Review: The Alters

Fight against time by creating branched clones of yourself in an adventure that brings out the best of science fiction.

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It is fascinating to see how a studio that started with a small mobile and Windows game like Anomaly has transformed into something so grand, now comparable to several acclaimed titles in the industry. The great strength of 11 bit Studios has always been creativity, something that stood out especially in This War of Mine, which had been the team's most notable success so far. This kind of unique approach is something that is missing in many big-budget games today.

The Alters seems to represent the peak of this evolution. Here, we witness a powerful combination of mechanics already explored in previous titles, combined with innovations that likely took years to develop. The result is a game that deserves a prominent place within the sci-fi genre, even for those not familiar with it.

We are looking at a title, and possibly the start of a franchise, with great potential for success. I hope this journey continues for a long time.

INTRO

We control Jan Dolski, a space worker who, after an unexpected deviation in his mission route, ends up stranded on an uninhabited planet. With no way to communicate, we are thrown into a lonely and tense journey. Shortly after the crash landing, we find the captain's pod, lifeless, likely killed on impact.

It is from this point that we begin a desperate search for the whereabouts of the crew.

The opening atmosphere is a show of its own. The planet where we are stranded conveys a dense and threatening tone. A few steps from the crash site, we find our mobile base and rush to reach it, driven by hostile conditions and the disturbing discovery that the entire crew is dead. The most frightening part: they did not die from the crash. Something far more mysterious happened.

It is inside this base that The Alters reveals its greatest strength. Gameplay revolves entirely around Dolski’s daily routine, which must be managed with surgical precision in terms of hours and resources. The base layout strongly resembles Fallout Shelter, with clearly divided sectors like storage, captain’s cabin, command center, and communications room.

In the communications sector, we manage to establish contact with an external system. We receive messages from an unknown voice, full of interference, informing us that the planet is on a collision course with a star. Our time is limited. We need to find a way to survive until we can escape.

GAME-CHANGING FACTOR

At a certain point in the game, after collecting a fair amount of resources, we gain access to the Quantum Computer. Inside it, we find our protagonist’s life story, from childhood up to the events that brought him to the current situation. It is a striking segment, with a raw and real narrative. We witness, for instance, the death of his mother, with no time even for a farewell. We also see the emergence of his first love, Lena.

Interestingly, in this part of the story, the protagonist says he cannot stand crowds, which is ironic considering he ends up isolated on a completely uninhabited planet.

As the chapters progress, we watch the protagonist slowly becoming similar to his own father, who used to drink and yell at his mother. The character’s failure, gradually revealed through this complex narrative, only enriches the emotional depth of The Alters.

The entire narrative of the game revolves around an ordinary man, up until his involvement in the Dolly Project.

The story begins to branch out impressively when we access the Quantum Computer. Branching, in this context, means altering our own DNA and life path to generate a new version of ourselves. It is a cloning process of the main character but with fundamental variations in his life journey. It is still us, but with different decisions made in the past.

This opens up so many possibilities that it is something I had never seen in a game before. At first, the branches are few and only serve as an introduction, but we quickly realize that we are creating alternative versions of ourselves, with entirely different backgrounds.

The first branch, for example, shows what would have happened if, instead of leaving and confronting our father, we had stayed with our mother and gone to university. What would our life be like if just one of those choices had been different?

At this point, we discover the true potential of The Alters, and the game truly begins.

GAMEPLAY

During the day, it is possible to leave the base and gather resources on the planet. This mechanic is one of the game's highlights. The way time is manipulated and accelerated during collection is visually striking and adds a rare sense of urgency. Constant radiation imposes real limits on exploration.

Extracting minerals and water becomes essential, as these resources sustain the base and keep Dolski alive during the countdown to the end.

The base construction system is another strong point. It is not just about maintaining what already exists. We can create new modules, modify spaces, and plan strategic improvements, all within a tight timeframe. With each new structure built, we feel like we are preparing, even if minimally, for the inevitable.

Once we build a workshop, we gain access to item crafting. It is a system similar to mining, as we spend our time in an accelerated way, requiring careful management of how and when we use it.

With one of the constructions called the “Womb,” we access a type of genetic material found in a mineral scattered across the planet. Initially, we can generate creatures from this material and soon create a sheep named Molly (a clear reference to Dolly the sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal in history).

To collect resources efficiently, we also need to build outposts in addition to mining.

From the moment we awaken our first alter, we must deal with his frustrations and personal issues. After all, he is a clone of ourselves, with his own consciousness, and we interact with him through dialogue where we can try to ease the situation.

This first alter has mechanical skills and is extremely useful in solving the problems we face in the base. Thanks to his help, new branches of our story and our relationship base begin to form.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The achievements in The Alters are curious and fun. On one hand, there are light-hearted moments, like petting the cloned sheep. On the other, most achievements are directly tied to the game's core. There are no absurd objectives like collecting 1000 pigeons. Here, the goals involve deepening relationships with your alter egos or completing specific story missions. It is what I call the perfect balance: the achievements are not tedious and can be naturally unlocked as the player enjoys the journey.

TRAILER OFFICIAL

RESUME

The Alters presents a narrative sequence so impressive, memorable, and unique that it had been a long time since I had seen anything like it in a game. No wonder I had been eagerly awaiting this review. For me, even with a few minor technical issues, this may be the game of the year.

The game is brilliant. The idea of having multiple cloned alter egos, each with different stories based on decisions you have made, is simply breathtaking.

I believe the experience gained from Frostpunk made a total difference in the branching gameplay of The Alters. Even in that game, the developers explored the idea of making decisions that directly impacted the city’s direction, leading the player through entirely different paths over time. That same magic is present here, and I hope this type of system continues to be adopted in future titles by the studio.

The Alters is certainly one of those must-play games, one you have to experience. Few titles of this quality emerge each year, and this might be the best game I have ever had the pleasure to review. It is no coincidence that I have been keeping an eye on it for a long time. It has been almost a year, maybe even more, since I have been waiting for this opportunity. Since the announcement, I knew that the studio behind Frostpunk would deliver nothing less than a unique and innovative experience, and fortunately, I was right.

Every now and then, we find games that mark our journey as players. The Alters has everything to become that kind of game for many people. For me, alongside Expedition 33, it is the main contender for Game of the Year.

This is the first game I have ever rated a ten in the history of my reviews, and it is a more than well-deserved score. It is a completely different experience from any other game you will find.

SCORE:10/10

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