariane, we have to fight through the different terrains of the planet, climbing and jumping as much as we can. However, climbing doesn’t go as smoothly as it should.

To grab a ledge, you have to put in some work. It’s not enough to just move the joystick in one direction. You also have to press a button every time you reach for a rock. Fortunately, this option can be turned off. That was one of my first actions in the game.

I can imagine that this option is meant to enhance immersion by simulating the grip. However, for me, it only led to frustration because if I missed a button press, Ariane would slip off.

The same goes for balancing. There are several places where you have to balance across a narrow ledge. You have to push the joystick in the opposite direction to where Ariane is about to fall.

However, this didn’t always work for me because the control was just too sensitive. Ariane would then fall into the abyss. Since the reset points are not always fairly distributed, this led to a lot of frustration for me. Fortunately, you can also turn off the option so that Ariane doesn’t fall and you don’t have to balance anymore.

And indeed I had to make use of the second to last option that simplifies the game. There are occasionally sneaking passages that take place in completely dark areas. I’m not a big fan of sneaking, but it contributed to a more threatening atmosphere in the game, so I accepted it.

However, I wandered aimlessly in some areas because I didn’t know where to go next. Only a small flashlight lit the way, and that was by no means enough to see properly.

Therefore, I had to get the edges I could hold onto highlighted. They would then be shown with yellow dashed lines, so after 20 minutes of wandering, I finally saw where to go next.

The gameplay was for me the worst that I personally could experience. I only found the passages of Thomas acceptable. There is a special twist here, as his oxygen tank is damaged, and he has to run from oxygen station to oxygen station to have enough air to breathe.

I found this time pressure completely okay, and it was evident where and when I could finally refill fresh air at the station.

Conclusion: The story compensates for the weak gameplay

All in all, I stayed engaged solely because of the story. If it had been merely mediocre, I would not have survived the seven hours and would have quit the game beforehand. But I fought through every passage time and again and endured reset points that were sometimes really unfair. And all that just to see what secret lies behind the planet and whether the two astronauts would find each other again.

The game has shown me that the story is much more important to me than the gameplay. Because if the gameplay is outstanding, I would lack the motivation to stick with the game until the end without a story.

It may be that the reverse is true for you and you prefer gameplay over story. In that case, you should consider whether you want to grab the game. However, those who focus on a great, emotional story will be well served here.

Aphelion will be released on April 28, 2026, for PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Who is Aphelion suitable for?

You should play Aphelion if you…

• have always wanted to feel like a real astronaut 
• enjoy emotional stories with many plot twists 
• find outer space fascinating 

You should rather stay away if you…

• have a low frustration threshold
• need varied gameplay
• are looking for a long game with a playtime in the double digits

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