The Alters – Review
From the creative minds behind This War of Mine and Frostpunk, 11 bit studios once again delivers a deeply profound and emotionally resonant experience with Alters. Released on June 13, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, this game is a masterful blend of survival, base management, and psychological sci-fi narrative. It challenges players to confront not just the physical dangers of an alien world, but the very essence of identity, regret, and the paths not taken. Alters isn’t just a game about survival; it’s a game about what it means to be you, and what would happen if you were suddenly faced with all the other versions of yourself.
The game thrusts you into the shoes of Jan Dolski, a simple space technician stranded on a hostile, desolate planet after a critical malfunction. With the sun’s deadly radiation advancing by the minute, Jan’s only hope for survival is to pilot his mobile base to safety. However, this Herculean task is impossible alone. His salvation lies in a unique, newly discovered mineral called Rapidium, which, when utilized in a special machine, can create an alternate version of himself—an “Alter.” These Alters are not clones in the traditional sense; they are sentient, fully-formed versions of Jan, each a product of a different major life choice. The Jan who chose to stay home and care for his sick mother, the Jan who became a cynical rock star, the Jan who excelled in a technical field—each one is a distinct individual with their own skills, personality, and, most importantly, their own regrets.
The narrative is the undeniable heart of Alters. It is a gripping, character-driven story that feels more like an interactive psychological thriller than a traditional survival game. The core narrative tension is beautifully multifaceted. On one level, it is a desperate race against time, a classic man-versus-nature struggle for survival. On another, more personal level, it’s an intimate drama where Jan must reconcile with the various versions of himself, some of whom admire his choices, while others resent him and everything he stands for. The dialogue is sharp and emotionally charged, forcing the player to make difficult leadership decisions and mediate interpersonal conflicts. The genius of the game lies in its ability to make these interactions feel earned and impactful. The player isn’t just choosing lines of dialogue; they are shaping a fragile family dynamic where every action has a consequence, both in the physical world and in the relationships with the Alters.
A Unique Blend of Mechanics
At first glance, Alters appears to be a genre hybrid, combining elements of survival, base management, and adventure. While this is true, the game’s brilliance lies in how these mechanics are interwoven to serve the central narrative.
Base Management and Survival
The mobile base, a giant, wheel-shaped structure, is your sanctuary and your primary tool for survival. It’s a series of interconnected, modular rooms that you must maintain and expand to keep your crew alive. Resource management is a constant balancing act. You’ll need to gather resources from the planet’s surface to craft food in the kitchen, manufacture repair kits in the workshop, and produce more Rapidium in the special “Womb” module to create new Alters. Each of these modules consumes power and resources, and the game forces you to make tough choices: do you build a new social room to improve your Alters’ morale, or do you prioritize a refinery to produce a crucial material? The game’s day-night cycle adds another layer of tension, with lethal radiation making planetary exploration impossible after a certain time. This turns every excursion into a high-stakes puzzle, where every minute matters.
The Alter System and Choices
The core loop of creating and managing your Alters is the game’s most unique feature. To create an Alter, you must first access a quantum computer and simulate a “what if” scenario from Jan’s past. The game presents you with a pivotal moment—a career choice, a personal decision, a relationship crossroads. By choosing a different path, a new version of Jan is born, each with a unique skill set and personality. For example, the Botanist Alter is skilled at growing food, the Scientist Alter is a whiz at research, and the Miner Alter is an expert at finding resources. These skills are essential for survival, as a more diverse team can tackle a wider range of problems.
However, each new Alter also brings emotional baggage. The game masterfully explores the psychological impact of seeing a version of yourself who is happier, more successful, or who made a choice you regret. These relationships are managed through an intricate dialogue system. Ignoring an Alter’s needs can lead to a drop in their morale, which in turn reduces their productivity. This means you must not only manage your resources but also your crew’s mental health, a challenge made more complex by the fact that your crew is a fragmented version of yourself.
Art Direction and Sound Design
Alters is a visually stunning game with a highly distinctive aesthetic. The art style is a blend of realistic 3D environments for the alien planet and a more stylized, almost comic-book-like approach for the characters and the internal base modules. This contrast creates a surreal and disorienting atmosphere, perfectly reflecting Jan’s internal conflict. The planet’s landscape is a masterwork of desolate beauty, with eerie, jagged rock formations and strange, levitating anomalies that add a constant sense of unease. The use of a vibrant magenta color palette, especially in the visuals of the Rapidium and the base modules, makes the game instantly recognizable and visually captivating.
The sound design and music are equally exceptional. The game’s composer, Piotr Musiał, delivers an immersive and emotional score that perfectly complements the narrative. The main theme is particularly memorable, setting a tone of both hope and existential dread. The sound effects are meticulously crafted, from the subtle hum of the base’s machinery to the ominous, low hum of a distant anomaly. The voice acting, particularly by Alex Jordan who voices all of the Alters, is a tour de force. He manages to give each Alter a unique voice and personality, despite them all originating from the same person. This vocal performance is crucial to the game’s success, as it breathes life into the characters and makes their conflicts feel genuine.
The Critical Reception and its Legacy
Upon its release, Alters was met with widespread critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising its unique concept and emotional depth. It was hailed as another triumph for 11 bit studios, solidifying their reputation as a developer of thought-provoking and morally complex games. Critics particularly praised the game’s ability to seamlessly blend its survival and management mechanics with a deeply personal, philosophical narrative. The game was also celebrated for its replayability, as different choices in Alter creation lead to wildly different stories and endings
However, the game is not without its minor flaws. Some reviewers pointed out that the survival and base management elements, while serving the narrative well, might not be complex enough for hardcore fans of the genre. The progression can feel a bit linear at times, as players are often forced to create specific Alters to advance the story. There were also reports of occasional technical bugs, though these were generally minor and did not detract from the overall experience. Despite these small issues, the game’s emotional impact and ambitious storytelling far outweigh its minor shortcomings.
In the end, Alters is a game that leaves a lasting impression. It is a powerful meditation on regret, identity, and the choices that define our lives. It asks uncomfortable questions and doesn’t offer easy answers. It’s a game that will stick with you long after you’ve reached one of its multiple endings, forcing you to think about the what-ifs in your own life. For fans of narrative-driven experiences and games with a strong emotional core, Alters is not just a recommendation—it’s an essential experience.
