REVIEW – “What if I’d chosen differently?” – That existential itch has followed me my whole life, an insistent echo I could never shake. In real life, there are no do-overs, no checkpoints, no magic buttons to rewind time and let you pick another path. Every decision sticks, consequences included—like it or not, that’s the price of free will. I played The Alters on Xbox Series X, thanks to Game Pass, and let me tell you: this game blends philosophy, resource management, and sci-fi in a way that will leave you blinking in disbelief.

Every choice I ever made has led me to this very moment, writing these words to you. If I hadn’t joined the 576 Kbyte team back in 1990 at age seventeen, if I hadn’t ended up studying communications at ELTE, or later worked at PC Zed in 1998 or GameStar in 2001, or even launched theGeek (once PS4Pro.eu) in 2014—well, I wouldn’t be sitting here typing this. I could just as easily be a French teacher, some suit writing for a mainstream portal, or a “PDG” (big boss) somewhere in France—who knows?

Of course, in this universe none of that happened. But what if it had, in some alternate reality? If I ever came face to face with those different versions of myself, would I even recognize them? Could we work together if my life depended on it? That’s exactly the kind of barroom philosophizing that led to The Alters, a narrative management game from 11 bit studios that dives headfirst into chaos theory—Andy Weir and Stanisław Lem would tip their hats to this one.

Everyone’s Dead Except You

Being “the lone survivor on an alien planet” is a trope we’ve seen a million times in novels, movies, and games. One of my personal favorites is The Martian (the book), which became the Ridley Scott film The Martian (Hungarian: Mentőexpedíció). But that’s where the comparisons end, because The Alters puts you in the shoes of Jan Dolski, an ordinary guy—no superhero stuff, no special powers. He’s just a man whose life is a patchwork of bad choices and minor victories, stuck gathering Rapidium for Project Dolly. And just when things seem hopeless, he finds an exit—but to take it, he’ll have to throw ethics and logic out the airlock.

Jan isn’t just creating clones. He’s generating alternate selves: people who made different choices at key moments and became entirely new individuals. Maybe he helped someone as a kid and met a doctor who inspired a scientific career. Maybe he stood up to his dad and became a jack-of-all-trades. Stick to academia and he’s now a renowned researcher. Each version of Jan is a “what if” made flesh.

One Clone, Infinite Variations – The Genius of The Alters

The Alters earns its stripes by marrying chaos theory with parallel universes, crafting a genuinely bold and innovative experience that doubles as a philosophical brain-teaser. Jan crafts his alternates in his own image—he’s basically playing God. But if they “come to life” right now, are their memories just fake imprints? Is their only reason to exist helping the protagonist survive? Do their feelings matter? Are their relationships with people on Earth real?

These thorny questions surface in every razor-sharp conversation with the alters. They may start off as walking clichés, but each develops into something richer—even the ones most resistant to change.

Managing, Surviving, and Actually Feeling

Beneath the philosophical wrangling, as mission commander you’re constantly making big choices that shape not just the story, but how the alters view you. In this narrative management genre, conversations aren’t just about forging connections or moving the plot—they set the mood. The alters’ morale will dictate how loyal they are and how much they respect your authority.

Honestly? I’m not a management game fanatic, and knowing 11 bit studios’ reputation, I didn’t have the nerve for hardcore difficulty—maybe that made dealing with the alters smoother. Still, two serious crisis points hit me: one halfway through (a massive story decision), and one right at the end, with resources running dry and the clock ticking down. Even on easy, you feel the devs could’ve dialed up the challenge another notch if they wanted to.

Scavenging and Racing the Clock – Your Two Biggest Foes

Resource management is a beast of its own: metals, minerals, Rapidium—you’ll only collect them if you scout the map, set up mining posts, hook them to your base, and put your alters to work. Everything—food, gear, base upgrades—needs raw materials. The good news? You can assign each alter a daily job, and once they finish, they’ll even suggest the next task, which takes a huge load off your shoulders. As you plan strategy or roam the map, micromanagement mostly melts away.

Time: The Final Boss

The biggest threat isn’t aliens—it’s the clock. Each day in-game is 24 hours, every hour one real-life minute. Your character needs sleep to save, so you’ve got about 15 minutes a day for resource runs, chats, exploration, and (ideally) escaping. In the story, time is even more brutal: when the sun rises, a deadly wave of radiation sweeps over the planet, killing you and wrecking your ship. Translation: get as far as you can, as fast as you can. You never know exactly when the end is coming, so there’s always a background thrum of panic—perfect for this kind of game.

“No Rest for the Wicked” – Progress Means Constant Chaos

The game’s three acts keep upping the ante: new gear, new alters, escalating needs for resources, morale juggling, and more jobs for your crew. This is basically the meme come to life: “I can’t catch a break in this hellhole!” Exploration gets both easier and crazier. You’ll build better mining stations, climb with less effort, and find new resources—but then anomalies appear, weird invisible entities with their own powers, that throw a wrench in your plans. They won’t outright kill you, but they add a new dynamic.

Personally, I lost the most time to base building. Imagine Resident Evil 4’s suitcase Tetris mashed up with a sci-fi management sim: every module needs to fit just right in the cramped quarters. Each new add-on ramps up the cost, but unlocks enticing perks. Out of my 18 hours with the game, at least 4 went into rearranging my base—pure Tetris meets The Sims energy. Was it necessary for the alters’ bedrooms to be side by side? No, but in my head, it made sense—classic gamer OCD.

New twists keep things from feeling too repetitive, but they don’t completely reinvent the gameplay loop. On the hardest setting, it’s a godsend, but that wasn’t my vibe. Does it dull the experience or count as a flaw? Not really—but a bit more variety would be welcome.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None—or the Ultimate Team Player?

Here’s the thing: The Alters isn’t a pure adventure game, a hardcore management sim, or a classic narrative title. Its genius is in blending all three into a package that just works—it’s not trying to be king of any one genre, but succeeds by doing everything together. That perfectly echoes the game’s own message.

That’s why immersion, surprise, and the constant sense of engagement become its biggest strengths. I loved sinking into a creative sci-fi story that only a video game could tell this way—discovering side plots, feeling the tension in real time, and being part of the chaos.

Visually, The Alters is stunning, but not in a “postcard landscape” sense—it’s more “yup, you’re going to die here.” The alien world is both bleak and mesmerizing, like Mars had a baby with your worst childhood nightmares. Magnetic storms, time rifts—each one ramps up the dread but looks gorgeous. The base is tight, industrial, full of clunky terminals and social drama. Sound design? Absolute chef’s kiss. Voice acting is top-notch: one actor brings all the alters to life, and somehow makes them feel totally different. The music shifts from zen to full panic in the blink of an eye.

Is It Worth Playing—Or Should You Let Your Alter Handle It?

The Alters stands out in the crowded world of video games—it stitches together the best parts of several genres for a sharp, thought-provoking sci-fi journey. This is the kind of story any legendary sci-fi writer might have dreamed up, but it only hits home when you’re living Jan Dolski’s struggle yourself. The management bits can be a real test of your nerves, and optimization bugs occasionally snap you out of the mood, especially late-game. Still, for sci-fi fans or anyone craving something offbeat, it’s essential gaming.

This game is weird, emotional, sometimes hilarious, sometimes gut-wrenching—constantly forcing you to reconsider your own choices and what it’d be like to deal with alternate versions of yourself. Survival and “tree punching” (as Ken calls it) are beside the point; it’s about identity, regret, and wrestling with your own worst self—literally. It’s like RimWorld and Black Mirror got together to roast you about your high school failures. In my book, this is 11 bit studios at the top of their game. Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Just maybe don’t dive in if you’re already having an existential crisis. Or do. After all, I’m not your Alter.

-Gergely Herpai “BadSector”-

Developer: 11 bit studios
Publisher: 11 bit studios
Genre: Sci-fi narrative management, survival
Release date: June 13, 2025

Gergely Herpai “BadSector”