The Alters is the new title from 11 bit Studios, and is essentially a survival crafting simulator. The big difference, of course, is that you’re not having to survive alone.
After crashing on a distant world, sole survivor Jan Dolski is forced to use highly experimental technology to create “Alters”, clones of himself with different personalities and remember histories based on the paths their lives might have taken if Jan had made different choices.
Focused on gathering resources to make Jan’s mobile base function and, crucially, stay ahead of the planet’s deadly sunrise, The Alters is a game split between planetary exploration, base building, and social upkeep, and there are many ways it can all go wrong.
However, if you work together, trust yourself, and pay attention to what’s essential, you’ll make it through. But if you do manage to stay alive, just how long does it take to beat The Alters?
How long is the main story?
The Alters doesn’t really have side quests. There are many optional tasks, but it’s in your interest to complete as many of them as you can and they integrate so well into the critical path that they won’t feel like additional tasks. My first playthrough took 28 hours (which was Day 84 in-game), with a fair amount of reloading old saves and more than one total Game Over. If you want to see everything you can in a playthrough (and it’s impossible to see everything in one go anyway), you’ll need to take your time, plan ahead, and probably save scum where possible. Either way, you can expect to put roughly 25 to 30 hours in on the first run.
Is there a point of no return?
There is a point of no return and it is clearly signposted before it happens. When it occurs, chances are you won’t have much left to see or do that you actually have time for, but you will be able to stop and take care of loose ends before the finale.
Can you continue playing after the campaign ends?
No. The Alters’ storyline fully wraps up at the end of the campaign and there is no option to continue playing. There’s also no New Game Plus mode, although it is highly encouraged to play through a second time and make different choices, with different combinations of Alters.
So there you go: now you know how long it takes to beat The Alters, so you know how much time to set aside for this emotional, unique experience.
