The Alters is a game that inspires introspection, but not always in a good way
A short and solid survival game that will get you thinking about your life choices, and then leave you at a crossroads about AI-use in games.
Infinite Lives is free to read, but requires a paid subscription to access over 80 past articles, including more explainers, unique analysis and game reviews. Each paid subscription helps support independent games journalism in Australia.
We've all had moments where we wonder about the path not taken. What if I stayed? What if we didn't break up? What if I took that job? Hypotheticals that dance around in our consciousness, but are ultimately grounded by the acceptance of who we are today. The Alters is a bold AA game that attempts to creatively tackle that question, forcing introspection from the player, albeit layered with moments of hopelessness, levity and intrigue.
Stranded alone on an unnamed planet as part of a mining mission gone wrong, builder Jan Dolski turns to the aid of a quantum computer and a cloning station to ensure his survival. Leveraging a brain scan housed in its memory banks, the computer is able to map out Dolski's life and pinpoint the decisions that turned him into the person he is today. It's also able to simulate what would happen if he made another choice, creating alternate versions of Dolski that hold different skillsets. It's an episode of Black Mirror brought to life.
For instance, the original Jan Dolski convinced his talented partner Lena not to take a job abroad given they had just bought a house together. That leads to a breakdown of the relationship. Another version of Dolski instead takes the leap with Lena, becomes homebound while her career takes off as a result, gets good at gardening and then through circumstances ends up joining the mission as a botanist instead of a builder. Consequently, that botanist version of Dolski is a lot better at dealing with and understanding Lena, who becomes a pivotal character as the story unfolds.
There's some real sliding doors moments in the game that give the player pause. They make you ask: What are the defining moments of my life? How much of it is determined by my decisions? Developers 11 Bit Studios are going all in on the nurture over nature debate, with various versions of Dolski positing that everything from sexuality, ambitions, personality traits and mental illnesses are a product of our environment and decisions as opposed to our genes. An ambitious statement for a game to make, to say the least. One that may have been lost in the broader noise around its launch.
Plot aside, the gameplay of The Alters is based around gathering resources on the planet to build out your base and meet various objectives, all with the deadline of getting the base moving before the sun — conveniently positioned a tad too close to the planet — nukes the surface. Time is the only finite resource in the game, and your goal as the player is to deftly use your clones, technical advancements you can research, and your own actions, to maximise it.
This results in a very tight gameplay loop, an addictive one at that. Much like the Persona games, it's very easy in The Alters to play just one more day, see what happens next. Will you discover something new on the planet? Finally gather enough resources to afford that upgrade? Base building also lends a Sims-like aspect to the game, where you can take a break from survival to consider interior design and base layout. This has very little impact on your base's overall output, but lends itself to a Tetris-like puzzle attempting to fit all the modules in.
Just when everything is going smoothly, the game throws you a curveball in the form of a magnetic storm. This freak event disrupts your base, slows all resource gathering and, if not managed well, can end your game. It's a nice tension point and while challenging early on, becomes significantly easier to manage with the correct upgrades.
While difficult at first — especially during that first magnetic storm — The Alters also affords players a generous number of save slots and the game automatically saves at the end of each day. I made at least one major mistake in my playthrough, and that forced me to go back in time a few days through loading a prior save, and better triage my decisions.
We've gotten this far, but I can't in good faith end this review without at least mentioning the controversy surrounding the game. Weeks after launch — after I'd finished it — users found elements of generative AI assets in the game. They took to social media, especially given 11 Bit Studios, the developer, failed to disclose its use on Steam — something developers can choose to indicate to prospective players. (Great article from Katya Ryabova on this below).
Their response was the virtual equivalent of a shoulder shrug. It was an unmitigated PR disaster. Digital pitchforks and torches followed. Ironically, despite becoming the poster child for generative AI misuse in video games, The Alters features strong writing and storytelling for a game of its scale.
Depending on your stance on generative AI, that in itself, is a reason not to play this game. Honestly, it made me think twice about writing about it, and getting caught in their PR storm. But I genuinely enjoyed my time with this game, and the mental musings it encouraged. Enough to qualify it for a piece.
There's only one other major sticking point — the game feels a tad too short. For its $53 AUD price tag on the Playstation Store, 10 hours of dealing with Dolski banter and moody clones seems appropriate. But somehow, The Alters feels as if it's missing a chapter. Right as the story ramps up, and the tension hits its climax, the game marches very quickly towards its ending.
The cap on the number of clones you can create and base upgrades lends itself to multiple playthroughs. There's multiple endings too. But they don't feel distinct enough to justify another immediate playthrough. This game's existing story branches did not do enough to spark my curiosity for an additional run. In a world where there's always another game to play, that's a high bar to clear. Only one title has done this for me in recent times: Baldur's Gate 3.
But for the price of admission, and the enjoyment I had while playing it, The Alters is still a quality title that is worth a look-in. It's a game that will make you think, one I can't help but bring up with friends and over family dinner. It's another win for the AA gaming trend, and if not for a grievously tone-deaf response from the developer, a game worthy of accolades.
There's an alternative reality out there where 11 Bit Studios took the allegations seriously and deftly managed the storm. We'll never know, but perhaps now they're wishing quantum computing in our reality was a little more advanced.
Have any other games you’ve played made you consider your life choices? Or answered other deep philosophical questions? And will you skip The Alters due to its use of generative AI?
Intriguing title that I'll likely visit when it goes on sale. Great read!
GenAI or not, it's an 11-bit game, and hence it's a MUST PLAY for me!