Imagine how much work you could get done if there were more of you. While you’re at work, another clone could be getting groceries, doing laundry, or writing your memoirs. “The Alters” is a survival game with a similar premise, but instead of everyday tasks, the main character works with his clones to escape a deadly planet.

Jan Dolski is part of an expedition to find a special resource on a planet full of deadly radiation. He is the sole survivor of the landing, which leaves him ill-equipped to deal with the mission or even the departure. He quickly discovers what the company sent his team out there for, Rapidium, and they instruct him to use the facilities on the ship to make an “Alter” of himself.

The intro of the game doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. A sci-fi story with a disaster happening right off the bat, especially on an uncharted planet, is cliche. Thankfully, the gameplay and the entire concept of alters and how they’re made do a lot to make the game stand out.

The base is equipped with a computer, which lists out a series of pivotal moments in Jan’s life. Each one represents a crossroads where he could have ended up living a different life with a different profession. From there, Jan can use a device called the Womb to create a clone of that alternate version of himself.

While it doesn’t impact gameplay in huge ways, I really appreciate that Jan and all of his Alters have a backstory that explains how they ended up on the same mission despite them coming from branching times. It feels like the game is made from a fatalist perspective that believes no matter what choices Jan made in life, he is always bound to be on that planet.

The gameplay loop starts off slow, but it becomes very addictive. Jan has to gather resources, use those to make new tools or facilities on the ship as he slowly makes progress towards escaping the planet. The whole way through, Jan is in contact with the company that sent him there.

It’s another cliche that the giant company that’s interested in a material capable of impossible feats is shady. Still, the organic storytelling that comes from the Alters working together becomes a bigger highlight.

Similar to other games made by 11 Bit Studios, the other people in your group can contribute a lot to your main goal. Each Alter can be assigned to different jobs, and they get done while the player does their own thing. If done well, the player can create an efficient engine of production. It’s the thing that makes the game so addictive, thinking of how quickly you can invent, deploy and refine new resources, tools or facilities.

While the gameplay is addictive until the end, the game doesn’t have a lot of replay value overall. Still, the production value feels a step higher when compared to the studio’s previous games. Despite some cliches in the story, it’s the Alters themselves that keep the writing interesting.

“The Alters” earns 4.5 stars out of 5.