In the livestream, Provice explores “The Alters,” a survival base-building game with psychological horror elements, where players manage alternate versions of the protagonist to survive on a hostile alien planet while uncovering a complex narrative involving cloning and memory manipulation. He highlights the game’s unique mechanics, atmospheric storytelling, and ethical dilemmas, praising its depth and immersive experience despite its slower pacing and resource management challenges.
The video is a live stream gameplay and commentary of the game “The Alters” by 11bit Studios, known for titles like Frostpunk and This War of Mine. The streamer, Provice, introduces the game as a survival base-builder with psychological horror elements, centered around a protagonist named Yandolski who crash-lands on an alien planet. The crew is mysteriously dead except for Yandolski, and the player must manage resources, build and move a mobile base shaped like a giant tire, and survive the planet’s harsh environment, including deadly radiation from the sun. The game’s unique mechanic involves creating alternate versions (“altars”) of the protagonist based on different life choices, which adds a complex narrative and gameplay layer.
Throughout the stream, Provice explores the game’s mechanics such as mining resources (metals, organics, and a mysterious substance called rapidium), building modules like workshops, kitchens, greenhouses, and research labs, and managing the psychological states and interactions of the altars. The player must balance resource gathering with time constraints before the sun’s radiation becomes lethal, all while uncovering the story behind the crash and the corporation’s motives. The game features a branching storyline where players can alter past decisions to create new versions of Yandolski, each with different skills and personalities, which affects gameplay and narrative development.
The streamer highlights the game’s atmospheric storytelling and psychological depth, noting the ethical dilemmas involved in cloning and manipulating memories to survive. He interacts with the altars, who have distinct traits such as anxiety, rebellion, and frustration, and must manage their moods and cooperation to maintain the base and progress. The game also features mysterious anomalies and quantum phenomena linked to the rapidium, adding a sci-fi mystery element. Provice appreciates the game’s writing, voice acting, and the way it integrates player choices into both story and gameplay, creating a compelling and immersive experience.
As the gameplay progresses, Provice focuses on building essential infrastructure like the Repidium Ark to transport the valuable resource rapidium, and solving environmental challenges such as crossing a lava river using superconductive bridge anchors. He also researches technology upgrades to improve resource efficiency and survival chances. The streamer discusses the importance of managing base expansion, storage, and the health of the altars, including dealing with radiation sickness and injuries. The game’s pacing is slower and more methodical than typical survival games, emphasizing strategic planning and narrative immersion over fast action.
In conclusion, Provice finds “The Alters” to be a fascinating and unique game with a strong narrative hook and innovative mechanics involving alternate selves and psychological survival. He praises the game’s atmosphere, story complexity, and the ethical questions it raises, while noting some challenges with resource management and pacing. Although he does not plan a full playthrough series due to time constraints, he recommends the game for those interested in deep, story-driven survival experiences. The stream ends with Provice expressing enthusiasm for continuing to play the game and thanking viewers for their engagement.