“Aphelion” in review: Tears in the dew
Good ideas meet shaky technology in the French science fiction adventure “Aphelion”. For some, it might still count as a hit.
(Image: Don't Nod)
When humanity finally reaches a new planet one day, what will it find there? What must it do? “Aphelion” has an answer. There are mountains everywhere on the newly discovered ninth planet, Persephone, and lots of small snow-covered ledges on the mountains. Those who enjoy playing games will recognize them from afar: That's where you're supposed to hold on while climbing. The cosmos calls humanity to the climbing wall.
The planet also has other activities to offer humanity. Icy slopes lead to life-weary slides, an astonishing number of narrow ledges can only be crossed by balancing, and when the camera suddenly zooms out slightly, the next race over collapsing floor surfaces is probably about to start.
Europe reaches for the stars
The French studio Don't Nod is known not only for the narrative game series “Life Is Strange”, but also for a colorful assortment, such as the climbing adventure “Jusant” or the action role-playing game “Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden”. With “Aphelion”, it now presents an action-adventure inspired by major science fiction films of recent years. Based on the premise, you can already guess which ones are meant: You play the two scientists Ariane and Thomas on a desperate mission to heaven. As Earth is about to become uninhabitable, humanity actually finds a ninth planet in our solar system. But with the arrival on the ice planet Persephone, a ten-hour barrage of earth-shattering catastrophes and revelations begins.
"Aphelion" im Test (18 Bilder)
That much of this science fiction story makes sense is also thanks to the ESA. Not only in fiction do Ariane and Thomas appear as ESA astronauts; the development team also had access to scientific advice from the space agency. The result is truly stunning from the start. After a short, intimate introduction on board, the astronauts stand amazed in the alien world. The ice planet is not only pretty; it also sounds alive. The snow crunches, the wind whistles, the ice sings, and Ariane gasps credible observations into the microphone, as a real astronaut might.
You could look at the clouds for minutes, Persephone is that beautiful. And then melancholic strings play, like in “Interstellar”. It's an adventure fit for the big screen. But the misunderstandings begin as soon as a thumb touches a joystick.
“Uncharted” in space
In this harsh and quite serious narrative, Ariane is the action heroine, while the wounded Thomas has to proceed slowly. Both are sent on a journey that is broadly plausible, but hair-raisingly exaggerated in detail. It seems as if Don't Nod first worked on a credible science fiction story, and then adapted the plot with gentle force to the requirements of a linear action-adventure.
This becomes most apparent when Ariane is once again at the start of a betrayingly marked climbing course. The panorama may look majestic, but now it's about white-contrasting edges on steep walls, about always the same narrow ice bridges to balance over, about the next grapple point from which to swing. Only to be slightly adjusted in mid-air just before landing. This not only feels sluggish, it also looks strange in many small moments. The landscape is new and exciting, the climbing is stale and boring.
Videos by heise
Unfortunately, you have to imagine it as a simpler, technically less competent, and very linear version of “Uncharted” or “Horizon”. There's no fighting here, but many game mechanics from action-adventures, which are themselves no longer entirely fresh, are adopted. Many games after “Uncharted” have explored how climbing can be staged more excitingly or creatively.
“Aphelion” controls a bit differently, but at its core, it's about hanging along clearly marked routes woodenly, as if Ariane were a dime-novel heroine with infinitely strong fingers. Chase sequences, also wonderfully animated but strictly scripted, are also back. Instead of developing role models further, “Aphelion” imitates them and remains behind the originals.
“Aphelion” is Euro-Jank
When game elements are not implemented well, their repetition is particularly annoying. Ariane is not just a fit astronaut, she jumps up and down steep walls for kilometers. And not only then does she suffer from the sluggish controls. Ariane and Thomas move realistically, with very detailed animations. This usually looks impressive, but playing feels like ordering interactions from the characters instead of controlling them directly. Ariane hangs on the wall, the handrail crumbles again, time is running out, and she would have to point to the next ledge with one arm so that you can order the jump there. But Ariane doesn't extend her arm, even though you're pushing the joystick in the right direction. Maybe she'll do it in a moment.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
We never found the climbing difficult for the entire duration of the game, but it wasn't entertaining either. It feels mushy and sluggish. Unfortunately, the same applies to adjusting an EM scanner to solve puzzles, to the slow balancing over narrow ledges, and especially to hanging on the rope. All these obstacles can be overcome, but you only do it to reach the next view, the next dialogue.
The challenges are slightly increased and varied, but the constant repetitions weigh heavily. The game also makes a few bigger design mistakes: Occasionally, the injured Thomas has to hobble to a goal with tiny oxygen reserves. If he takes a wrong turn, he suffocates and has to search again from the last checkpoint. This is occasionally frustrating, but never exciting or interesting.
A much better idea is a mysterious, monstrous creature that appears in the game. You have to sneak past it or distract it. But even this encounter is repeated so persistently and staged so strictly linearly that it never feels like a fight against an alien, but like one with the level design: At what point do I have to order the distraction so that I can sneak along somewhere to the next checkpoint?
Conclusion: Hard Sci-Fi with Heart
Thus, “Aphelion” undermines its own strengths throughout the entire game. Apart from a few clumsy animations, the game looks stunning and tells a touching story. Genre fans can recognize many role models here, but Ariane and Thomas don't seem like copies of other heroes. In long cutscenes and repeated comments during gameplay, they come to life. While playing, you can explore beautiful, dramatic, and tragic locations with them. In a moment of weakness, Ariane even admits that she is walking through perfect science fiction illustrations here. Nevertheless, “Aphelion” can feel so real that you cannot escape their fate.
“Aphelion” is not particularly long. In the test, it took about 10 hours of playtime to reach the credits. You could also play it faster, but those who don't take their time to look will miss the best part. How much the unimaginative repetition of moderately inspired skill elements weighs is also a matter of taste. If climbing in all the “Uncharted” and “Horizon” sequels never got on your nerves, you might find it passable here too. But if you want to play “Aphelion”, it's for the story. Those who manage to concentrate on it can experience something special. And if you want to climb, you should play “Jusant” instead.
“Aphelion” is rated 12 and up by the USK and will be released on 04/28 for Windows, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It costs 35 Euros, the Xbox version is included in Game Pass Ultimate. For now, it will only be released digitally, a retail version is expected to be available in July.
(wpl)
