Aphelion is a sci-fi adventure from Don't Nod, who isn't just the creator of Life is Strange, but in relatively recent years has given me one of my favorite narrative coming-of-age stories in the phenomenal Lost Records: Blood & Rage, and an absolutely gorgeous and mechanically swish climber in Jusant. Aphelion sees two astronauts crash on an ice planet, having to clamber their way to its mysterious energy source while unravelling the mystery behind an expedition gone wrong. It should combine the best of Don't Nod's strengths. Instead, this is one bumpy landing.
Aphelion is stuffed to the brim with clunky storytelling and endless monologuing, and its clambering feels closer to a less polished Uncharted than Jusant's rock-climbing, except with super stiff, unreactive animations and a dearth of interesting platforming setpieces. That's before I get started on its constant stealth sequences that mostly just slow down movement.
