10 New Video Games You NEED To Be Playing (But Aren't)
2. The Alters
You needn't be a fan of survival and crafting games to fall head over heels in love with The Alters - a deliriously entertaining and devilishly stressful resource management game with a kooky sci-fi twist.
Players assume control of space miner Jan Dolski, who in an attempt to survive on a hostile planet creates "Alters" - alternate clone versions of himself who took different paths in life and, therefore, can offer unique skills pivotal to Jan's survival.
Developer 11 Bit Studios, best known for This War of Mine and the Frostpunk series, are seriously punching above their weight here, with a AA survival game that oozes the rich, visually stunning atmosphere you'd expect from a mega-budget AAA title.
It's also surprisingly funny, especially when dealing with the conflicting personalities of your clone roommates, yet never at the expense of the overarching suspense, aided by an ever-present ticking clock.
And yet despite receiving strong reviews from critics, The Alters hasn't really become the viral phenomenon many expected it to, peaking at a not-bad 18,000 concurrent players on Steam and then quickly sinking like a stone.
Releasing less than two weeks before the similar-looking Death Stranding 2: On the Beach probably didn't help it any.