The Alters Review (PC)

11 bit studio’s “The Alters” is a fascinating game, and one I had my eye on from the moment it was announced years ago.

As a fan of their previous works, like This War of Mine or Frostpunk 1 & 2, The Alters immediately had my attention for the new concepts the studio could be bringing to the table. Playing the demo last year gave a brief look at their idea for a combination of a narrative and survival game – but the final product far exceeds that demonstration. In The Alters, you’ll be asking questions about the ramifications of your choices. What if something went slightly different at some point in my life? Who would I – or would I not have – become? All the while you try to escape an anomaly of a planet, set out to kill you and hinder you on every step, while on a time limit.

The Alters combines many different aspects from 11 bit’s previous games in a single package: base building, resource management, survival, crew management, and a story driven game. But mind you, if you’re looking for a Frostpunk or base builder, that is not the main gameplay loop of this game. At it’s core, it’s a narrative adventure, with everything else as a support.

What if…?

The Alters starts you out as miner Jan Dolski, part of a space-faring mining operation to find an element called Rapidium, with all sorts of scientific properties, and bring it back to Earth. But Jan wakes up alone, as the only surviving member of his crew, everyone else having died a mysterious death. Quickly enough you make it back to the mobile base of operations, which will serve as the game’s hub for the remainder of the story, and are contacted by the corporation. You’re given permission to carry out an experimental procedure – to create Alters of yourself.

Jan’s entire life consciousness is stored inside a Quantum Computer, letting you discover the path he took throughout his life. But thanks to the element found on the planet Jan was sent to.. you’re able to create clones. And not just any clones. Clones that branch of specific points in Jan’s life, specific choices he’s made, and that took a different road. What if Jan stepped in to protect someone when they were being harassed, instead of turning a blind eye?

The ramifications could be serious, and I won’t delve into spoiler territory here, but with the purpose of having a Scientist or Mechanic who knows their way around the ship or the anomalies found on this planet, Jan creates entirely different versions of himself who’ll have to come to terms with the fact they’re stuck with him now, gone from the life they were living, and forced to help him – and themselves – survive instead. Throughout the game you create more and more Alters, some will help you collect resources faster, maybe you’d prefer a Doctor or a Shrink to help your other Alters out with injuries or stress. But each Alter you create is a fully realised character, voiced differently than the original all by the same actor, with character arcs that span the entire game – or not. If you let them die, or your Alters get fed up with you and leave the base to make their own way out there, or worse.. rebel. You’ll have to manage your other selves and try to get along with them, or not.

At the core of The Alters’ story is a question of “What if things had gone differently?”. A theme that is hammered on a little too much at times. But from bonding, to aiding your Alters in their personal growth and discoveries, to having an entire music video with them that absolutely rocks – you’ll be stuck with yourselves for the ride.

Race against the sun

To escape the planet, you’ll have to traverse it in the rolling, mobile base that The Alters live and work on. Often blocked by all sorts of anomalous hindrances, you’ll have to research, gather resources, craft and get them out of your way, while discovering more about the planet and your Alters in the downtime between. Originally not a fan of the resource gathering aspect, it turned out to be quite a fun puzzle in the final game. You need to set up mining outposts and connect them to the base, connecting them with pylons, slowly making a puzzle around the map. Figuring out what the best way to connect your base and outposts was, was a lot of fun. A gameplay loop that was reset for every area you visited, where you’d have to start fresh, explore and research new obstacles all over again, all in a race against the sun.

The planet Jan is stranded on is dangerous and deadly. This is a race against the clock, at least that’s what the game wants you to believe. In truth, you’re often able to play the game at your own pace, having a leisurely survival adventure even at the standard difficulty. If you’re looking for a hardcore survival experience, you can turn up the difficulty settings or look elsewhere, but if you’re afraid of being rushed or being hindered to enjoy the narrative by survival mechanics – I had no such troubles. There is no hard time limit at most points of the game, and the opening hour might have you believe you’re on a very tight schedule.

The survival and resource gathering mechanics are simple and fun enough to add on to the experience, not detract from it. As you progress, life will be made even easier by new tools you develop. The UI and menus are handy, letting you re-assign Alters anywhere you want wherever you are, be it in the base or in the middle of nowhere on the planet.

Alternate choices

This planet is hostile. Ignoring the sun on the other side of the planet that’s slowly rising to burn everything on the world’s surface to an irradiated crisp, obstacles, anomalies, and mysteries will hinder and hurt Jan and his Alters on their road to survival – and escape. Several people will be in contact with you through your journey, guiding you.. for their own interests, or yours? Who knows. But your choices and your interactions with them will shape your story. The Alters is one of few games with dialogue branches where it felt like my choices really mattered. All of them! From which Alters I decided to make, in which order, to who I sided with and who I didn’t side with, which option or solution I chose disliked by one person, liked by the other. Or disliked by everybody. I don’t wish to dive into spoilers, but choices matter, and the end of the game felt personally tailored for me and rewarded many of my small choices throughout my journey.

All of this is wrapped up in an enthralling sci-fi adventure and narrative. It’s a common trope these days for a single worker to be stranded on a planet, and a corporation offering to get him out of there. Heck, the recent movie Mickey 17 seemed to have a lot in common with The Alters. Going into the story, the narrative seemed.. predictable. But it wasn’t. It took surprising and engaging twists and turns and managed to be far more expensive than any movie could. I got to enjoy a pretty great story, and several different character arcs belonging to my Alters, or other figures that pop up in the story, over my 20+ hour adventure. All tied together by some extremely good and ambitious moments.

Reloading or replaying the game also shows you which choice you picked in the past, a very handy little feature for players intent on revisiting things and witnessing all options available to them.

Final Verdict

The Alters is 11 bit studio’s most ambitious, and possibly best game yet. Combining all their experiences in base building, crew management, resource gathering and survival, they try to pull off something they haven’t done before. Create an engaging, huge, sci-fi narrative adventure. And they succeed. From its themes, to its music, acting, visuals, survival gameplay loop, base building, and so much more, The Alters is a triumph that exceeds expectations and an unforgettable adventure.