The Alters

Isolationist, existential, and compelling, The Alters molds the struggle of one's self into an often bleak, obtusely hopeful exercise of survival. By bending the genre to its whims, 11 bit studios have crafted a futuristic study on purpose and time.

88%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

89% User Score Based on 5,600 reviews

Critic Score 88%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

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About

The Alters is a single player survival simulation game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by 11 bit studios and was released on June 13, 2025. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

SURVIVAL HAS NEVER BEEN SO PERSONAL

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,600 reviews

story1.4k positive mentions

grinding135 negative mentions

Brilliant concept that combines time management, resource gathering, and emotional storytelling.
Engaging narrative with well-developed characters, each representing different life choices.
Visually stunning environments and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.

Gameplay can become tedious with constant micromanagement of the Alters' emotional states.
Some players may experience game-breaking bugs and crashes, particularly in later acts.
Limited replayability due to the linear nature of the story and the inability to explore all Alters in a single playthrough.

story
3,086 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
52%
1%
The story of "The Alters" has received widespread acclaim for its engaging and original narrative, which explores themes of identity, regret, and the consequences of choices through the lens of cloning and survival. Players appreciate the depth of character development and the emotional weight of decisions, with many noting that the story is the game's strongest aspect, often overshadowing the gameplay mechanics. However, some critiques mention that the story can feel linear and that certain plot points may seem forced, leading to a less satisfying experience in later acts. Overall, the game is recommended for those who enjoy story-driven experiences with meaningful choices.
- “A unique, original story that you rarely see in this modern age of sequels and slop.”
- “An excellent story with such a good concept at its core, executed with superb writing and many branching story paths.”
- “The story is genuinely unique sci-fi, goes deep with its themes, and gives you meaningful choices without obvious right answers.”
- “The sacrifices they made to the gameplay in order to tell their story and get their message across ultimately make the gameplay feel tacked on, repetitive, shallow, and unsatisfying.”
- “The story is present but never overbearing, and you can engage with it minimally if you choose to, though that means being an utter bastard to your copies.”
- “The crew goes from perfectly happy to mutinous just because the story demands conflict at that point and the characters' story beats play out the same whether I keep them happy or not; why is there even a game here when the devs just wanted to make a movie?”
gameplay
1,591 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The gameplay of "The Alters" is a blend of resource management, base building, and narrative-driven exploration, drawing comparisons to titles like "This War of Mine" and "Frostpunk." While many players appreciate the engaging story and emotional depth, some criticize the gameplay for being repetitive and lacking complexity, particularly in later stages. Overall, the game is noted for its unique mechanics and strong narrative integration, though it may not satisfy those seeking deep gameplay experiences.
- “Gameplay-wise, this game is really good.”
- “The gameplay is a solid base/resource management sim with third-person exploration, and while it might not blow your mind, it doesn't need to.”
- “The gameplay loop is engaging and there is always something on the horizon to look for, it never gets stale.”
- “At first I liked it, but very quickly the totality of the gameplay loop and its shallowness dawned on me.”
- “The sacrifices they made to the gameplay in order to tell their story and get their message across ultimately make the gameplay feel tacked on, repetitive, shallow, and unsatisfying.”
- “The gameplay feels extremely monotonous and exhausting.”
graphics
515 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
36%
1%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the stunning visuals, intricate art style, and immersive atmosphere that enhance the overall experience. Players noted that the graphics are not only beautiful but also well-optimized, allowing for smooth gameplay even on mid-range hardware. However, some users reported occasional graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly in graphically intense areas, which slightly detracted from the otherwise impressive visual presentation.
- “The graphics are stunning, the sound design is atmospheric and immersive, and the overall aesthetic is beautifully cohesive.”
- “The visuals are breathtaking and the story seems very special, surprisingly interesting!”
- “The graphics, the story, and the atmosphere are all top-notch.”
- “On one instance it would straight up lag and pause the game after upgrading the base (changing graphic settings to lower seemingly fixed it though).”
- “The only negative I would say is the max frame limit is 60 and even with this some parts of the game are graphically unpolished.”
- “There are a couple minor bugs (mostly visual) such as the talking visual graphic that pops up when a crewmate speaks; sometimes this visual graphic stays displayed and does not go away as it should.”
emotional
393 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "The Alters" is widely praised for its depth and complexity, with players noting the game's ability to evoke genuine feelings through its narrative and character interactions. The unique premise of managing alternate versions of oneself, each with distinct emotional baggage, creates a compelling blend of strategic gameplay and heartfelt storytelling that resonates deeply with players. While some find the emotional management of the characters overwhelming, many appreciate the game's exploration of identity, regret, and the moral dilemmas that arise from personal choices, making it a standout experience in the genre.
- “The alters is a captivating and emotionally resonant experience, built around a truly original premise.”
- “The story is deep, emotional, and filled with meaningful choices that actually matter.”
- “The emotional weight of the story is amplified by stellar writing and voice acting, making every moment feel personal and meaningful.”
music
296 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
45%
1%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and atmospheric quality, with many players praising the soundtrack as one of the best of the year. Composed by Piotr Musiał, the score effectively enhances the game's narrative and mood, blending haunting melodies with more uplifting themes. While some users noted a few cheesy moments, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the immersive experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The soundtrack composed by Piotr Musiał is absolutely phenomenal and my favorite part of this game.”
- “The music is subtle, yet perfectly hits the emotional tone.”
- “The soundtrack set the perfect mood, blending haunting, atmospheric pieces with more hopeful, driving themes that matched the game’s emotional beats beautifully.”
- “The soundtrack seemed bland to me, as if it couldn’t keep up with the overall level, style, and design of the game.”
- “I can't progress into the third act because the game loads to a dark screen and music.”
- “And they made me sit through a terrible music video where several middle-aged men sit around a table and go 'hey guys, let's sing a song!!!' and some poor niche voice actor has to sing as several different characters in several different takes because the developers thought it'd be a smash hit.”
replayability
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as strong, with many players appreciating the branching storylines, multiple endings, and the ability to explore different character alters in subsequent playthroughs. However, some reviewers noted that the linear nature of the narrative and the repetitive gameplay elements could limit the desire for immediate replays. Overall, while there is significant potential for replayability through choices and character interactions, the experience may feel less compelling for those seeking a more dynamic or varied gameplay environment.
- “The replayability is outstanding; it keeps you hooked for hours.”
- “Your choices ripple through the story, shaping how situations unfold and which paths become available, giving the game a high replay value.”
- “It has high replayability, and your choices really matter.”
- “The replayability is just not there.”
- “Game has low replayability though, same story for every playthrough, only with different alters.”
- “Unfortunately, it is very linear and there is no real replayability unless you like collectibles or seeing some slightly different endings.”
atmosphere
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively blending stunning visuals, evocative sound design, and a rich narrative to create a sense of isolation and tension. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke emotional responses through its atmospheric storytelling, while the hostile alien environment enhances the overall experience. Despite some pacing issues and interruptions during exploration, the game's atmosphere remains a standout feature, drawing players into its captivating sci-fi world.
- “The atmosphere is lonely and immersive, the kind of sci-fi setting that lingers.”
- “The atmosphere and planet are beautiful but oppressive and hostile, making the player miss the safety of the base - even if that base itself feels isolating.”
- “The atmosphere pulls you in and the moral tension never lets go.”
- “The graphics are top-tier: high-quality visual effects, an expressive art style, and animations create an atmosphere of isolation and inner tension.”
- “The atmosphere of this game is something else.”
optimization
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback from players. While many report solid performance with stable frame rates and minimal bugs, others have experienced stuttering, crashes, and inconsistent performance, particularly in graphically intense areas. Despite these issues, the game's visuals and voice acting, especially by Alex Jordan, are frequently praised, suggesting that while optimization could improve, the core experience remains enjoyable for most players.
- “The game is well-optimized, looks good, and provides players with strategy-based gameplay that combines third-person exploration with dozens of tough choices leading to different outcomes.”
- “The developers clearly put effort into optimization, making the experience seamless and enjoyable without requiring top-tier specs.”
- “Graphics are beautiful, soundtrack is brilliant, voice acting is believable, no bugs and good optimization – great work overall, 11 bit studios.”
- “There is a basis here for a really cool, story-driven social space-sim but it's not an optimized experience.”
- “The reason why I can't give this a recommendation (yet) is the unoptimized UE5 experience (which can be drastically optimized by an engine.ini mod), the unnecessary lack of native HDR, and how the game forced me to play half of my playtime on a predictably losing end.”
- “This game is really good but it suffers from poor optimization and GPU memory overflow issues.”
grinding
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
6%
92%
The reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the balance and engaging story that mitigates the grind, many find the resource management and repetitive tasks to be tedious and frustrating, especially in the later stages. The gameplay often shifts from enjoyable to monotonous, with players expressing a desire for more streamlined mechanics to reduce the feeling of busywork. Overall, the game offers replayability and interesting elements, but the grinding can detract from the overall experience for some players.
- “I've not been bored a single second; it was not grindy, it was not rushed, and having played a bit of survival/crafting games, I know that it's not common.”
- “Alters' gameplay is pretty simple; a mix of survival micro-management and exploration that isn't too tedious or confusing, and progressively gets simpler and simultaneously more complicated over time.”
- “Building and maintaining your base is not tedious.”
- “Overall, the game owes everything to its visual presentation and its engaging story; its gameplay is too repetitive and becomes even tedious by the endgame.”
- “Unfortunately, the fascinating premise is marred by tedious resource management and an unforgiving time limit, meaning that the most interesting part of the game, exploration of the alien world, is actively penalized.”
- “The gameplay starts off strong but quickly becomes extremely tedious and frustrating, and the speed at which days elapse is overly restrictive.”
stability
84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
1%
85%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting frequent crashes and various bugs, particularly related to mission progression and character animations. While some users noted that these issues were manageable and did not significantly detract from the overall experience, others described the game as a "buggy mess" that requires patience and frequent saving. Overall, it appears that while the game has potential, it currently suffers from stability issues that may frustrate players.
- “With over 70 hours of gameplay, I've witnessed no crashes. It's a rare gem in that the developers have released a game that is 100% at release; it has smooth control and is bug-free in my opinion.”
- “Otherwise, the game looks great, runs great, and it's a surprisingly stable and clean experience from the get-go -- practically a miracle in this day and age, where most games launch in a horribly broken state.”
- “All in all, it's a pretty good game, not to mention being almost bug-free (there are a few kinks) and stable upon release.”
- “Only issue I would say is that Unreal Engine can be buggy and so it crashes frequently, so I need to save often.”
- “You play for 8-15 hours and invest in a game, and then you run into a 'normal' mission that is buggy. To avoid that, you need to go back by 5 hours and specifically 'craft' your development to avoid that specific event, not playing normally.”
- “The game is so buggy, it's impossible to play.”
humor
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending sharp writing and dark comedy with heartfelt moments, making for a unique experience. Players appreciate the hilarious in-game movies and dialogues, which often provide comic relief amidst the heavier themes. Overall, the humor is described as both clever and engaging, enhancing the emotional depth of the narrative while keeping the gameplay entertaining.
- “It's profound, thought-provoking, sometimes funny, sometimes dark and tragic, and allows you to empathize with the main character and his various clones.”
- “The writing and voice acting (especially Alex Jordan’s incredible range) make every conversation feel raw, funny, heartbreaking, and philosophically loaded all at once.”
- “Even with all the emotional weight, the game has moments of humor that land perfectly and add balance to the narrative.”
- “Emotions and mental states seem to play too much of a role in this game; you will have to talk and 'entertain' your alters every other day with some unfunny movie watching or beer pong.”
- “Sometimes I can't tell if the game is making a joke (in which case it is not funny) or wants me to take it seriously (which can be difficult).”
character development
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and emotional resonance, effectively intertwining with gameplay elements like resource management and exploration. While many players appreciate the strong narrative and character arcs, some critiques highlight moments where character growth feels unearned or inconsistent, particularly in relation to philosophical themes. Overall, the game is recognized for its engaging storytelling and meaningful character interactions, though there are instances where dialogue and character engagement could be improved.
- “It seamlessly blends strategic management, exploration, and narrative character development in a deeply felt emotional roller coaster that should resonate with anyone who has spent time wondering about the road less traveled.”
- “With an extraordinary storyline, coupled with fantastic script writing and character development, you are truly immersed in this reality.”
- “Moving sci-fi story that has great character development, branching narratives, and a great core gameplay loop that's a mix of resource management, base-building, and exploration.”
- “Many of the critical character development scenes feel unearned or happen out of nowhere.”
- “It's similar to Persona 5's bad ending, where you effectively just have the main character make an extremely out of character last second choice that ignores whatever character development he had for the whole game.”
- “Character development was really promising but turns out at some point it is lacking nice dialogues and deep conversations with them, unless the scientist/miner, even the technician was super interesting but in my scenario he let himself die.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
16%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and pay-to-win elements, distinguishing it from many multiplayer titles that rely heavily on cash grabs. Reviewers appreciate the game's thoughtful design and originality, highlighting its value for the asking price without the burden of additional costs.
- “No bloat, no microtransactions, and well worth the asking price.”
- “Is it a thoughtful, original, enjoyable, single-player game floating in a sea of multiplayer, microtransaction-plagued, cash grabs?”
- “Microtransactions and pay-to-win.”
- “Finally something fresh, not just another cash grab from Ubisoft.”