The Game Awards might be later this month, but the hype train for 2025’s biggest games has already begun… even if some of them were originally scheduled to be 2024’s biggest games. And for fans of unique survival games, that includes 11 Bit Sudios' The Alters,which was delayed to 2025 back in October.But during today’s PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase, the game returned to reconfirm its commitment to its new release window and establish just how many people are looking forward to the game, and it even came with a spiffy new trailer, which you’re able to check out below.
Don’t Wanna Be All by Myself Anymore…
For those who need a refresher, The Alters is the story of Jan Dolski, along with his partner, Jan Dolski, as well as Jan Dolski, Jan Dolski, Jan Dolski, and a few other Jan Dolskis. To back things up a bit, Jan is an interstellar worker who finds themselves crash-landing on a distant planet, and now has to operate a mobile base in order to escape a deadly sun. Unfortunately, Jan doesn’t have the crew needed at first, but luckily, Jan discovers a substance known as Rapidium that allows him to extract alternate versions of himself based on different choices that Jan has made in the past. But that means while all of these different Jans have different backgrounds and skills, they also have different personalities, needs, and issues, which, if the shot of one Jan having seemingly cut their own arm off is any indication, can make things a bit unstable if not handled correctly, to say the least…
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We do what we must for the greater good.
Aside from the unique hook of a survival game where everyone surviving is a variation of the same person, The Alters also intriguingly mashes up different genres by shifting between more traditional third-person survival gameplay where Jan explores the planet in order to collect resources, and simulation/management gameplay when aboard the base. This is where the integration of narrative and gameplay kicks in, as Jan has to work along with the other Jans in order to properly keep the base moving, all while confronting the central theme of choices, both ones made in the present and the past ones that Jan has always pondered about.
The Alters is set to arrive for the PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5 in 2025, though it should be noted that as of the time of writing,the Steam pagespecifies a “Q1 2025” window. Does this mean The Alters is coming sooner than expected? Well, we don’t know that yet, but as the trailer also points out, a demo for the game is now available on all three platforms to check out. There was one earlier this year, and it wasn’t specified if this is a new or returning demo, but either way, this allows players on all three platforms to check out what could be another winning sim from 11 Bit.
The Alters will also be available on both Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, with the former confirmed earlier this year.
