The Alters asks one of life's most dangerous questions: What if? What if you'd studied harder, been more responsible, or pushed to maintain certain relationships? Answering this question is protagonist Jan Dolski, a down-on-his-luck miner who has crash landed on a hostile planet where sunglasses won't be enough to protect you from the deadly rays of the sun. Jan needs help to survive, so he creates alternate versions of himself that provide the skills and expertize he lacks, such as scientific knowledge. "What truly captivated us was the idea of encountering a 'different' version of oneself – exploring alternate paths our lives could have taken," explains Tomasz Kisilewicz, game director.
By choosing which of Jan's major life choices to alter, these clones bring him face to face with a smorgasbord of Jans he could have been – the good, the bad, and the ugly. The what if's. He also needs to ensure they cooperate. "Our focus was on crafting fully realized characters for players to gradually uncover – learning why each Jan became the person he is. This journey of discovery and relationship-building unfolds throughout the entire game."
Alternate perspectives
Developer: 11 Bit Studios (In-house)
Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S
Release date: Q1 2025
The Alters is underpinned by its choice based narrative, feeding directly into its survival and base-building elements. Maintaining these relationships with Jan's Alters won't be a simple affair, with each one carrying their own baggage and idiosyncrasies. "Sometimes, understanding a character means making difficult choices or even going against your instincts. There are moments when you think, 'I know who this guy is,' but as events progress and the bond deepens, you uncover layers you didn't anticipate." You'll encounter roughly "10 unique Alters", but Tomasz teases "some surprises" that he doesn't want to spoil just yet. Which Alters you see and how much you learn will also vary between playthroughs. "It was crucial for us to design the game so that [...] players could meet different Alters or gain fresh insights about the ones they thought they already knew."
One of the biggest challenges for 11 Bit Studios was to "uncover the unique 'voice' of each Alter" and "ensuring [they] stood out distinctly, so players could immediately recognize which one they were interacting with, all while keeping the performances subtle and authentic," Tomasz explains. "After all, these are different versions of the same person [...] we couldn't let their voices blur into one another – but we also wanted to avoid exaggeration or caricature." Working with a single performer for the role, Alex Jordan (Rook, Dragon Age: The Veilguard), and voice directors, Damien Goodwin and Kate Saxon, they dedicated significant time to preparation before recording. "We dove deep into the Alters' backstories, exploring how their lives and experiences diverged and how those differences might shape their voices. For example, could an early move abroad influence one Alter's accent? Could another's years of battling alcoholism leave an imprint on their vocal cords?"
From the creators of Frostpunk, 11 Bit Studios is well versed in exploring sci-fi narratives from fresh angles. "Our vision leans more toward the works of Stanisław Lem than flashy, high-octane sci-fi spectacles. Aesthetically, we found inspiration in films like Interstellar, where alien worlds are compelling due to their rawness, mystery, and unfamiliar physicality, rather than explosions or intergalactic warfare," explains Tomasz. "Ultimately, this is a deeply personal story, and that human element remains at the heart of our narrative."
There's no shortage of multiversal shenanigans in pop culture, from Marvel to Everything Everywhere all at Once, but The Alters sets itself apart by honing in on its core high-concept theme of 'What if?' "I think what makes our approach distinct is how these alternate versions of oneself coexist in a single reality. Players are at the center of this experience, choosing which versions of themselves to create and uncover, and deciding how to navigate the consequences. It's this player agency that makes video games the perfect medium for telling such a story – offering an empirical exploration of these themes."
Aside from confronting one of life's biggest philosophical questions, Jan is always on the move in his roving hamster wheel-like base to escape the pesky sun. "This led to the idea of a base design that can move between locations, making it feel dynamic and alive. There's something thrilling about customizing your base, expanding it, and operating within this enormous, tangible structure. Then stepping outside to witness the massive treads of your colossal wheel firsthand!"
Switching between third-person exploration and a dollhouse-like view of the base (reminiscent of the perspective in This War of Mine and Fallout Shelter), there's a seamless transition while maintaining its visual identity. "The key lies in creating a strong sense of scale and ensuring everything feels physical and grounded," says Tomasz. " We didn't want the base to feel like some abstract, disconnected entity where you just teleport in and out. Instead, we envisioned it as an integral part of the world – a portable home rooted in the environment you explore."
The Alters looks set to be another highly stylized game from 11 Bit Studios, with a deep psychological twist. Pulling at the threads of multiple genres, this high-concept sci-fi is certainly ambitious, but is grounded in a very human perspective that has me intrigued. The idea of fighting to survive while managing various aspects of yourself is a philosophical can of worms I'm looking forward to opening.
