If you’re familiar with 11 Bit Studios’ past games, you’re aware that they’rebleak. The Polish developer is perhaps best known forFrostpunkandFrostpunk 2, two punishing city-building survival titles that have you trying to keep your people alive in a world racked by the consequences of a natural catastrophe. Those games often allow you to do things that we otherwise would consider morally reprehensible, like instituting mandatory child labour or leaving people to die in order to preserve resources.
But the first game from 11 Bit that I ever played, and the one that’s most like its newest titleThe Alters, isThis War of Mine. This 2014 survival strategy game (which is also difficult and very sad) has you controlling a group of civilian survivors trying to survive the siege of a city. This game, and Frostpunk alongside it, tell stories about human nature and the necessity of making difficult choices to survive.
The Alters Is Just As Bleak
The Alters is largely the same, but 11 Bit takes a different approach to narrative this time around. In its newly released title, base expansion (a laFallout Shelter) melds with survival mechanics, third-person exploration, and constant impending doom to create a stressful, thrilling experience. Just like in its other games, you will have to make hard choices with tangible consequences.
You play Jan Dolski, a builder who’s forced to create alternate versions of himself to replace the crew of his dead mining expedition. These alters, as they’re called in the game, clash with you and each other, forcing you to manage not just your resources but your relationships with them. They might get angry enough with you to stage a revolt, ending your game. They’ll make requests of you, and failing to complete them will impact their mood and motivation.
At the same time, it’s easy to largely ignore your alters most of the time as long as you make an effort to quell outright revolution. There are, after all, more pressing things to pay attention to – it’s okay if your clones are a bit upset with you, as long as they’re still working long enough shifts to get you the resources you need to keep everyone alive, at least until you escape whatever concerning development is on the horizon. Like I said, it’s bleak.
There is always a concerning development on the horizon. Usually it’s the rising of the sun, as it will obliterate you and your entire crew. I should specify that you’re on a really weird, hostile, dangerous planet.
But There’s Plenty Of Reasons To Laugh
That is, until you actually get your ship moving. At the end of the first act, after I’d collected enough resources to send my ship on its merry way, it turned out there wasn’t all that much to do. When your ship is moving, almost all processes are halted to conserve your meagre resources.
It’s now that you’re actually forced to interact with your alters in a substantial way, and it’s delightful. The boys meet up in the kitchen, where they argue over what music to play while celebrating the progress they’ve made in their mission so far. Eventually, they begin to reminisce about the band they used to be in (it’s called Frickle Pickle) and how they used to make music. It’s a memory they all share, though not all of them feel the same way about it – the version of Jan who did a PhD and became a scientist rolls his eyes at the idea of such frivolity.
This doesn’t save him from being roped into a musical number anyway. The Jans decide to fabricate a guitar and write a song together about their shared experiences and the path ahead, which they then perform in a surprisingly rousing cutscene complete with colourful lighting and harmonies. It’s very cute, but beyond that, it’s an uncharacteristic moment of levity for a studio that’s committed so extensively to upsetting or challenging its player base with intense themes.
But this isn’t the only source of lightheartedness in the game. I’m particularly fond of the social room, which is a source of entertainment for both you and the various Jans. I played beer pong with Technician Jan, where we both got drunk and he taught me a lesson about assertiveness.
Better yet, have you picked up any movies while exploring? It turns out you packed a bunch for your travels, and while your cargo hold did explode and scatter your stuff all over the planet, you happen to find quite a bit of your collection while you’re running around trying to gather live-saving resources. You can get your crew together to spend three in-game hours watching films together to boost their morale, but there’s also the upside of being able to watchshortened versions of these films yourself.
Each of these ‘films’ is a sketch from comedy duo Chris and Jack.
Because I play video games in the living room on our only TV, my housemates usually end up sitting and watching while I game. If I’m stopping them from watching bad Netflix movies after dinner, I might as well entertain them with my floundering. I booted up The History of the Universe, an animated short with a tinge of Rick and Morty energy, and while I watched my alters bond, I found myself bonding and giggling with my housemates, too. Knowing that there are more comedy sketches in my stash to put on when I need a break from all the doom and gloom is quite a comfort.
It feels like 11 Bit has recognised that while it undoubtedly has skill in telling really sad stories, throwing in a couple of moments to laugh at helps make the player experience more bearable, especially in a longer narrative experience like this one. If you’re holding off on getting The Alters because you’re sick of 11 Bit making existentially horrible games, fret not. This one is existentially horrible, but there’ll be plenty of chances for feel-good get-togethers, too.
