11 Bit Studios, the acclaimed developers behind thoughtful titles like This War of Mine and Frostpunk, have unveiled their next game: The Alters. This sci-fi survival title isn’t due out until 2024, but from the initial reveal during Summer Game Fest 2022 through subsequent trailers and a hands-on demo, it’s shaping up to be an ambitious game that fascinatingly explores identity.
The Alters sees you assuming the role of Jan Dolski, an astronaut who takes a risky job that strands him alone on an inhospitable alien planet. To stay alive and find a way home, Jan uses an experimental device to create altered versions of himself—unique “Alters”—who can help maintain the makeshift base and brave the planet on vital supply runs.
This central conceit provides a window into the age-old question: what if I’d made different choices in life? Each Alter represents a different path Jan’s life could’ve taken, their skills and personalities shaped by key forks in the road. Being confronted by these literal alternate versions of himself makes Jan reflect on the decisions that define him.
It’s a premise brimming with narrative potential that should resonate with anyone who’s ever thought about the proverbial road not traveled. And 11 Bit Studios is uniquely qualified to explore this philosophical territory after the difficult questions posed by its previous works.
The Alters Game Pass Confirmed
After debuting The Alters during Summer Game Fest 2022, 11 Bit Studios returned to provide more details during March 2023’s Xbox Developer Direct video showcase. Most notably, the team confirmed that The Alters would be available on Game Pass at launch in 2024 for console and cloud gaming. Learn more about the Alters Game Pass and get your hands on it.
Given 11 Bit Studios’ track record delivering impactful single-player experiences, having The Alters be part of Game Pass right away is exciting news. This cements it as a premiere 2024 release that’ll reach a huge audience early on as an exclusive part of the popular subscription service. Any Xbox owners intrigued by early trailers for The Alters should definitely keep it on their radar.
And since Game Pass availability was touted from the start, 11 Bit Studios can take full advantage by integrating features tailored to cloud gaming. The Alters seems well-suited to periodic or occasional play, making it a great on-the-go Game Pass experience. You will be able to get more information about it through The Alters demo.
Hands-On with The Alters Demo
Following The Alters’ big showing during Summer Game Fest and seeing more extensive gameplay footage, 11 Bit Studios brought a hands-on demo to attendees of PAX West 2023. This early demo served as a vertical slice preview, offering a guided gameplay experience that sets the stage for Jan’s predicament.
The demo opens with Jan administering a test to create his first Alter—essentially an interactive cutscene introducing this process. From a first-person perspective, you make several binary choices addressing key moments in Jan’s past. Each decision points his life down an alternate branch, ultimately producing an Alter with different qualities than the “prime” Jan.
It’s a clever way to establish this key mechanic while also revealing more about Jan’s unchecked ambition and midlife regrets. Once you’ve compiled data on a new Alter identity, a robot on Jan’s ship uses a 3D printer to produce a physical copy—a very literal representation of realizing hypothetical decisions!
After this intro, you take control and are tasked with creating an additional Alter to help maintain the base. I opted to create an Alter who focused on his engineering career rather than relationships, imagining he’d have technical skills to keep machinery running. The Alters demo PS5 has been quite impressive so far. You will absolutely love what the full version of this game can offer as well.
The Alters is Survival Management
Guiding the demo is a partially constructed overhead view of your base—essentially a giant ring you occupy. It’s from this interface that you assign newly created Alters to workstations matching their skills. While away, you have Jan manually venture out into the unknown environment harvesting resources necessary to expand the base.
Even from this brief demo, you get a sense of how The Alters splits time between a macro game managing your crew and the more focused expeditions taking direct control of Jan. It presents lots of promising survival mechanics ripe for strategizing. 11 Bit Studios confirmed that the full game will feature twenty unique Alter roles, so forming the optimal crew will certainly be important.
Since certain events can unfold randomly back at base while you’re exploring as Jan, you never quite know what state things will be in when you return. This should maintain tension surrounding how cohesive your Alter crew manages themselves.
What Platforms Will the Alters Release On?
As a new IP from 11 Bit Studios, there’s understandably high anticipation for The Alters among fans of cerebral gaming. While full details on various editions and pre-order incentives haven’t been revealed yet, we do know what platforms The Alters will be playable on come 2024.
The Alters demo release date is something that we already know. You would have probably got your hands on the demo as well. With that, it is worth keeping your fingers crossed until the full version of this game come out. Then you can experience all the impressive features that it offers. This would include The Alters multiplayer gaming experience as well.
Both trailers have confirmed a launch on Xbox Series X/S, taking advantage of that console’s next-gen capabilities for a visually impressive experience. And the Xbox Developer Direct video explicitly reiterated it’ll be part of Game Pass at launch. Await until the release of The Alters game and it will surely be a great one!
The Alters Steam Page Offers A Wishlist Option
In addition to Xbox, 11 Bit Studios has assured us that The Alters will launch on PC as well. Attendees of PAX West 2023 even got hands-on time with the PC build. The game’s Steam page is already live for wish listing, clearly marking a 2024 release date too.
Wish listing is a good way to keep track of updates from Steam’s queue and notification systems. Valve has even confirmed that accumulating wish lists can factor into a game’s visibility within the platform, so it’s a small way to show support.
As expected, Steam will likely offer some exclusive pre-order bonuses whenever those become available. Between this and Game Pass early access, 11 Bit Studios has all its bases covered providing options to PC gamers.
Is a PlayStation 5 Release Confirmed?
Intriguingly, The Alters’ initial Summer Game Fest unveiling only touted Xbox and PC as release platforms. For a brand-new IP not tied to any exclusivity deals, that seemed to conspicuously leave open the possibility of PlayStation down the line.
Some speculated that 11 Bit Studios might be holding back confirmation of PlayStation 5 support for a future announcement. Perhaps they planned to release it on Xbox and PC first, then port a PS5 version later on.
However, the subsequent Xbox Developer Direct interchangeably refers to console and Xbox Series X/S when touting features like Game Pass inclusion. And the Steam page only mentions Xbox and PC as well. So, for now, it appears that The Alters will solely launch on Xbox ecosystem and PC storefronts come 2024.
Of course, further down the line after release, 11 Bit Studios could still theoretically port The Alters to PlayStation machines. But there are currently no PS5 announcements despite inquiring PlayStation fans.
The Alters Demo Release Date Still Uncertain
As mentioned, 11 Bit Studios did make a guided slice of The Alters gameplay available for attendees of PAX West 2023. Those who managed to secure spots got hands-on PS5 dev kit consoles running an early build of the game’s opening act.
Allowing playtime on this vertical slice demo represented the first chance anyone outside the studio had to actually pick up The Alters controllers. As such, there’s naturally high demand among the greater gaming public for a publicly released demo as well.
However, 11 Bit Studios hasn’t yet confirmed plans to distribute any sort of demo. It’s possible they could return with that same PAX West 2023 vertical slice to an event like the 2024 Steam Next Fest for more widespread sampling.
Perhaps part of their marketing plan is to only offer hands-on previews at in-person events and conventions leading up to launch. If that’s the case, then a digital release of even that early demo isn’t guaranteed.
We’ll report back if The Alters gets any release of a playable demo outside limited expo appearances. So far, there’s been no word on a proper demo coming digitally via Steam or Xbox/PlayStation stores.
What Gameplay Footage is There?
In lieu of a playable at-home demo just yet, 11 Bit Studios has provided plenty of scripted video footage for breaking down what The Alters is all about. Chiefly, prospective players should watch the eight-minute longform reveal during Summer Game Fest 2022.
This initial glimpse clarifies exactly what the premise entails through voiceover from Jan and various Alters. Interspersed between story beats, there are glimpses of resource harvesting, base expansion, Alter interactions, and profile management screens that should excite simulation fans.
And the subsequent Xbox Developer Direct trailer has more polished environmental footage as Jan ventures out on expeditions. We see various tools and traversal mechanics involved in navigating the planet capturing minerals and energy sources. It emphasizes just how crucial maintaining a smooth-running domestic operation back at base is while Jan’s away.
Factor in the guided demo walkthroughs from the few who attended PAX West 2023, and there’s a strong sampling of moment-to-moment gameplay details available pre-launch. Once key systems and progression hooks come into clearer focus, there will hopefully be a demo for all too.
Any Chance for Multiplayer Gameplay?
As a single-player first survival management sim built around a narrative conceit, The Alters doesn’t seem particularly designed with multiplayer components in mind. Jan’s cloned crew aren’t real people taking on Alter roles; they operate through AI systems and simulation framework.
No promotional material or reveals have ever indicated multiplayer functionality being in the works. This seems to be purely a solo experience where all characters beyond the prime Jan are computer-controlled.
However, Sterescopic Guy did pose an interesting hypothetical question during the initial reveal’s live chat about whether there would be any multiplayer or co-op features. While the developers didn’t confirm any such plans, they did humorously joke “never say never.”
Of course, that’s hardly an indication that multiplayer is actively being built into The Alters. But down the line after launching the core single-player concept, some form of cooperative functionality isn’t out of the question.
Maybe after establishing Jan’s baseline journey through a few additional titles, 11 Bit Studios would then endeavor to create a spin-off game letting friends each create their own Astral with unique crew members. But purely speculating on cooperative potential is jumping the gun when the studio still has to deliver this first introductory experience introducing us to Jan and his Alters.
Final Words
The Alters is an ambitious new IP focusing on identity and consequence through a literal interpretation of the road not traveled. Playing as several specialized versions of protagonist Jan Dolski as you survive hostile conditions and self-reflect promises to be a dynamically tense experience.
Confirmed to launch in 2024 for Xbox Series X/S and PC, The Alters will be available on Xbox Game Pass at release too. Exact pre-order details and special editions remain unannounced, but Steam wish listing is live so follow along for updates.
While current promotional material doesn’t outright confirm PlayStation 5 support yet if its available with PlayStation plus or not, follow coverage to see if that changes leading up to release next year. We’re certainly looking forward to stepping into Jan’s shoes in just about 12 months!