Absolutely phenomenal game, easily in the running for GOTY if you ask me. The core gameplay is a unique blend of genres that 11 bit has somehow managed to make work together in a seamless way, and the effort that went into actually finishing, testing, and polishing the game (lowercase P, no pun intended) prior to launch day is a breath of fresh air in the current industry. On top of that, the story was absolutely stellar, far more compelling and cerebral than the plot of a "survival base management" game has any right to be. Every element from the gameplay loop to the environments was deliberately crafted from beginning to end, and I think that I encountered a grand total of ONE bug in my entire playthrough. Really fantastic craftmanship from 11 bit, through and through. The fact that they've set the price point for this game at $35 on top of it all is amazing.

I hesitate to give away too much about what the game "is," since I think it's best experienced starting from a blank slate (that one was a little bit intended, I'll admit. You'll get it later.) The base management elements feel like they draw inspiration from the strategy layer of the XCOM games: build a variety of rooms within a vertical grid to fulfill certain needs for your mission and your crew, then provide the resources needed to keep them running. Those resources come from investment of time and, of course, more resources, into the exploration layer. The environments outside of the base are absolutely stunning, and while the planetary resource extraction mechanics are about what you'd expect from previous games featuring planets, resources, and extraction of said resources on said planets ("No Man's Sky," et al.) the interaction between the exploration and base-building elements made it so that I felt like I was playing something genuinely novel, even if there were hints of familiarity scattered throughout. Sprinkle in a little "Ghostbusters"-esque anomaly zapping action, and an ever-ticking clock that pushes you to make every second of every day count, and you've pretty much got The Alters.

That is, of course, skimming entirely over the story, which absolutely parallels the mechanical side of the game in terms of novelty. It offers an impressive number of meaningful narrative choices, which not only affect how the story unfolds, but actually have a huge impact on your strategy for keeping the base running. I won't even try to elaborate on that without spoiling things, so you'll just have to trust me that the story is easily one of the best that I've encountered in video game in recent memory.

Overall, I would rank this game as a "Must Play," especially for anyone with a love of base management games or thought-provoking science fiction. Best $35 I've spent on Steam in a long time.

Absolutely phenomenal game, easily in the running for GOTY if you ask me. The core gameplay is a unique blend of genres that 11 bit has somehow managed to make work together in a seamless way, and the effort that went into actually finishing, testing, and polishing the game (lowercase P, no pun intended) prior to launch day is a breath of fresh air in the current industry. On top of that, the story was absolutely stellar, far more compelling and cerebral than the plot of a "survival base management" game has any right to be. Every element from the gameplay loop to the environments was deliberately crafted from beginning to end, and I think that I encountered a grand total of ONE bug in my entire playthrough. Really fantastic craftmanship from 11 bit, through and through. The fact that they've set the price point for this game at $35 on top of it all is amazing. I hesitate to give away too much about what the game "is," since I think it's best experienced starting from a blank slate (that one was a little bit intended, I'll admit. You'll get it later.) The base management elements feel like they draw inspiration from the strategy layer of the XCOM games: build a variety of rooms within a vertical grid to fulfill certain needs for your mission and your crew, then provide the resources needed to keep them running. Those resources come from investment of time and, of course, more resources, into the exploration layer. The environments outside of the base are absolutely stunning, and while the planetary resource extraction mechanics are about what you'd expect from previous games featuring planets, resources, and extraction of said resources on said planets ("No Man's Sky," et al.) the interaction between the exploration and base-building elements made it so that I felt like I was playing something genuinely novel, even if there were hints of familiarity scattered throughout. Sprinkle in a little "Ghostbusters"-esque anomaly zapping action, and an ever-ticking clock that pushes you to make every second of every day count, and you've pretty much got The Alters. That is, of course, skimming entirely over the story, which absolutely parallels the mechanical side of the game in terms of novelty. It offers an impressive number of meaningful narrative choices, which not only affect how the story unfolds, but actually have a huge impact on your strategy for keeping the base running. I won't even try to elaborate on that without spoiling things, so you'll just have to trust me that the story is easily one of the best that I've encountered in video game in recent memory. Overall, I would rank this game as a "Must Play," especially for anyone with a love of base management games or thought-provoking science fiction. Best $35 I've spent on Steam in a long time.