Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The opening pull comes from being dropped into a military investigation that rapidly becomes something larger. You control Savion Mercante, a reckless Ereit Peacekeeper, and his assignment begins with an attack on a human colony by the alien Crimsons. It is a familiar sci-fi setup, but it gives the turn-based combat a useful sense of purpose: you are not simply clearing encounters, you are moving through an urgent operation.

Combat blends turn-based shooting with RPG-style squad development. That combination gives you more to think about than a simple attack exchange. Savion can improve his own statistics, while squad upgrades unlock new offensive and defensive abilities. The system should start to click once you treat the team as more than background support; investing in the squad changes the options available in battle and makes progression feel tied to your tactical choices.

The trade-off is that this is clearly built around deliberate play. If you want constant action and instant payoff, the turn-based pace may feel stiff, especially early on while you are still working with limited upgrades. Give it a little time, though, and the promise is in shaping a stronger group for the harder rescue mission ahead. It is a sensible fit for a player who likes sci-fi firefights slowed down into decisions.

Graphics

The game uses a diagonal-down viewpoint, placing the action in an angled overhead view rather than directly behind Savion. That perspective is a natural match for turn-based battles, since it lets you watch Savion and the rest of the squad occupy the same combat space.

Story

Aphelion’s story begins with a colony attack and a potentially hostile alien race, but it avoids leaving the Crimsons as faceless targets. Savion, Ashley, and Ceda rescue a senior Crimson ambassador during their investigation. That single turn gives the conflict a little more tension than a simple humans-versus-aliens cleanup job.

The reward for that rescue is a special assignment: locate and save the scientist Delith from the Crimsons on a distant planet. It is a direct objective, and the episode format makes that focus feel appropriate. You know what the team is headed toward, which helps the campaign retain momentum even when the larger setting is only beginning to unfold.

Savion’s description as reckless gives the lead a potentially useful edge against the formal Peacekeeper backdrop. Ashley and Ceda establish a small core around him, while the ambassador rescue suggests that loyalties may not be as uncomplicated as the initial briefing makes them seem. The story’s strength is its clean setup rather than its complexity, but it leaves enough room for the mission to carry some intrigue.

Overall Experience

Aphelion: Episode One – Graves of Earth is a modest, focused tactical RPG built around a familiar sci-fi rescue operation. Its strongest idea is the link between turn-based shooting and squad upgrades: each improvement promises a more capable team, not just a bigger number beside Savion’s name.

You should try it if you enjoy pausing to make combat decisions and like earning new offensive and defensive options as a squad develops. The story is easy to follow, with an investigation, an unexpected rescue, and a concrete objective waiting on another planet. That clarity is welcome when you want a game that gets to its mission instead of drowning you in setup.

It is less likely to win over someone looking for a fast shooter or a sprawling role-playing epic. This first episode keeps its focus narrow, and that can be either a limitation or a virtue depending on your taste. For patient tactical RPG fans, the squad progression and alien-conflict setup make it worth a look.

Retro Replay Score

6.5/10