The Alters Preview: Surpassing My Expectations for a $35 Game

Sure thing, let me dive right into that—imagine me hunched over a keyboard with a cup of cold coffee half-spilled on a stack of old, crumpled notes. This is going to be a mental rollercoaster, so strap in. Here goes:

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I’ve been eyeballing this game, The Alters, ever since our grand wizard of words (the exec editor) got smitten with it over in Poland. This was like last year or something—time blurs. Trust me, I’m wary about overused phrases, but yeah, I was cautiously optimistic. Or maybe just anxious. Hard to tell.

You know that feeling when you play a game in a downright magical setting? Those trailers hypnotize you, lights are flashing, music booming, and suddenly you’re gaga over it. It’s like a first date with way too much atmosphere. But here’s the catch: you get home and it’s just you and the game. No shiny lights, just your dingy living room.

Jan Dolski. This guy. I’ve been writing about his adventures and let’s just say—I want back in his world. Seriously, I’m itching for it. It’s all left behind, just across the chilly, churning Atlantic.

This game’s got me. Its price? $35. I mean, come on! In these times of big-budget blowouts, when a studio does something this tight, it’s like discovering a secret treasure chest. More people gotta know.

What’s the deal with The Alters, you ask? Well, ever spent a night wondering what you’d get if you mashed a survival game with, say, Fallout Shelter? I have. Too often, really. It’s like this glittery gem you stumble upon in the vast desert of indie games—blindingly brilliant in its way.

You’re Jan Dolski, the only ragged remnant of the Dolly mission. Rapidium is what you’re after, whatever that is. Pretty soon, you’re out in the open, matched against a hostile planet that’s trying its best to cook you alive. I still can’t get over how the timer in the game manages to stress me out so much. Initially, it was all about ticking days. But then—thank the gods—they eased it. Now it’s just the ominous, vague “The Sun is far away.” Yeah, far away but coming, like an inescapable Monday.

Director Tomasz Kisilewicz had to fiddle with this in development because, surprise surprise, nobody likes adrenaline panic 24/7. Gotta let players sniff the roses, right?

Your key to survival is friggin’ mind-blowing: you split into Alters. Alternate versions of Jan, each spawned from some life choice he never made. No joke, I spent sleepless nights thinking, “What if?” What if Jan had shouted back at his dad? Talk about a butterfly flapping its wings…

Alters are the bridge between surviving and perishing. You guide them, they chat among themselves, and if they can complete a task, they ask, “What’s next, boss?” It’s a teamwork dance—or a weird late-night conference call.

But beware, Jan’s alter egos have minds of their own. Keep them well-fed and mentally stable—or else. Imagine waking up to realize you’re an unlived life, one existential nightmare pizza served with extra dread.

Not long ago, jumped into a conversation with Katarzyna Tybinka, one of the writing minds behind The Alters. I swear she described the writing process like a ping-pong match. They practically poured their hearts into it, and it shows.

The game plunks you into moments that make you pause, like, “Wow, this feels real.” Flashbacks to life choices I never made kept hitting me. Some days I caught echoes of my own life vibrating through Jan’s world. Spooky, right?

Somewhere along this journey, I clicked with the Doctor alter. His story hit me where it hurts. Got personal real fast because, well, my dad’s fighting his own uncertain medical battles. Didn’t bring it up at the event—felt too heavy to chuck into an otherwise jubilant gathering. But you know how these stories wriggle into your brain and hold on tight.

Here’s the rub: games rarely get you to mull over life’s what-ifs and could-have-beens like this one does. The roller coaster of options in The Alters yanks at your sense of identity, leaving you contemplating all the novels unwritten, had your life’s pen been dipped in different ink.

For once, I can’t wait to replay a game—The Alters is out on June 13. Available on Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and it promises a deep dive into choices, echoes, and alternate endings that’ll have you seeing your life through fractured reflections peppered with endless possibility.

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There, an unpolished ramble straight from the swirling chaos of a very human mind. Perfectly imperfect, wouldn’t you say?