The Alters Review (PS5) – Don’t Alter This, It’s Perfect

It’s not a stretch to say that The Alters has been on many people’s radar for a while now, and thankfully, I can say that not only is it here, but it is 100% worth the wait. The sci-fi epic involving moral quandaries, clones (or Alters, as they’re referred to here), dodgy corporate stooges, and more base-building and material harvesting than you can shake a stick at is almost in your hands. Thankfully, it’s been in mine for the last three weeks as I’ve pushed it from pillar to post, experiencing everything (and there’s a lot) it has to offer.

If you’re unaware, The Alters is the story of Jan Dolski, one man (ha) on a journey of survival, as he attempts to escape a volatile alien planet after crash landing there on a deep-space trip. With the rest of his crew dead, being the sole survivor means even the simplest tasks are arduous, let alone in an inhospitable environment littered with all sorts of obstacles. Played by Alex Jordan, of Wuthering Waves, Cyberpunk 2077, and much more, fame, the events unfolding will have you wondering who is truthful, who is lying, what you should do, and if you’ll even escape.

At its heart, The Alters is a base-building and material management sim. You may be tasked with escaping the planet with Rapidium (the resource that the corporation responsible for the expedition is looking for), but in short, you’ll be spending far more time worrying about keeping resources at a level where you’re not dooming your Alters to a miserable death. Thankfully, for how long you’ll be busy with this particular mechanic, The Alters does it brilliantly, tying it all in to the grander picture. From Organics for cooking and food, to metals, minerals, and that rare resource, Rapidium, for building.

Exploring the inhospitable planet is a job in itself, with each resource found in deposits, sometimes a long walk away from the main base. Find the deposit, use the many tools at your disposal to highlight and mine it, and then connect it to the main base via pylons. These can be mined by yourself or your Alters (more on them properly in a second), but once you’ve found them, you’re set. Connecting them via the pylons can be quite complicated, especially later in the story when you encounter new enemies and obstacles, but it is possible. Figuring out the optimum route for the pylons can save you resources, so it’s always worth planning that out as well.

Early doors, it can be overwhelming trying to get everything you need for each new upgrade, expansion, and so on, but with the game’s most unique mechanic coming into play quickly, it soon levels out. Whereas other base-building games will have new visitors, new crew members, and the like (think Fallout Shelter), there’s nothing of the sort here. Well, sort of. Jan will be tasked with using the Rapidium to create branching Alters of himself, to help with the mission. These aren’t clones, though, but entirely different versions of himself, influenced by pivotal moments in Jan’s life.

The choice of what moments, and therefore, what Alters you bring to life, is entirely up to you. With eleven options, each with different skills, benefits, and capabilities on offer, the options will feel nearly endless, and depending on those you choose and when you choose to bring them to life, it’ll affect the story, the relationships, and the atmosphere. Take the Miner for example, a man used to physical labour, angry and bitter about his life, but also about his arm he lost in an accident. Except when he’s branched off, he gets his arm back, and what follows is horror-movie levels of body horror.

No matter the Alter in question though, they’re all so noteworthy that it’s easy to forget they’re different versions of the same Jan, ‘our’ Jan. Alex Jordan does such a good job of bringing these characters to life, making them feel unique and different, but in equal measure the same as the OG in some respects. The Alters simply wouldn’t work without the powerhouse performance given by Jordan, and whether he knows it or not, it’s going to catapult him into the stratosphere of in-demand actors.

Beyond the base-building and excellent performance, though, The Alters features a narrative story that most games of this genre don’t. It could have played it safe and focused on the sci-fi environment, as daunting and intimidating as it is. It could have leaned on the base-building mechanics and stayed true to the genre. Instead, the story of Jan and his Alters plays out in soul-crushing minute-by-minute organisation. Conflict between the Alters, a desperate attempt at escape back to Earth, and wondering who is helping Jan, and who is using him for their own ends, will keep you guessing the entire time. Each decision you make can have long-standing consequences. They matter. Some decisions I was tasked with making had me sitting and thinking for minutes at a time, and then hours later, I’d realise I’d made things easier or more difficult for myself.

The story is deep and meaningful, beyond just what’s shown and what you experience at the time. It has something to say, and it nails it. Come the end of The Alters, you’ll sit and wonder if you could have done things differently, if you could have affected things in another way, or if you were even right with what you did. It really is impactful and will have you thinking about it long after you’ve finished, and that’s another strength of the game – the replayability. If you’re not happy with how the branching story turned out for you, play again, make different decisions, make different Alters. The choices are all yours.

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.

The Alters

Luke Addison

The Alters is a survival game developed and published by 11 Bit Studios. In the game, the player assumes control of Jan Dolski, a space miner who must create alternate versions of himself in order to survive on an inhospitable planet.

Gameplay

Graphics

Performance

Audio

Narrative

Summary

The Alters marries a deep narrative, base-building, and resource management with some philosophical questions we’re not used to seeing in this genre. It’ll leave you thinking about it long after you’ve finished, and don’t be shocked if you start it again straight after, like I did. Different decisions give different outcomes way down the line, and the multiple different characters all feel unique and individual, despite all technically being the same person.

HOURS PLAYED: 37
PLAYED ON: PS5

5

For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, go read our review of Elden Ring Nightreign or our preview of Mio: Memories in Orbit. Otherwise, follow Thumb Wars on X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to keep up with the latest news, reviews, and interviews.

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Luke Addison

Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!