The Altershas captured the attention of indie game fans around the world, and for good reason. Its unique survival-management-social-sim gameplay combination makes it especially alluring, leveraging many of the same strengths asFrostpunkandThis War of Mine, 11 Bit Studios' earlier projects. That said,The Alters' narrativeshouldn’t be overlooked in light of these mechanical and structural advantages.
Indeed,The Alterspresents players with an exceptionally nuanced, emotional, and thought-provoking story about the nature of choice, regret, and identity, making it ripe for analysis and interpretation. Much like in 11 Bit Studios' other survival games,The Altersconcerns itself with heady philosophical and ethical quandaries, never fully answering any of the questions it poses. Rather, the studio pokes and prods its audience, encouraging them to think critically and arrive at their own conclusions. To this end, 11 Bit employs the use of characters like Terrence Maxwell, using them as vessels to communicate high-concept philosophical dilemmas.
Major spoilers forThe Altersahead.
How Maxwell Drives Home The Alters' Core Themes
Positioned from the outset as a shadowy, untrustworthy figure, Ally Corp Mining Head Terrence Maxwell is far from an immediately likable character. He’s clearly only interested in one thing—the mass harvesting of Rapidium—and seems overly invested in Jan’s Alters project. He also makes it clear that he is willing to go to great lengths to ensure the success of the mission, being the first person to propose the Tabula Rasa project, one ofThe Alters' hardest in-game decisions.
But why does Maxwell have such a strong drive to collect Rapidium? He certainly doesn’t seem to care much for Ally Corps' bottom line—he’s not an everyday company man by any means. Rather, he is hiding an unexpected depth of soul and humanity, pursuing Rapidium to fulfill his dream of a world without mistakes, without tragedy, and without suffering. It’s about as lofty a goal as one could imagine, as Maxwell is essentially arguing for a heaven-on-Earth scenario; he dreams of an absurd utopia, so perfect that it’s incomprehensible. It should go without saying that these aims, noble though they may be in some ways, stand in direct contrast toThe Alters' definition of humanityand the human experience, making Maxwell’s ideology a tough sell for a lot of players.
How Maxwell Represents the Messy, Morally Gray World of The Alters
Part of what makes Maxwell compelling is that, though he functions as the de-factoantagonist ofThe Alters, he is far from detestable. In fact, many players will likely sympathize with his history and mission, as most people can relate to trauma and regret: Maxwell was partially responsible for his friend’s death, which spurred him to dive head-first into his crusade against reality. It’s an understandable goal, and there’s a case to be made that it’s the right step for humanity. After all, just because something contradicts common social norms, such as those surrounding the nature of life and regret, doesn’t mean that it’s inherently wrong or bad.
Therein lies the meat of Maxwell’s character: he wants a better world, even if it comes at the cost of what it means to be human. He wishes to ascend humanity to the status of gods, all-knowing and infallible. It’s a dangerous idea, to be sure, but progress can often appear that way. The alternate narrative route, the one that seesJan coming to termswith his past and accepting himself, is much harder and less idealistic, but reaffirms common notions of reality and identity. It’s up to the player whether they want to embrace that reality, or build a new one with Maxwell.
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The Alters is an ambitious sci-fi survival game with a unique twist. You play as Jan Dolski, the lone survivor of a crash-landed expedition on a hostile planet. To survive, you must form a new crew for your mobile base.
Using a substance called Rapidium, you create alternative versions of Jan - THE ALTERS - each one shaped by a different crucial decision from the protagonist’s past.
