Despite its first game being a sci-fi title, Don't Nod hasn't revisited the genre in a good long while; most of its developed titles have dabbled in the supernatural instead. That's what makes the upcoming release of Aphelion so exciting, since it means that the developer has decided to take another crack at the genre. We checked out an upcoming demo for Aphelion before Steam Next Fest and came away quite intrigued.

Aphelion is set in the relatively near future, when the Earth has become inhabitable and the search for a new home is underway. A possible candidate has been found in Persephone, a recently discovered frozen planet. A duo of astronauts has been sent to explore the viability of the planet but crashes when landing the craft, resulting in the duo being separated. With no immediate way to get back home, they need to find each other and try to survive what awaits them.

While the full game promises that you'll play as both characters, the demo sticks with Ariane as she navigates two chapters. The first chapter is right at the beginning of the game, when Ariane wakes up and finds herself upside-down in the cockpit of the wrecked ship. She sees that her partner Thomas is missing and goes off to find him. She also sees the wreck that the ship had made and tries to find a way to escape before things get worse.

The section focuses on exploration, particularly platforming versus any kind of puzzle-solving. If you're using a controller, the game follows analog stick sensitivity for its movement, so there's no need to use a second button to initiate sprinting when you can just push the stick at full tilt. You'll do loads of jumping and latching onto ledges, and while the game follows the tactic of using yellow paint to denote climbable portions of the environment, it makes sense, since this is the ruins of a spacecraft. There are moments when you use a grappling hook to help you climb vertical services and do horizontal runs to build momentum for a leap to a far-off ledge, giving off some Jusant vibes. In one section, you'll slide down a part of the broken ship while trying to avoid falling obstacles. The game makes an effort to show that this isn't a mere walking simulator, and so far, this results in some noteworthy moments of actual gameplay.

The second chapter of the demo takes place in an ice cavern system, where you discover that a creature is actively stalking you. This is where the game makes a pivot from pure platforming to stealth, once you discover that the creature hunting you down only reacts to sound, since it is essentially blind. The stealth elements are basic, as you can crouch to ensure you aren't making loud noises with your steps. Don't expect a bevy of moves and techniques at your disposal. It changes the overall gameplay to ensure that the experience doesn't become stale.

While the demo didn't display any gameplay from Thomas' side, we saw some gameplay footage of his overall quest. For the most part, the footage shows that Thomas' part plays out similarly to Ariane's first chapter, with most of the gameplay focused on exploration and a decent amount of climbing. We saw some new uses for the grappling hook, such as using it to pull down loose objects and as a tether to ensure you don't uncontrollably slip down slopes. The rest of the footage leads into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say that what was shown leads to a bigger mystery about the planet that makes the adventure interesting, even if that discovery may seem predictable for those who have been exposed to a glut of sci-fi over the years.

Although our time with Aphelion was limited, there was just enough in the demo to make us want to experience more. The increased focus on general exploration is always a welcome reprieve from fighting and solving puzzles, and while one of the game's big mysteries is predictable, that doesn't make it any less fascinating. The latest word is that Aphelion will launch around spring 2026, and we are excited to see how the final product turns out.