Spoiler Warning! Late-game spoilers for The Alters below — proceed with caution! In The Alters, a new story-driven base-building survival game from 11 Bit Studios, players face many impactful choices, some of which are tied to specific Alters, ultimately deciding their entire fate. One of the most interesting personal side quests in the game is Jan Scientist's task, The Meaning of Life, which unlocks near the end of Act 3.
The Alters Review
The Alters is a cerebral, thought-provoking, and beefy story-driven survival game, and undoubtedly 11 Bit Studios' magnum opus.
When completing this optional quest, Scientist eventually asks the player to decide whether he should be left behind to stay on the planet and learn more about its nature and remaining mysteries, or whether he should return to Earth with the rest of the Alters. This guide offers a walkthrough for The Meaning of Life side quest, alongside the Hidden Truth achievement, explaining the potential player choices and which option is best for Jan Scientist.
The Meaning Of Life Side Task Walkthrough
The Meaning of Life side quest unlocks in the final hours of the game, where players need to plan how to treat the rescue party and prepare for the return to Earth. During the general preparations at one point in Act 3, Jan Scientist reaches out to the player with a personal request. He asks the player to craft one package of polymers (20 minerals and 20 organics), similar to those players needed to build in Act 1 to create the bridge and escape the lava river. The polymers are required for Scientist's personal project, which he won't reveal immediately, instead asking for permission to leave the base for one day and spend time outdoors.
Players can simply refuse his request, skipping The Meaning of Life optional task entirely, which would immediately have a negative impact on Scientist's mood and will lock you out of the Hidden Truth trophy.
If players agree to let Scientist spend some time on his own, he will leave the base during the day and won't return for the night, leading the other Alters to believe that Jan Scientist has surely died from the severe nighttime radiation on the surface. Naturally, given his track record in The Alters, it's hard to believe that someone as smart and prepared as Scientist wouldn't come up with a way to survive through the night.
Eventually, Jan Scientist returns in the morning, visibly fascinated by what he has found. However, he doesn't want to discuss his discovery just yet, telling the player it's worth seeing for themselves. He marks the necessary location on the player's map and suggests visiting a previously inaccessible place on the surface.
Retracing Scientist's steps, players discover a polymer bridge he placed over the chasm next to the Rapidium mining spot. Following the path, they reach a spot with a gorgeous view of a distant Oasis, with water and even some vegetation that somehow survives the planet's harsh conditions — scorching sun, magnetic storms, and deadly night radiation. It's time to return to the base and speak with Jan Scientist about how this is possible and what he has learned.
The Alters: Trophy/Achievement Guide
There are a total of fifty-six achievements or trophies in The Alters, and some of them are not easy to complete without a bit of help.
The Final Choice for Scientist's Fate, Explained
In a dialogue with Scientist at the base, players learn that the Oasis doesn't actually survive the planet's harsh conditions, but rather recreates itself time after time thanks to Rapidium, growing bigger and more evolved each time. There's life on the planet's surface: not just water, but also microorganisms. When discussing his discovery, Jan Scientist appears unusually emotional, using words like fate and truth, stepping away from his previous pragmatism where only results and success mattered in life.
Eventually, Jan Scientist reveals that he is considering staying on the planet rather than returning to Earth with the rescue party and the rest of the Alters. Scientist wants to devote his life to learning more about the planet's mysteries out of scientific curiosity, rather than being a valuable tool for the corporation on Earth, even if no one ever learns about what he discovers here. Ultimately, the Scientist places this important choice in the player's hands, saying he will accept whatever decision is made.
At this late stage of The Alters, the decision isn't critically important from a gameplay perspective, especially since the Scientist promises to do everything required of him to meet the rescue party before leaving. It ultimately comes down to how players feel about the situation and his future. However, based on Jan Scientist's words and reactions, it's clearly the right choice to let him pursue his dreams. If players agree to leave him behind, he will depart the base for good within the next five days, once the preparations for the rescue party are complete, successfully completing The Meaning of Life quest and granting the players the Hidden Truth trophy.
Don't worry about the Scientist leaving unexpectedly while some important non-mandatory research in the lab is planned, as players need to speak with him to confirm that he's free to leave.
On the contrary, players may doubt his idea and attempt to convince the Scientist that he has become too carried away by the planet's mysteries, clouding his judgment. While he will mostly agree, admitting he has doubts as well, forbidding him to leave the base will negatively affect his mood. Moreover, The Meaning of Life task will be considered failed, further implying that letting the Scientist stay on the planet where he was born is the only right thing to do.
The Alters
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- June 13, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Strategy, Management
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
