Have you ever wondered what would’ve happened if you had made a different decision in life? It’s a dangerous question—one that can easily spiral into regret and self-doubt. I used to avoid it at all costs, like most people. I knew that going down that road would only bring confusion and mental unrest.
But after playing The Alters, I see that question in a whole new light. What once felt like a meaningless or even destructive thought now seems much more connected to the purpose of life. This game reframes that question into something deeper and more thoughtful.
Regret, What-Ifs, and Second Chances
Questions like “what if” always come with regret. We’ve all felt the pain of thinking about the life we could have had—if we had studied harder, been braver, or made one different choice. The Alters puts that very question at the heart of its story.
But here’s the twist: instead of running from regret, the game encourages you to face it, explore it, and judge it with your own eyes. It turns those haunting “what-ifs” into something real and playable.
Survival Gameplay on a Hostile Planet
Of course, a strong narrative needs good gameplay to support it. So let’s talk about that. In The Alters, you play as a miner named Jan Dolski. The game begins aboard a spaceship heading to a highly dangerous—but mineral-rich—planet.
Things go terribly wrong. The landing fails, the ship crashes, and Jan is the only survivor. Everyone else dies. You’re stranded on a deadly world, alone.
From that point on, resource management and survival become your top priorities. You need to build a shelter, maintain it, gather resources, and do everything you can to stay alive—maybe even progress if you’re lucky.
As someone familiar with the developer’s earlier work (Frostpunk), I wasn’t expecting a casual experience—and The Alters definitely put my management skills to the test.
Sunlight That Kills
One of the most brutal features of the planet is the sun. It’s deadly. The only saving grace? The planet rotates slowly, so it takes around 8 in-game days (or 3.5 real hours) for the deadly sunlight to reach you. You have that much time to pack up, relocate, and escape being burned alive.
Dual Perspectives: Immersive and Strategic
The game features two perspectives. One is a third-person view, where you control Jan directly, explore the base, interact with equipment, and move around freely—much like most survival games.
The other is a side-view, 2D management perspective, similar to games like This War of Mine or Fallout Shelter. You oversee the base’s layout, manage rooms, and assign tasks.
At first, I thought these two modes would feel disconnected. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that they’re beautifully integrated. The transition is seamless, and both styles feel like part of one cohesive experience. That alone makes this one of the game’s biggest strengths.
The Alters: A Brilliantly Original Mechanic
You might wonder: how does one man build, maintain, and move an entire base on his own? Good question. Jan asks the same thing. This is where The Alters introduces its most creative and unique mechanic.
Jan—who, by the way, has an impressive grasp of quantum mechanics—builds a machine that allows him to clone versions of himself. But these aren’t just duplicates. Each clone, or Alter, is a version of Jan who made a different life choice.
For example, one version of Jan chose to focus on studying instead of partying. Another might have turned to alcohol after heartbreak. These small differences shaped entirely different people—and you get to meet them.
Each Alter Has Its Own Personality and Skills
The result? A base full of alternate Jans with different skill sets. One may be a scientist, another an athlete. But they’re all you—just versions of yourself who made one different decision.
That’s the genius of the game. You don’t just create workers—you create versions of your own identity, each with its own temperament, memories, and worldview.
They talk to you and to each other. Not all of them get along. Some will be friends. Others? Enemies. Managing relationships between your Alters is just as important as managing the base’s resources. Over time, you’ll realize these characters aren’t just different in personality—they have entirely different ideologies, and those beliefs will begin to clash.
Deep Narrative with Emotional Payoff
I’d love to go deeper into the story, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say that when the scattered pieces of the puzzle finally come together, the emotional payoff is incredible. What starts as a basic survival game becomes so much more than that.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, every decision matters. The choices you make while selecting which version of yourself to create—and the decisions you make throughout the story—carry serious consequences.
I made the mistake of thinking my choices were just small, temporary effects. But even the tiniest actions can come back in huge, emotional ways.
Where the Game Falls Short
Of course, no game is perfect. The first big issue you’ll notice is the animations. In a game this focused on emotional storytelling, the poor animation quality sometimes breaks the immersion. Hopefully, this will be fixed in future patches.
Another downside is the repetitive survival loop. Like most survival games, you gather resources to stay alive, then use that time to gather more. While games like Minecraft or Rust handle this creatively, The Alters doesn’t do much to break the cycle. It starts to feel like a filler between story beats rather than a feature that stands on its own.
A Unique Genre Blend – But Not for Everyone
The Alters feels like a new take on survival and story-driven games. But this specific blend of genres isn’t for everyone. It’s not your average mainstream hit, and there’s a risk that the game won’t make back its budget.
Still, that’s not my concern. I care about quality, and The Alters delivers. It’s rare to see a game launch with this level of polish and purpose. You don’t need to wait a year for patches or expansions—it’s already a complete experience.
That doesn’t mean it’s flawless. Like all games, it has its ups and downs, but if I had to judge it based on how deeply it pulled me in, I’d call The Alters one of the best survival experiences I’ve played.
Final Verdict: A Deep and Thought-Provoking Journey
If you’re expecting exciting survival gameplay, this may not be the game for you. The survival mechanics are weak, and the repetitive loop can wear thin. And if animation quality is something you care deeply about, it may hurt your immersion.
But if you’re looking for a game that offers a unique perspective on identity, regret, and choice—this is something you’ve never experienced before. The Alters is smart, moving, and refreshingly different. If you’re tired of cliché stories and predictable mechanics, this game will feel like a breath of fresh air
