DON’T NOD has released a new trailer for its sci-fi cinematic adventure title Aphelion, this time around focusing on gameplay. Coming in at 5 minutes in length, the trailer showcases various aspects of gameplay, from pre-exploration scouting, to traversal, and even some survival horror. We get to see gameplay for both protagonists—Ariane and Thomas—with the former’s parts focusing on traversal and the latter’s on the exploration of a smaller-scale area. The trailer has also confirmed that Aphelion is slated for release this Spring.
It is worth noting that the trailer features quite a few visual flaws, like Ariane floating in the air for a second before sliding down a collapsing passage. However, DON’T NOD also seems well aware of this, since the studio has prominently noted that the game is still a work in progress.
With the plot of Aphelion revolving around Ariane and Thomas exploring a new planet in the Solar System—Persephone—and the two getting separated in the process, the trailer also showed us how the two were trying to reunite. While Ariane was trying to get to the last place she could track down for Thomas, he found his way into a base that was seemingly created by a prior team that had also somehow reached the planet.
As the two continue exploring in the hunt for answers, they also come across a strange creature that seems to be a corruption of electromagnetic waves. A prior trailer had referred to this creature as the Nemesis, and it may have had a hand in the disappearance of the previous team that built the base. Incidentally, while Thomas was busy exploring the base and finding new mysteries that needed uncovering, we got to see quite a bit of platforming gameplay for Ariane. As she made her way around the surface of planet Persephone, we got to see her swinging around using a grappling hook, making her way into caves, and even climbing up ledges in an attempt to get stronger footholds.
Aphelion was unveiled back in June 2025, which gave us our first look at both protagonists and the planet of Persephone. The trailer also introduced the core premise of the game, and started introducing questions about the European Space Agency’s Hope 01 scientific mission.
A second trailer, focusing more on the threat posed by the Nemsis, was released in October. We also got to see more of Thomas’ personality, and his overall response to the crisis that he and Ariane have found themselves in. Along with treacherous environments, we also got our first glimpse at how sneaking around would work in the presence of the Nemesis.
DON’T NOD has also confirmed that both characters will have unique gameplay styles, with Ariane focusing on more physical activity while Thomas, due to his injuries, being forced to rely largely on his deductive capabilities.
Despite its Spring release window, DON’T NOD hasn’t yet revealed a precise release date for Aphelion. However, the studio has confirmed that it is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
