Before diving into my enthusiastic review of the newest sci-fi strategy game from 11 bit Studios, let me admit something upfront: I’m an ardent fan of their productions. Whether it’s their self-developed games like Frostpunk and This War of Mine, or their publishing projects such as Moonlighter, it’s rare for me not to appreciate their work.
Despite my anticipation for The Alters from 11 bit studios, I was prepared to carefully examine it for any flaws, given that I don’t usually take pleasure in Sci-Fi narratives. It’s quite the predicament to find oneself eagerly awaiting a sci-fi strategy game from one of my preferred studios.
Currently, I’m tasked with penning a review for this game that has managed to disintegrate any remnants of my identity and hurl them into an inferno, simultaneously obliterating my struggle to progress beyond Act 1. However, against all odds, I find myself overflowing with praise for the characters (and their alternates) created by the developers at 11 bit studios, who have somehow managed to win my affection in this futuristic dystopia. It’s ironic because I maintain that I’m not a fan of sci-fi games.
The Alters review — Story and characters
The Alters tells the tale of Jan Dolski, a space builder for a team, who’s been sent to the furthest corners of space to an isolated planet teetering on the edge of being swallowed by its own sun. As is common in captivating science fiction tales, upon arrival, Dolski experiences a crash-landing that leaves him stranded on this alien world, with his fellow crew members meeting an untimely and mysterious end.
Fortunately, my analysis reveals that Dolski’s spacesuit remains undamaged, a testament to its robust design. With your expert guidance, he has successfully navigated towards the colossal space station, which was intended to be the command post for his crew. As I stand here, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride and responsibility – we are now the captains, leading the way into the unknown.
The space station stands out uniquely, being more like an enormous, looming wheel adorned with LED edges and ample space for expansion. This is essential since you’ll likely need to attach numerous modules if you aim to endure your stay here. Dolski endeavors to contact Earth, presenting a chance to influence the way he interacts with the faceless corporation that deployed him on this mission.
After discovering a unique substance called Rapidium on a distant planet and relaying this information to Earth, you’re given some biological matter to cultivate in the “Womb” compartment of the space station. Following a short duration, a live sheep emerges. Now, your space station companion is this sheep, affectionately named Molly – a nickname derived from Dolly, the first cloned mammal (a sheep). Indeed, you’re welcome to give Molly some tender love and care.
After successfully cloning Molly, things take an unexpected turn. The tech company I’m affiliated with, Ally Corp., reveals that I now possess the power to utilize rapidium for self-cloning through their quantum computer. However, these clones aren’t carbon copies of me – they’ve made distinct choices in life, leading to diverse outcomes. Instead of following the standard path as a builder for Ally Corp, my clones could have chosen different careers: a scientist, a botanist, a miner, and so forth.
Each Alter possesses unique motivations, personal requirements, and a distinct set of abilities. To illustrate, the character named The Botanist opted to remain with Jan’s spouse, Lena, during difficult periods, driven by his affection and commitment towards her. However, there’s a twist – on this timeline, Lena is nonexistent, which could potentially lead to complications.
Simultaneously, the Miner grapples with numerous unresolved emotional wounds and psychological struggles. One day, you might find yourself puzzling over how to construct an artificial arm, while at the same time feeling the relentless pressure of time and the threat of death approaching. It’s also possible that you could encounter a game-ending screen, informing you that you, your personas, and your spacecraft have been destroyed by the intense heat of an alien sun.
Ask me how I know.
Regardless of the challenges that come with a failed playthrough, every fresh attempt at surviving in this tough world brings along mini victories worth celebrating. For instance, enjoying a game of beer pong with one of the characters and having an emotional conversation can make you pause and reflect on your choices’ impact on the Jans’ crew. These characters no longer seem like mere pixelated figures but living beings to care about – they feel real, they feel alive.
11-bit Studios has done an exceptional job in developing these characters, their intentions, feelings, and aspirations so convincingly that I found myself genuinely wanting them to prosper, sometimes at my own expense. I’d often sacrifice sleep past my in-game curfew just to provide them with proper meals. I’d even venture out during radiation storms to gather more minerals for their safety, disregarding whether it would bring a beneficial result. It’s ironic how caring for a group of game clones can prompt one to ponder over their own life.
The Alters review — Gameplay
In simple terms, the gameplay of Alter involves an exciting mix of elements from different genres. You’ll find yourself exploring a 3D world from a third-person perspective, while also constructing bases and strategizing. It might seem complex to describe, but once you start playing, it all comes together smoothly.
Every morning, Jan awakens in his captain’s living quarters within the circular space station he calls home. This station features a round structure containing a flexible grid layout, where modules representing different rooms can be customized, moved, and stacked according to the player’s preferences. However, there are some basic rules to follow: elevators must be included for vertical travel, and rooms should be connected via corridors or doorways to ensure seamless navigation throughout the station.
In this setup, each row has a fixed number of places where you can build structures, and different types of modules occupy varying numbers of these spots. For instance, corridors or elevator shafts require two horizontal spaces, while the Captain’s quarters need five. On the other hand, small storage units consume four horizontal slots together with two vertical ones, amounting to a total of eight slots across two rows. Essentially, we’re engaging in a game of Tetris when constructing this space station, making the game even more intriguing and challenging due to its inherent complexity.
As a tech-savvy space explorer, I roam freely throughout this sprawling space station, with its panoramic views reminiscent of a side-scrolling game perspective. Within this cosmic abode, there’s a kitchen, greenhouse, dormitory, social lounge, gym, and various other modules to explore. If I find the right Jan (assistant), I can even research and add new modules to expand my living quarters!
During the day, the Alters manage duties within the space station, allowing the player to venture out of the spacecraft and explore the surrounding planet at will. This opens up opportunities for discovering resource caches, unraveling the enigmas behind your initial stranding here, and even collecting items such as films that can be brought back to the base for personal viewing by the crew.
It’s important to note that it’s best not to venture out at night because Jan Dolski is more susceptible to radiation poisoning during this time, which could cause him to faint. If something were to happen and poor Alter were to risk coming to his rescue, they both might end up suffering from radiation poisoning. Moreover, there are other hazards lurking on the planet that make exploring for resources an exciting but potentially dangerous adventure.
Without a doubt, what sets The Alters apart is its distinctive cloning mechanism. Each clone embodies a different decision Jan has made throughout his life, and players must choose which Jans to replicate for the current play session as they can’t unlock them all at once. This necessitates careful strategy, as having a botanist to boost food production might seem beneficial until you consider that it means sacrificing a doctor who is essential for managing the mentally unstable Miner.
The Alters review — Visuals and audio
For the purpose of this critique, I got a chance to explore The Alters on Steam, playing it through a custom-made PC featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X processor and an AMD Radeon RX 9070 graphics card. This setup is particularly beneficial since 11 bit studios collaborated with AMD, incorporating advanced technologies such as FSR 3. The developers had emphasized the partnership’s benefits before the release of The Alters, explaining how AMD’s technology enabled them to take the game’s technical capabilities to new heights.
On AMD systems, The Alters is specifically optimized and performs exceptionally well, as demonstrated in my personal experience. The game ran smoothly, maintaining a steady 60 frames per second (FPS) even with all settings maxed out at 1440p resolution.
The space station and the planet where the Jans find themselves are incredibly intricate, making the experience of exploring both within and beyond the basebase delightful. However, a minor inconvenience arises when launching the game – you need to preload shaders every time. Depending on your system’s speed, this process could be quite lengthy.
The game’s audio is remarkable, with an engaging soundtrack to boot. Transitioning among the various modules within the space station offers a delightful experience, allowing players to hear the rhythmic thud of a stereo in the lounge or the repetitive beeps of the infirmary. This added detail helps make the space station seem more inhabited and authentic. Although there may not be much activity on the planet itself, there is still an abundance of ambient noise that prevents the eerie silence of space from overwhelming you entirely.
The Alters review — Accessibility and approachability
Struggling with accessibility and approachability is where The Alters seems to face its biggest challenges, surprisingly. Despite providing multiple difficulty settings, the game breaks down its elements into Economy and Action. The Action Elements provide players with three options for difficulty: Easy, Moderate, and Hard. Unfortunately, the Economy setting only offers a choice between Moderate and Hard, which can make resource management on Moderate level quite challenging. If you find it tough to manage resources on the Moderate setting, there’s no relief as the difficulty doesn’t become any easier.
The Accessibility settings within the game provide various useful features. These include adjustable caption font sizes ranging from small to extra large, and UI scaling for individuals with visual impairments. For people who struggle with motion sickness, there are options to turn off the fast-forward effect that occurs during gameplay, as well as reducing prism effects, intoxication effects, and disabling motion blur.
The screen doesn’t have a built-in narrator, but you can personalize the shortcuts for keyboard and mouse inputs, and adjust settings like camera and input sensitivity to suit your preferences.
If you’re worried about copyright issues with The Alters’ soundtrack during streaming, you can disable certain problematic sound segments for smoother streaming. Additionally, the game supports Twitch integration through Steam for easier live-streaming experience.
The Alters review — Final thoughts
You should buy this if:
- You enjoy sci-fi adventure or strategy games.
Initially, I expressed that sci-fi narratives aren’t really my cup of tea, but the novel “The Alters” is making me reconsider some personal decisions at present. Even my longstanding preference for non-sci-fi stories seems to be challenged, since I find myself drawn to the work of 11 bit studios in this instance.
The personalities of the characters are exceptionally developed, leading me to find myself astonished by the lengths I’d venture to ensure the safety and care of my crew, Jans, to such an extent that I’d consider accepting a fate where the sun would eventually dissolve us into nothingness.
If you’re confident that you can handle a thrilling, intellectually stimulating science fiction journey that also includes strategic gameplay aspects, then you’re in for an absolute delight!
You should not buy this if:
- You struggle with intense narratives that focus on mental health, grief, self-harm, or suicide.
As an avid fan, I must admit that while The Alters is set aboard my space station, it delves deeply into significant yet challenging themes. Mental health issues and other intense topics like substance abuse, suicide, and self-harm are frequently addressed within the game’s narrative. If these subjects strike a sensitive chord for you, I would advise proceeding with caution, as The Alters may not be suitable for your personal comfort zone.
Perhaps the version of me you’re referring to wasn’t fond of sci-fi games initially, but playing The Alters has led to a shift in my preferences. This game is remarkably well-designed, with intricate emotional storylines that leave my heart yearning for resolution after each failed attempt. My stubbornness compels me to restart the game again and again, hoping to ensure the safety of my unique Jans family.
11 Bit Studios has skillfully constructed one of the most distinctive narrative journeys I’ve ever encountered while gaming, and they’ve cleverly incorporated a demanding and captivating strategic aspect. Each component of The Alters seamlessly complements the others in an optimal manner.
On June 13, “The Alters” will debut on the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. This game is accessible to both Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass members from its release date.
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2025-06-12 15:10