The Alters Reviews
THE ALTERS is a compelling, if sometimes chaotic, sci-fi odyssey brimming with ambition and innovation. Its customizable systems, engaging narrative arcs, and unique take on identity through alter creation make it a standout experience. The onboarding could be smoother, and not all mechanics are user-friendly out of the gate, but those who persevere will find a richly layered game full of meaningful decisions and poignant solitude. For fans of thoughtful, atmospheric sci-fi survival, it’s absolutely worth exploring.
The Alters is one of those rare experiences that transcends the barrier of entertainment to touch on something deeply human.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Alters is a truly addicting management sim. It has the perfect amount of resources to monitor — enough to be a challenge, but not enough to be impossible. Players have to balance assigning Alters, managing resources to create critical items like radiation filters, talking to the Alters and the corporate overlords, exploring the planet’s surface, and trying to do the right thing. It's one of the best games I've played this year.
“The Alters” convinces with a great story that brings a new twist to the Robinsonade with the cloning. I have come to love and hate the various Jans, which is mainly due to the brilliant performance by voice actor Alex Jordan.
Review in German | Read full review
The Alters delivers a fascinating story and a rich survival experience that sets it apart from many games in the genre. Its unique presentation, well-developed characters, and engaging gameplay mechanics create a world that is both immersive and challenging.
The plot, though far from light or pleasant, is truly engaging, and completing it leaves you with a feeling of existential emptiness. The gameplay itself, though seemingly simple, is addictive and very satisfying. It is impossible to remain indifferent to The Alters. At the moment, it is one of my favorite “smaller” titles of the year, which I can recommend to everyone with a clear conscience.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The Alters delivers the most thought-provoking narrative in the survival genre, while also providing an excellent gameplay loop that encourages replayability.
All in all, The Alters delivers a unique and memorable experience. It’s the kind of game that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. For those who enjoy deep storytelling and intriguing character dynamics, it’s absolutely worth exploring.
The Alters offered a unique experience with original ideas and a distinctive gameplay system. It's not just a survival game, but one of exploration and deep choices, featuring a beautiful artistic direction and a sci-fi atmosphere filled with mystery. The experience was enjoyable for the most part, especially thanks to the variety of characters and their different roles. However, some design decisions slightly diminished the overall quality of the experience.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Even with complex gameplay, the game is highly inviting for newcomers to the genre, featuring a well-crafted story and impressive possibilities. The Alters is, so far, the studio's peak and one of the best survival games out there.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Alters is an excellent narrative survival adventure from 11 bit studios, combining base-building, resource management, and story-driven gameplay. Players control Jan Dolski, the sole survivor of a botched space mission, who uses clone "alters" with modified life paths to aid his survival. The game masterfully blends exploration (à la Satisfactory) with personal dilemmas, as Dolski navigates not only a dangerous planet but also the emotional complexities of his cloned companions. Balancing immediate survival with the psychological weight of these choices, The Alters delivers a gripping experience deserving top marks.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
I like The Alters. It sells its premise in a way I wish more science fiction games would. We need more of them. But the watering down of its gameplay elements makes it hard to recommend. If you’re willing to slog through tedium and gameplay filler there is a wonderfully fun story to experience. I’m debating if I want to push through a second time and see how my journey plays out.
The Alters offers a challenging and compelling experience with its moral dilemmas and cornering situations. If you enjoyed Frostpunk and This War of Mine, you're bound to love this one.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The entire package of The Alters is incredible from start to finish. Be it the immersive soundtrack that delivers a gut-punch time after time, the incredible blending of new crew members with the philosophical questions posited around the right to create life, and the performances given by Alex Jordan and the smaller roles by the rest of the cast. When I wasn’t playing The Alters, I was thinking about The Alters. The decisions were difficult, and the choices matter. 2025 seems jam-packed with incredible, Game of the Year contenders, and for the last five months, mine was easily Split Fiction. Now, however, there’s only one choice for me. The Alters is Game of the Year.
Despite some frustrating bugs, The Alters is the most unique and interesting survival-crafting sim I’ve ever played.
The Alters combines a bunch of genres I hate, and somehow makes a game I loved (when it worked).
I’m rarely impressed by the overused “choices matter” tagline, but The Alters by 11 bit studios shows how it should truly be done—offering not just resource management, but deep existential dilemmas that force players to weigh mission against morality, making it a thought-provoking yet demanding experience best suited for those unafraid to fail and eager to explore both strategy and themself.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
For every challenge I was faced with, I felt like I was solving problems in equal measure. The Alters often faces existential complications and the human condition with gravity and weightlessness to allow you to laugh. You’ll be exploring, fighting for survival, or chasing a intriguing narrative, but each system feeds into the other so seamlessly, you’ll never be bored or want to leave a task unfulfilled. The Alters science fiction at its finest, and one of the best and weirdest games of the year.
The Alters is a game I didn’t have high expectations for after playing the demo at PGA, due to a weak prologue. Now, having experienced the full version, it’s my personal candidate for game of the year. An incredibly emotional adventure, full of highs and lows, where we constantly feel the heat of the approaching sun.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The Alters is a unique survival base-building game with addictive gameplay and a memorable, engaging and deep storyline. What's more, it's easily replayable for those reaching for completion.