The Alters: The First Preview

ign.com:

Jan Dolski is marooned on an alien planet, tasked with piloting a hulking mobile laboratory shaped like a giant wheel. If he doesn’t keep it moving, the planet's orbit will catch up with him and he’ll burn in the heat of a nearby sun. It takes a whole team of specialists to keep the base running, but Jan is all by himself. So, there's only one thing to do: make more Jans. Not clones, but alternate Jans birthed from alternative realities. He must learn to work with these Jans and, in the process, may end up learning more about himself. This is the crux of The Alters, an introspective survival game about self-discovery as much as it is about seeking an escape plan from an alien planet.

My gameplay demo began with being tasked to gather six metal resources from a nearby ore vein so that maintenance work on the wheel lab could be undertaken, which is where The Alters core survival loop begins. Jan himself was the maintenance worker on the crew, but his related skills will only get you so far. This was a crew initially full of scientists, miners, and other specialists, but with the entire team discovered dead on a beach you need to reassemble that knowledge base. With a rapidly approaching sun ready to burn you to a crisp, there’s no time to sit and read through some textbooks to gain all this info. This is where the wild main conceit of The Alters emerges.

Mysterious video messages make their way to Jan and inform you of an experimental “branching” technology that could aid you in your efforts. Using a shimmering resource called rapidium found in a nearby cave, you can create new versions of yourself in a specialisation of your choosing. I haven’t got a full grasp on just how many Jan variations will be available in total, but in the two to three hours with the game, those available to me included doctor, shrink, refiner, worker, miner, scientist, guard, and botanist. Each come with their own perks and bonuses that will help you and the other Jans work out what has