Of all the space exploration agencies to consult while making a videogame, perhaps the European Space Agency is the best bet. Dontnod, the makers of Life Is Strange, have teamed up with the organisation of euronauts to create a third-person action adventure about an astronaut struggling to survive after crash landing on an alien planet. It’s called Aphelion, and it’ll be out sometime in 2026. Here’s a trailer from the Xbox Games Showcase.
That’s a lot of classic Uncharted-style hill-sliding and panic-leaping. For the less scientifically inclined, the “aphelion” is the point in a planet’s orbit at which it’s furthest from their star. It sounds dangerous. Travelling to other planets is an absolute peril, and I keep telling everyone to stop doing it. Look, there’s even the growls of some off-screen alien creature at the trailer’s end. Aliens love to stay off-screen, it’s like their hobby.
I make fun, but Dontnod actually have good form at climbing and clambering, with Alice B calling their mountaineering game Jusant a “show don’t tell masterpiece”. So there’s a chance this space adventure will turn out deec. We’ll see.