The Alters Review: When Survival Depends on the Versions of You That Never Were

A review by Mortivore

Knowing previous 11 Bit Studios games like I do; I knew I was in for a rollercoaster of psychological, hard-hitting decisions the moment I launched The Alters; based on previous games like Frostpunk and This War of Mine.

The game begins with a crash landing. You wake up alone on a beach, and I had to pause immediately—pleasantly shocked at how gorgeous and beautifully detailed this world is. First impressions were strong. The world is mysterious and visually stunning. But damn… here we go again—another sci-fi setup: crash landing, entire crew dead, and somehow, it’s up to you to make it all work.

After saying goodbye to my unfortunate captain, I followed the red flares into the unknown.

What is The Alters?

It’s a survival-lite game layered with deep decisions and emotionally challenging human choices.

You play as Jan Dolski, a technician on a mission to harvest Rapidium. Alone on a hostile planet, you must get a mobile base up and running while researching and building new tech. The twist? Jan doesn’t have the knowledge to do everything himself.

That’s when the company contacts you and instructs you to create ALTERS—clones of yourself that have made different life decisions and thus possess the skills you lack. One might be a scientist because he went to university. Another might be an engineer or medic. They are still you—but from alternate life paths.

The story centers around survival, uncovering what caused the crash, and navigating orders from the company while managing your relationship with your Alters.

And we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

As you scavenge for resources, you’ll face environmental threats:

• A scorching sun that acts like a doom counter, forcing you to move the base before the planet surface burns

• Storms that can wreak havoc on your mobile base—magnetic storms damaging equipment, and radiation storms that hurt you, your clones, and even your greenhouse crops.

But the biggest threat? Your Alters.

They’re not mindless drones. Each Alter has a unique personality, based on the life choices that created them. They have their own desires and emotional needs. If you neglect or mistreat them, they can become unhappy, uncooperative—or worse—revolt and sabotage the mission.

Balancing their happiness, coordinating tasks, and resolving conflicts becomes a core gameplay mechanic that leads to some of the toughest and most thought-provoking choices in the game.

Exploration & Gameplay

On my Nvidia 4080, the game ran beautifully on ultra settings. Visually, The Alters is breathtaking.

The world is handcrafted, and while the play areas are relatively small and linear, each zone is incredibly well-designed. Cracks in the ground glow from lava below. Lighting shifts naturally in the environment, making exploration feel immersive and dynamic.

However, one disappointment is that many of the stunning backdrops you see aren’t accessible. You see a vast planet but can only explore limited areas.

Honestly, this world feels like it’s begging for a Xenomorph or Predator-style creature to stalk you while you scavenge—but sadly, there’s no such threat during gameplay. The gameplay loop, for me, became somewhat repetitive:

• Leave the base
• Gather resources
• Return (due to limited inventory)
• Build or research new tech
• Face environmental hazards
• Rinse and repeat

For example:

You find a wall. You go back to build a laser. You return to cut through the wall—but oh wait, a radiation wave is incoming. Back to base. Then out again. That pattern continues.

The loop is simple: collect resources, build mining drills, clear paths, expand your mobile base, and move to the next zone.

You find a wall. You go back to build a laser. You return to cut through the wall—but oh wait, a radiation wave is incoming. Back to base. Then out again. That pattern continues.

The loop is simple: collect resources, build mining drills, clear paths, expand your mobile base, and move to the next zone.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Alters is a brilliant exploration of identity and the roads not taken. It made me pause and reflect on my own life—what choices have shaped who I am, and who I might have become if I had taken different paths?

The game is clearly focused on narrative. While exploration is limited, the emotional depth with your Alters pulls you back to the base frequently. Conversations, arguments, and story beats constantly demand your attention, shifting the focus away from open exploration.

Visually, it’s jaw-dropping. The systems are intuitive—nothing feels overly complex or confusing to manage.

And as a final bonus: there are multiple endings based on the choices you make in Act 3, adding meaningful replay value.

In the end, The Alters isn’t just a game about survival—it’s a powerful meditation on selfhood, regret, and redemption. It asks you to confront the uncomfortable “what ifs” and reminds you that, even in a world of infinite possibilities, the person you are right now still matters.

Whether you’re into narrative adventures or just love games that make you think, The Alters delivers an experience that stays with you long after the credits roll.

The Alters is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5/Pro, and PC via Steam.

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