The Alters News

The Alters is available now!

[p]Hello everyone![/p][p][/p][p]We’re thrilled to finally announce that The Alters is now available worldwide. It’s time to join Jan Dolski on his epic journey across a hostile planet and create alternative versions of yourself to survive. Are you ready?

Grab your copy with a 10% discount until June 27th at 2:00 PM CEST / 5:00 AM PT / 8:00 AM ET!

Before we move on, let’s take a moment to watch our New Accolades Trailer:
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We created this deep survival experience just for you (and your alternative selves). What started as an idea of just four people turned into a team of over 40 at launch. We’re incredibly grateful for your continued support throughout the years and truly hope you’ll enjoy every moment of the game![/p][p][/p][p]It’s been a long journey, and we’re so happy to celebrate this milestone with you. We’ve stayed true to our original vision, thanks entirely to the passion and talent of our incredible dev team.[/p][p]From all of us: THANK YOU for being here with us.

[/p][p][/p][h3]Reviews[/h3][p]We are honestly blown away by the reception the game has already received. It feels surreal! Below you can find a few of the reviews that were published about the game:

IGN[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
Obsidian Ant[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Mortismal Gaming[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
ACG[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Gaming Bolt[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]What’s next?[/h3][p]We know many of you are eager to know what comes next, and we want to be upfront about it – here’s a sneak peek at our upcoming plans:[/p][p][/p][p]Patches and hotfixes[/p][p]Expect several quality of life improvements over the coming weeks. These will address the most frequently raised issues, which we want to stay on top of. If you run into any problems, let us know here, on Discord, or Reddit. We’re here to help![/p][p]DLC[/p][p]As previously announced, the upcoming DLC is planned for next year, and we want you to be a part of this journey. As always, our aim is to prioritize the ideas we're already working on that resonate with you most once you experience the game, and to bring forward the features and changes you're most excited to see.[/p][p]Modding Support[/p][p]Yes, it’s happening, you heard it here first! Modding support is on the horizon, allowing you to have a gaming experience tailored to your liking.[/p][p]Steam Deck Upgrade[/p][p]The game is already playable on Steam Deck. We’re making a few adjustments to get it fully verified as soon as possible, so you can bring your mobile base anywhere! [/p][p] [/p][h3]Hints from us[/h3][p]If this is your first game of this kind, here are a few tips to help you feel more comfortable. (If you're a survival veteran, feel free to skip ahead!):[/p][p][/p]

[p]One run won’t show you everything: The Alters is designed for replayability. Scenes and outcomes change based on your choices and which alters are present.[/p][p][/p]
[p]Consider the Scientist early: We recommend creating the Scientist as your second alter - it can really help down the line if you’re not used to survival games.
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[p]Adjust difficulty if needed: If you're struggling with production or just want to focus on the story, lower the economic difficulty.
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[p]Talk to your Alters: Might sound obvious, but if you see an icon by their portrait, don’t ignore it. These optional conversations can impact major moments later on in the game!
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[p]Choices have consequences: Small decisions early on may have big effects later. Trust us on this.[/p][p][/p]
[p]No need for perfection: You won't see everything in one playthrough (e.g. you can’t create all alters), and that’s how it’s meant to be.
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[p]Stockpile essentials: Keep metals, organics, filters, and repair kits handy. Running out at the wrong time can set you back significantly.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]See you at the base![/h3][p]We won’t keep you any longer. As we said before, we really hope you will have an amazing time with your alters, and share your journeys with us!

If you like the game, don’t hesitate to leave a review.

Join our Discord and Reddit to meet other Jan Dolskis and their personal experiences![/p][p]
With love,

~ 11 bit studios Team[/p]

How long is The Alters?

How long is The Alters? Jan doesn't know the extent of how much trouble he's in, at least not at the beginning. Crash landed on an alien planet, the entire crew dead, a deadly sun on its way; things are looking great for old Dolski. There's a lot of work to be done, and a lot of alters to create.

It's easy to get lost in the mission in The Alters, with hours spent at your mining outposts, and nights spent watching movies with your newly-created pals. If you plan on unlocking every alter and neutralizing every anomaly, here's how long it will take, not factoring in any disastrous The Alters base breakdowns like we had.

Read the rest of the story...

The Alters review - a half-hearted gesture to a question never answered

One of my alters is hurt. He's being torn apart by what he is, both physically and mentally, and isn't sure if he can take the strain of existing in this body. He takes a drastic step in the night and needs urgent medical attention. I approach him, wanting to offer comfort; I think I know how he feels, after all - I'm him. Standing at the side of the infirmary bed, I select the only dialogue option: "I can see you've been a little tense lately."

Read the rest of the story...

The Alters (PC) Review

It’s rare for a game to genuinely surprise me anymore, so when one comes along and changes my whole week, I tend to gush. And this week, no one can shut me up about The Alters.

The Alters is a moody, sci-fi survival game with base-building elements, developed by 11 Bit Studios—the same publisher behind INDIKA, another game from last year that I still try to shoehorn into every conversation.

In a word, The Alters is different. It’s high-concept science fiction that relies on a mind-bending framework to tell a grounded, personal story. At the heart of that story is Jan Dolski, the sole survivor of an ill-fated mining mission, now marooned on a distant planet. To stay alive, he must keep a mobile mining base moving, racing toward rescue and away from the incinerating light of the rising sun.

But he can’t do it alone. To fill the void left by his lost crew, Jan is forced to use experimental technology to create a new one. Using a cloning machine and a... Read more

The Road to Launch - 3 days left!

[p]Hello everyone,
[/p][p]The excitement is in the air, less than a week left until the launch of The Alters! Today, we want to take you on a journey through the road we've traveled so far, and how a small concept created in a room by 4 people evolved into one of the most personal survival experiences. We would also like to share with you the game's pricing, as well as it's minimum and recommended requirements - as it was often requested by you.
[/p][h3]Early stages[/h3][p][/p][p]It all began when Tomasz Kisilewicz - Game Director of The Alters - started figuring out the idea behind the game together with just three other teammates. The very first prototype was… quite literally, on board! Figuring out the gameplay was the most important part, and a board game prototype was a perfect basis for testing out the preliminary idea behind the gameplay loop. The ‘board game’ went through quite a lot of different versions and plenty of discussions, which allowed us to decide in which direction we want to develop the game as the team grew bigger:

“With the team steadily growing, the pandemic reshaping the way we work, and all the usual challenges of game development, these past years have been both creatively rewarding and full of hurdles,”

“But now, as we stand on the brink of release, I’m proud to say we’ve delivered a game that stays true to its original vision - thanks entirely to the determination and talent of our incredible development team. They brought The Alters to life, and we can’t wait for players to finally experience it.”

Below, you can see photos from one of the earliest tabletop testing sessions of The Alters, which shows early concepts of modules and base arrangement in the game:

[/p][p][/p][p]That’s not all! We would like to share with you some of the initial concept arts, which were literally the first steps in shaping the unique visual identity of the game:[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h3]One voice for them all[/h3][p][/p][p]As development progressed and the story began to take shape, it was time to find the perfect voice for our main character, as well as all his alternative selves. That’s when, a little over two years ago, we teamed up with Alex Jordan, an incredibly talented voice actor who took on the unique challenge of giving life to multiple versions of the same person. And he nailed it![/p][p][/p][p]If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our interview with Alex where he shares insights into this demanding voice work:
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Demo version[/h3][p]
Then came the demo, and your response blew us away. It was played over 270,000 times! Your feedback was incredibly valuable and helped us improve not just the beginning of the game, but also the later chapters. Thank you![/p][p][/p][p]When a team of insanely talented and creative people start working on a project together, naturally there are continuous, never-ending efforts of refining and implementing new features - a story many game dev teams can surely resonate with! The team was hard at work to deliver an even more immersive and personal experience on launch day, than what you got as a glimpse in the demo we first launched back in June 2024. Some of the additions include:

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[p]Expanding and improving the research tree,

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[p]Adding new cutscenes,

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[p]Expanding the planet exploration with new things to discover as well as adding different types of anomalies,

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[p]Enhancing the tutorial, based on your suggestions (thank you for sharing those!),

[/p]
[p]Introducing a Hard Mode,

[/p]
[p]...and much more![/p]

[p] [/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p][/p][p]To give you even more proof of just how far the game has come, check out the reactions from creators who had the chance to play the game during our Hands-On Event this May:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Release just around the corner![/h3][p][/p][p]And now, here we are! The Alters launches on June 13th, with a 10% launch discount for the first two weeks for Steam, GOG and EGS. Below you'll find the full release map, and system requirements:[/p][p]

[/p][p]As well as the pricing rundown:

Base Game: 34.99 USD / 34.99 EUR / 29.50 GBP / 109 CNY / 3960 JPY / 37500 KRW / 583 TWD / 218 HKD / 121 PLN[/p][p]Deluxe Edition: 49.47 USD / 49.47 EUR / 41.92 GBP / 160.20 CNY / 5742 JPY / 53640 KRW / 857.70 TWD / 311.40 HKD / 167.39 PLN
[/p][p]We hope you're just as excited as we are, and that you’ll enjoy meeting all the different versions of Jan Dolski in the game.[/p][p]Follow us on social media, join our community on Discord, and visit our subreddit r/TheAlters to share your thoughts and experiences - we can’t wait to read your first impressions![/p][p][/p][p]See you soon, at the base.[/p][p][/p][p]~ 11 bit studios Team[/p][p]
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