Cloning Yourself for Survival on a Hostile Planet
Working and living in the modern age is hard work, isn’t it? There are so many distractions that people tend to work longer hours than the normal 9 to 5, as well as adding in other jobs just to pay the bills.
So imagine if you could have two of yourself, all in order to share the workload. An exact copy of yourself, but with a twist; maybe they are competent at paying bills or excel at car maintenance or social encounters. I can’t see a problem with that, can you?
Well, in The Alters the idea of cloning different versions of yourself is executed well, but it’s not all plain sailing. Are you ready to look at yourself in the mirror?
Crash Landing and Cloned Companions
The Alters is one of those games that has been on my wanted list for a while now. But even after viewing previous trailers and the like, it’s also one of those games in which I didn’t really know what to expect. Well, now I do.
You play the role of Jan Dolski, a builder by trade who wakes on a space mission crashing into an unknown planet. All the other crew have died on re-entry and so Jan is left walking through the wreckage to find base. That base is a huge wheeled object that holds the life support and different apartments, all so that a crew can live and work on a planet. It can also travel, but it’s a bit broken now.
It’s up to Jan to go out and tackle everything the planet can throw at them, attempting to get the much needed resources that will allow for a trip back home. But there is a problem. He doesn’t know how to fix the base, or mine properly, or research the blueprints of a bridge. So after discovering a special mineral, he is instructed to build a womb on board the ship. And it is in this womb in which he can build clones of himself, taking on different arcs and becoming something special; a doctor, a miner, or an engineer. While these new ‘Alters’ can soothe the problems that await, soon the relationships between them become fractured and it’s up to you to try and keep the peace, all while trying to escape.
A Narrative of Self-Discovery
The story and dialogue found in The Alters are cracking, with a very original piece of writing and story that is engaging and exciting all the way through. I loved the idea of the Alters and all the different personalities trying to work together to get home. But it is also a thoughtful piece of work about cloning and its psychological effects.
Planetary Exploration and Base Management
The gameplay puts you into two different modes. In the third person you are exploring the planet, working the surface in a small amount of time. You see, after 8pm the radiation levels on the surface become too much to bear and you have to get back to the base. In this point of view you are looking to explore and find things of interest, but also to uncover more important resources. You find places to mine these resources, lifting the likes of organic materials or minerals or metals. From there, it’s a case of connecting mining machines to pylons that connect back to the base – and someone has to operate these machines to retrieve the goodies.
It’s here where the other part of The Alters kicks in – base management; you get to operate and design how your base works. There are a variety of different areas to start with, like an airlock, communication room, and your cabin. Here you can sleep, as well as save, take messages from Earth, and use the airlock to get out. Once the initial moments are out of the way, you’ll need to create new rooms and extra apartments for storage, as well as workshops that allow you to build items.
Managing Your Alters: Specialists and Sanity
Your focus should be on the Alters; clones of yourself, each a specialist in different jobs, such as miners and Doctors to help you on your journey. You have to assign these Alters specific jobs, like mining, researching main mission objectives or building up better facilities. As you progress your Alters will suffer mentally as well, requiring the right talks and the right food, or a social room to play games in, to keep them sane.
The Challenge of the Clock
What is fascinating about The Alters is the mix between story, exploration, and micro-management. It all works brilliantly and is highly engaging. In fact, the only real fault I have with the game – and it’s a personal hate of mine – is found in the time limits. Time is not on your side in this game, it’s always against you. Whether it’s the limited time in the day to do all your jobs, or the sun getting nearer on the planet which will kill everything in a certain amount of days. I have trouble with timekeeping in my normal life, so having such restraints in a game is always seen as super stressful.
Award-Winning Voice Work
The visuals are excellent though, from the strange planet you discover to the design of all the Alters and the base UI. There are also hand-drawn memories to be uncovered in the quantum computer; each utterly beautiful. And further, the soundtrack is top-notch, full of mystery and menace.
For me, the biggest mention in this review should go to Alex Jordan, the actor who voices all of the Alters you discover in the game. Each one comes with their own personality, complete with the very smallest, or the biggest of differences. It’s an award-winning performance.
A Nuanced and Compelling Sci-Fi Drama
You won’t be disappointed by The Alters. It’s a game that is very much unlike any other, full of space dramas, micro-management, and the need to keep a host of clones happy. It’s complex, nuanced and full of surprises. I only had a problem with time and the ever-looming presence of it running out, building stress levels, but there’s no doubt that The Alters is well worth your time.
It’ll certainly make you consider what it would be like to have such friends of your own…
Important Links
The Alters first gameplay trailer revealed – coming to Game Pass – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-alters-first-gameplay-trailer-revealed-coming-to-game-pass/
Start Life Again, and Again, and Again… The Alters is on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Game Pass – https://www.thexboxhub.com/start-life-again-and-again-and-again-the-alters-is-on-xbox-playstation-pc-and-game-pass/
Download The Alters on Game Pass (or for £29.74) – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/the-alters/9n0p25wjhm8c
The Deluxe Edition is super tempting too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/the-alters-deluxe-edition/9N245SQH49WX/0010
