When is The Alters release date? This survival sim from 11 Bit Studios tasks you with operating a giant wheel to escape the oncoming sunlight. Unfortunately, you are the only crew member, and this base needs an entire crew to operate. Taking advantage of an abundant resource known as Rapidium, you can create highly-specialized clones of yourself to help man each part of the ship.
For fans of management games with a sci-fi edge, The Alters has an otherworldly quirk. We now know that it’s a space game about surviving certain doom with the help of your duplicates, and it’s your choices that determine if Jan makes it out alive. That is, of course, if the multiple Jans can get along long enough to get the ship operational and avoid the deadly solar beams from a nearby sun.
The Alters release date estimate
The Alters release date is confirmed to be sometime in 2024. This estimate comes from the gameplay reveal trailer that debuted on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. It’s going to be available on PC via Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, and Windows Store, as well as Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.
First announced during the PC Gaming Show in 2022, we got our first look at the main protagonist, Jan Dolski, as he works alongside clones of himself to get off an inhospitable planet. Though one actor portrays the role of Jan, each one you create has a distinctly different personality, showcasing the actor Alex Jordan’s range.
The Alters is heading to Xbox Game Pass at launch, as was confirmed during the Xbox Partner Preview gameplay trailer.
The Alters trailers
The Alters announcement trailer introduces us to Jan, an astronaut who takes a job in hopes it’ll change his life forever. As it turns out, it puts him in a perilous situation as he’s soon stranded on a hostile planet. We then hear from the other versions of Jan, all of whom have been summoned by the original to help crew the wheel-shaped ship.
As the trailer continues, we see more drastically altered versions, some experienced in scientific endeavors while others feel more suited to explorations of the outside world. These versions of Jan are known as Alters.
The Alters gameplay trailer shows how Jan creates his clones using Rapidium and a quantum computer on the ship. By making changes at pivotal moments in each clone’s life, Jan is able to create altered copies of himself with a completely different skill set.
For example, if he never left his hometown, he may be tougher than his prime version. If he graduated from college, he may have a more scientific mind. The side of Jan that fought to save his marriage may be more empathetic.
We also spotted several references to Dolly the Sheep, the first-ever clone produced via an adult somatic cell. The jackets refer to the experiment as “Project Dolly”, and just before we see the first clone being created, a white sheep is chewing on some grass on the right side of the screen.
The Alters gameplay
To get off the planet, Jan must operate the large mobile base with a crew of his clones. We see multiple instances of Jan exploring the planet in the gameplay trailer as he ventures out to collect Rapidium. There are numerous departments on the base that each require a specific role to maintain.
Here are some of the confirmed roles that Jan can learn:
- Botanist
- Technician
- Scientist
- Worker
- Refiner
- Miner
Alters can work on a specific assignment and introduce their knowledge or skills to each department. However, they also have quirks and goals that can make getting along with each other a tad tricky. Since Alters wander across the ship, there’s a good chance they’ll argue with each other over a social issue.
New items can be created at the workshop to aid exploration. One such item is a Drill Cartridge, which is used to “melt down rock formations on the planet” to gather resources. Each crafted item costs resources and a set amount of time to construct.
There are craftable items to improve your base, such as a Radiation Filter to protect everyone inside from radiation poisoning while you gather materials.
Here are some of the items needed to craft items in The Alters:
- Metals
- Rapidium
- Minerals
- Enriched metals
- Raw food
- Mush
- Cooked meal
- Organics
Jan’s expeditions are only shown briefly during the trailer. However, we see him disrupt an energy field, construct a pylon linking the base to the ground level, and align some lights to shine on the giant wheel so it’s easier to locate while heading back to base. This will be a frequent occurrence since there’s a limit on how much he can carry at once, as shown on the item crafting menu.
While away from the base, you can set Jan’s clones jobs to get on with, but only through a set of working hours. It’s labeled as ‘Standard,’ so there’s a chance that other working schedules are available. Altered working hours could potentially cause your crew to become stressed or relaxed depending on how much time they have to work.
You can check on each of your Alters to provide you information about any injuries they’ve sustained, their current radiation levels, what they ate today, and their emotional status. The event log can provide clues as to what is making your Alters feel bad, and you can also talk to them to get additional insight.
That’s everything we know about The Alters release date, but we’re sure more about the survival game will become known soon. In the meantime, other 11-Bits developed games were also shown during the Xbox Partner Preview stream, so you can find out in our upcoming PC games if any of those got a release date.