Trapped on an alien planet with a sun so hot it scorches the planet, Jan Dolski must get the mobile base up and running while also trying to mine a rare but vital element to Earth’s survival. The major obstacle? He was the only survivor, and running the base is a multi-person job. His only chance of survival is to use the element in a dangerous experiment to create “Alters”, a clone of himself with altered memories.
11 Bit Studios’ The Alters plays primarily as a base-building survival game where the gameplay is split between exploring the surface and building equipment. It’s very reminiscent of Death Stranding, and managing the base feels very much like X-Com. The surface of the planet is very hostile; you can only go out during the day due to the high radiation and the base needs constant supplies.
Jan is just a simple builder, so of course, you will need staff; this is where The Alters’ unique spin on the gameplay comes in. Using the base’s quantum computer, Jan can scan his mind. The computer then extrapolates different timelines/outcomes based on whether different life choices were made. This enables Jan to create a new clone of himself with a new skill set and new life memories.
However, with different life events, each alter also comes with a different personality. The first one you create, the Technician, for example, his altered life event was that he stood up to his abusive father, thus not running away to college and becoming more self-reliant. As such, he is rather aggressive when he comes to terms with the fact that his existence only came into being because he was needed to essentially flip a switch.
This gave The Alters a surprising amount of philosophical depth. Every time I needed to create a new Jan for a different job, we had to go through the explanation of their existence and the various fallout depending on their personalities. The Scientist was perfectly logical and knew instantly what was going on, while the more emotional Botanist took some time to calm down. This also gave way to seeing to your alters’ needs. In essence, they are living, breathing human beings, so a quality of life must be maintained. Sleeping quarters, a kitchen and even entertainment must be accounted for, or else discord will brew.
You see, they say, “you are your own worst critic”, and nothing exemplifies this more than several versions of yourself lambasting you for a bad decision. During the story, you will be presented with challenges that could end your mission disastrously, and sometimes there just isn’t a good solution, just which bad option you can live with. This was very reminiscent of 11 Bit Studios’ previous game, Frostpunk, where you were in charge of a colony stuck in the ice.
You aren’t entirely alone; there still exists some communication from Earth, albeit audio only, as visual is impossible through planetary interference (nice way to avoid making new character models, guys). These are mostly ways to deliver the plot to you as it helps present what is at stake and gives you objectives to fulfil. You can sometimes get requests from your alters as well, which can lead to new technologies or even help Jan gain a new perspective, helping him learn a life lesson and gain additional options later down the line.
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The surface of the planet is mostly barren rocky terrain, which has to be explored in an environmental suit. Your goal is to find resources which can be found in many ways. Some are just lying on the surface, just waiting to be picked up. Others are in shallow nodes, which can be hand mined. Finally, there are deep veins which need to be mapped out, and a special mining rig needs to be built and powered up. Powering up requires a network of power pylons connecting back to the base, so after a couple of days, the surface would be covered in what looks like phone lines.
In earlier sections, there is no main threat outside the time limit, but later on, you will get introduced to what The Alters refer to as anomalies. These are natural obstacles which take the form of various energy effects which can hinder you by either increasing your radiation exposure, time dilation, or even draining your suit’s battery. You do get options to deal with them via a specialised utility which adds a unique spin to “combat”.
There were a lot of systems thrown at me during my playtime of The Alters, but they were all introduced in such a natural and systematic way that I never felt lost. A new problem would arise, and a solution was introduced, which taught me a new mechanic that would later be utilised. You quickly learn that time is another essential resource that needs to be managed efficiently. You assign your alters to various tasks around the base and the surface, but not necessarily what they are best at. Yes, the miner is more efficient on a mining rig, but food still needs to be made, so maybe assign him to that for the day.
There is always a ticking clock, as the base is essentially a giant wheel and must be moved periodically out of reach of the sun. This means you must mine as much as you can in each area quickly, but also keep morale up, make sure the base is fueled and that you have ample storage. Every so often, a magnetic storm can hit, so trekking outside becomes extremely risky, and radiation shielding must be maintained to avoid mechanical failures.
The Alters doesn’t waste your time either. If you need Jan to sit on a rig or build something in the workshop, it doesn’t go in real time. The game will speed up until the task is done, skipping what would be just holding a button anyway.
Alex Jordan is the voice of Jan Dolski, and I was blown away by his performance. Each version of Jan was delivered so uniquely and differently that you could identify who was speaking to whom. There was never a point that felt it was the same person talking to himself; each alter became their own person through his performance. Not to say the supporting cast wasn’t also great, but they were just outshone in comparison. Although no particular track stood out, there was a definite sci-fi edge to the soundtrack, and there was never a silent moment.
The Alters also looks stunning. The model for Jan is used a lot for this game as each alter is naturally based on the “prime” version. They are just variations of hair and beards, but he still looks like a worn-down, life-weary individual. The base is very sterile with whites and metals, but in contrast, the surface is sharp, craggy rocks and constant storms, making it feel very hostile to life. Finding anomalies can give your otherworldly mixes of vibrant purples and teal, and radiation is displayed via “glitching” appearing on your screen.
A new term that is currently being thrown about is “friction” in games. It’s basically a term describing the level of difficulty and obscurity a game should deliver to make it enjoyable. In my opinion, The Alters level of friction is perfect. There was never a point where I felt the game was impossible, but I knew I could never relax either, as there was always a time limit looming over everything, and it constantly felt like I was on the precipice of disaster.
With plenty of branching paths in the story and the fact that you cannot create every alter of yourself in one playthrough, there will be plenty to come back to for extra playthroughs. I managed to beat the game with mere hours left on the clock and felt extremely content with the decisions I made and the outcome I got. I wholeheartedly recommend you play The Alters.
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows
