Developed and published by 11 bit studios,The Altersis a sci-fi survival gameunlike any other. While balancing the classic genre expectations of players,The Altersmanages to find a sweet spot between traditional survival gameplay and an emotional, thought-provoking story that brings this unique game to life. As the sole survivor of a crashed expedition, Jan is placed into the impossible situation of figuring out a way to save himself before the sun burns up the hostile planet he’s now stranded on.
However, with so much at stake and so little time, there’s no way Jan can do it alone, which leads to some unconventional recruitments.With no other survivors, Jan’s only option for assistance is a team he constructs out of clones, but these clones aren’t Jan, at least not exactly. Each alternate version of Jan branches off from the various life-changing decisions he’s made throughout his life. Which means that every alternate, or Alter, comes with its own memories and baggage, all of which Jan must keep in order if he wants to return to Earth.
Just As Stressful As I’d Expect Being Stranded On A Hostile Planet To Be
Despite Its Heavy Story, The Alters Doesn’t Let You Forget That You’ve Got Bigger Problems To Deal With
Right from the start,The Alterswastes no time in letting you know exactly what kind of game you’re about to be playing. After realizing you are now the sole survivor of an expedition that has been stranded on an unknown planet in the first few minutes, things go from bad to worse rather quickly.The Altersis fundamentally a survival game, and believe me when I tell you that it will not allow you to forget that at any moment.
As soon as you’re made aware of how much of a task getting rescued is going to be, you’re luckily able to get some additional help using the new substance you’ve discovered, Rapidium, to clone yourself. Unfortunately,your Alters aren’t exactly the dream team you’re hoping for, as each one, while skilled in a specific niche, has a load of problems and opinions. As you continue to add more to gain the additional assistance, you also create more issues for yourself as arguments develop among the group, forcing you to take sides and make leadership decisions.
Now you might think that, with all that going on, the survival aspects fall on the back burner at times, but you’d be wrong.Not only do you have the burden of handling your team and delegating work, but you also have to deal with what has to be the most stressful resource management and base-building I’ve ever experienced. Between ensuring there is a stockpile of the seemingly endless number of resources that are obtained through manual drilling and making sure that all the equipment required to run the base is constantly available, the word stressful is putting it mildly.
At any given time, it feels as though there are a million resources you’re falling short on, storage that’s quickly reaching capacity, and not enough hands to go around for all the work that needs to be done.Unfortunately, it was occasionally more overwhelming than it was enjoyable, even on an easier difficulty setting. Especially since half of your responsibilities are meeting the basic human needs of your team, which weirdly makes it feel like a sci-fi survival version ofThe Sims.Overall, the survival gameplay should be commended for feeling authentic and realistic, but I just wish it had offered a bit more breathing room.
The Alters Isn’t About Survival, It’s About Possibilities
The Alters' Unique Twist Creates A Story That Puts A New Spin On Survival Games
Despite how incredible and realistic the survival aspects ofThe Altersare, perhaps what was most impressive was how it pushed me to want more. I didn’t just want to survive, I wanted to live. The more you learn about Jan and the Alters, the more you can’t help but feel how real they are. As mentioned,the Alters are designed by branching off from Jan’s own life, so, for example, if Jan didn’t go to college, then maybe there would be an alternate version of him that did go to college, and thus the Alter is born.
As you craft each one,you’re able to read through Jan’s life and see the decision that leads to the split, which then permits you to read what came of that Alter’s life following that choice. This, as you might expect, results in a variety of personalities, memories, baggage, and an identity crisis for each one. While some are certainly more likable than others, you can’t help but want to get to know all of them and learn about their hopes and dreams, as well as their problems.
“…TheAlterswas about more than just survival; it was about living. It was about choices. It was about identity.”
Whether it was during a group musical number, a game of beer pong, or movie night, the more time I spent with them, the more real they felt. Yes, perhaps they were just products of an experiment made with artificial memories, but they’re written in a way that encourages you to root for them to go on to live their own lives beyond this mission. Whether such a thing was possible, I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t keep me from hoping for it. This train of thought is what then led to the ultimate realization thatThe Alterswas about more than just survival; it was about living. It was about choices. It was about identity.
As I stood there making choices for Jan that would inevitably have consequences down the line, I couldn’t help but think about his own choices and how, if I had selected a different option, I would have sent him down an alternate path. In a way,it’s almost as if separate playthroughs with different decisions are the player’s way of creating their own Jan Alters. The more I played, the more I was blown away by how 11 bit studio managed to create something as gripping as it was thought-provoking.
An Existential Crisis Masquerading As A Video Game
The Alters’ Story Hits You Like A Punch To The Gut When You Least Expect It
Now, when I say thatThe Alterswas thought-provoking, I’m not sure if I can accurately convey just how light of a statement that is compared to what this game evokes out of you. In general, it’s quite obvious to the Alters that they are, in fact, alternate versions of Jan when they’re created, given that they look and sound just like him. Unfortunately, this often leads to a line of follow-up questions in which they question whether their memories and the people in them are real and what truly defines real.
After all, if an Alter has lived through these experiences and seen them play out and felt things, does that mean they’re not real just because some machine says so? What they feel is real, what they remember is real, at least to them, so how can it be any less so? These are the kinds of questionsThe Alterswill have you up at 4 am thinking about when you’re attempting to drift off to sleep, questioning your own life choices, and where your Alters might have chosen another path, or if you’re the Alter yourself.
Whether it was 11 bit studios' goal to give its players an existential crisis, I can’t be sure. Still,I think I can say with some certainty thatThe Alterswas intended to have you tossing around “what ifs” in your mind long after the game’s conclusion and thinking about the bigger picture. To say thatThe Altersoffers replayability would be an understatement. So much of what you’ll do in this game has a trickling effect on things that come later that I would almost say thatreplayingThe Altersfeels necessary to get the full experience that 11 bit studios intended.
Jan’s Story Is One That I Won’t Soon Forget
The Alters Is An Experience That Everyone Should Have Firsthand
In a survival game, your primary goal is always to make it to the end and see the characters safe and sound, so that when those credits start to roll, you’re satisfied in knowing that you did everything you needed to do, but then there’sThe Alters.Rather than showing you everything you did right, it seems to amplify everything that’s gone wrong as you stay in a constant state of reflecting on Jan’s decisions.
It’s rare to finda great survival gamethat truly evokes the sense of urgency necessary to keep it engaging throughout, butThe Altersnever lets up on the constant doom that’s nipping at your heels. Even if you somehow do manage to forget how dire the situation is at any given time, which I find very unlikely, you can be certain that one of your Alters will be right there to remind you.
Overall, if you think thatThe Altersis yet another throwaway survival game with the same old gameplay mechanics and story, you’re wrong. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind story of survival, life, identity, regret, and choices that you simply have to experience for yourself to understand, and I believeeveryone should give this game a shot, whether it’s in your typical wheelhouse or not.
The Alters
A stranded miner crafts alternate versions of himself—each shaped by different life choices—to survive on a hostile planet. As he builds a mobile base to escape lethal solar radiation, these “Alters” bring unique skills and emotional complexities, forcing him to confront the paths not taken in a race against time.
Screen Rantwas provided with a Steam code for PC for the purpose of this review. 9/10.
