Don't Nod's Aphelion lands on Game Pass with mixed reviews

Don't Nod's latest game, Aphelion, is out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S — and it's already landing with a thud. The sci-fi adventure scores a 63 on Metacritic and just 38% recommend on OpenCritic, making it one of the studio's weakest-received releases. For Game Pass subscribers, it costs nothing to try, which may be the most compelling case for it.

The setup

Aphelion follows two astronauts — Ariane and Thomas — who flee a dying planet bound for Persephone, a newly discovered tenth planet at the edge of the solar system. Their ship crashes en route, and survival becomes the mission. Each character plays differently: Ariane handles parkour and stealth sections, while Thomas takes an investigation-based approach. The European Space Agency consulted throughout development to keep the science grounded, and that collaboration shows in the environmental detail and scenario design.

Unlike earlier Don't Nod games, Aphelion leans hard into cinematic storytelling and cuts back on player choice. If you came for the branching narratives of Life Is Strange, you'll find less of that here.

Where it stumbles

Critics are largely on the same page: the story and its characters are the draw, but the gameplay wrapped around them falls flat. Climbing mechanics feel repetitive, stealth sections drag, and the modest production values make it hard to overlook the rough edges. Several reviewers noted that the concept had real potential — the ESA angle gives the world a plausibility most sci-fi games skip — but the execution doesn't follow through.

The studio context matters here. Don't Nod laid off staff and paused multiple unannounced projects in 2024–2025 after both Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden missed sales targets, per Game Rant. Aphelion arrives under real commercial pressure, and the mixed reception — confirmed by Pure Xbox at Metacritic 63 / OpenCritic 66 — won't ease it.

The bottom line

Aphelion is available now on Steam with a 10% launch discount (£24.99), on PS5 for £34.99, and included day one in Xbox Game Pass. If you subscribe to Game Pass, it's worth an evening for the story alone. At full console price, the mixed reviews make it a harder sell.