The Alters: Last Variable, a new expansion for the 2025 hit, shifts away from the survival-driven anxieties that defined the base game. While this new campaign offers an enjoyable time exploring its central mystery and meeting new characters, the absence of the constant threat that made the original so engaging leaves the experience feeling hollower.
The Last Variable takes place after the main campaign concludes, with Jan Scientist remaining on the hostile world to investigate a fertile region known as the Oasis. Players assume the role of an alter of Jan Scientist, tasked with understanding and replicating the Oasis's survival capabilities. This setup cleverly sidesteps repeating elements from the base game, such as the brain damage issues that the original Jan Scientist had already resolved, allowing the new protagonist to focus immediately on investigation.
The core gameplay loop involves Jan Scientist and his new alters building and deploying terraformers to restore swathes of the planet's surface between cycles of extreme heat. Each cycle brings new discoveries and potential challenges, keeping the player curious about what lies ahead, even if the scientific explanations are sometimes complex.
The standout additions in The Last Variable are its new alters: Jan Biologist, Chemist, Geologist, and Physicist. Each possesses a distinct personality and unique questlines, offering engaging narrative threads. Jan Geologist's desire for wild experiments and Jan Biologist's more somber demeanor provide flavor, while Jan Physicist's arc exploring jealousy adds depth. These new characters are generally less prone to the anger and rebelliousness seen in the base game's alters, possibly due to their origin as offshoots of the less stressed Jan Scientist.
However, this newfound calmness stems largely from the expansion's reduced sense of danger. The punishing sunrise cycles of the base game are now easily avoidable by entering cryosleep. This eliminates the constant pressure to manage resources, make split-second decisions, or meticulously plan every action. The urgency that propelled the base game is gone; quests can be postponed, resources gathered in subsequent cycles, and the consequences for poor planning are minimal.
Without the imminent threat of a fiery demise, the routine tasks of mining, cooking, and repairing become somewhat monotonous. Keeping alters happy also loses its importance, as there are fewer critical tasks that demand their full attention. Much of the progression, particularly plot revelations, occurs after initiating cryosleep, leading players to sometimes cut cycles short simply to advance the narrative.
Despite these criticisms, The Last Variable remains an enjoyable experience. The gameplay's slower pace can be surprisingly calming, and the new alters are compelling characters voiced with standout performances. The expansion's central mystery is enticing, and fans eager for more lore from The Alters will find satisfaction in its revelations. Yet, the absence of the base game's signature stressful survival element leaves the investigation somewhat less impactful.
The Alters: Last Variable is available now on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. This review was conducted on PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by 11 Bit Studios.