Info about Alterum:

Official game description:
A team of explorers arrives at a new site and discovers something inexplicable. Their colleagues have become possessed by restless spirits - they are now "altered." Are you certain about the people you trust with your life?  
**In this place, every spell spoken aloud carries real consequences - for you and for everyone around you.**
_Multiplayer for 4–8 players._
**Utter the spell aloud - and a door will open, a trap will trigger, or an enemy will fall.**
**Pretend to be one of them. Sabotage. Kill.**
**You have everything you need to expose the other one. But will the others believe you?**

Release date: Nov 9, 2026

Categories: Social Deduction, Proximity Voice Chat, Voice-Activated Gameplay, Asymmetrical Multiplayer, Traitor and altered roles, Spell-based Combat, Lobby-based multiplayer sessions, Horror


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Positive general impressions (weight 0.97): The game is widely praised as cool, fun, and engaging despite its simple appearance. Many reviewers immediately liked it or found it became very interesting after initial learning.
- Altered role is satisfying (weight 0.61): Playing as the altered role is described as enjoyable and even better than finding it, with stabbing people being fun regardless of role.
- Chaotic and entertaining situations (weight 0.51): The game creates chaotic and entertaining situations on platforms, such as yelling spells into the mic so the traitor hears your location. Yelling adds to the fun.
- Positive community and lobbies (weight 0.4): Lobbies fill with adequate people who use microphones, so there is always someone to talk to, and players do not need to persuade others to turn on their mic. The community is considered healthy.
- Favorable comparisons to competitors (weight 0.39): The gameplay is much better than competitors like Deceit and similar to Dread Hunger with quirks. It is seen as a cool Among Us-like game.
- Various mechanics worth exploring (weight 0.39): The game has various mechanics worth sinking time into, and spells can turn the game around. The voice-cast scroll system is especially liked.
- Appealing theme and atmosphere (weight 0.38): The game's theme is very appealing, and it is atmospheric and sometimes instills anxiety. It is creepy but induces more laughter than screaming.
- Easy to learn and accessible (weight 0.37): The game is for everyone and becomes very interesting after you get used to the initial difficulty. It is gripping after initial learning.
- Convenient interface and smooth operation (weight 0.15): The interface is convenient and everything works correctly, contributing to a positive experience.
- Worthy domestic product (weight 0.14): The game is considered a worthy domestic product, indicating pride in local development.
- Charm in map drawing tension (weight 0.14): There is charm and tension in drawing the platform map while worrying about being killed from behind, adding to the thrill.

Common complaints:
- Requires many friends who own game (weight 0.3): The game effectively requires 8 friends who already own it because the player base is small. Without that group, playing is difficult.
- High entry barrier due to social requirement (weight 0.3): The need for friends creates a very high entry barrier. Many players do not have the required social group to enjoy the game.
- No random matchmaking available (weight 0.17): Players cannot use random lobby search, so they must rely on friends to play. This limits access when friends are unavailable.
- Long lobby wait times (weight 0.17): Players spend about 70% of their time waiting for others to join the lobby. This makes the experience feel slow and frustrating.
- Friends needed for full immersion (weight 0.17): Playing with friends is considered necessary for the full experience. Without them, the game feels incomplete.
- Tutorial omits mechanics (weight 0.16): The tutorial leaves out part of the game's mechanics. Players are left to figure out missing information on their own.
- Hard to understand at first (weight 0.16): New players find the game difficult to figure out initially. The learning curve is steep and unclear.
- Spatial awareness challenge (weight 0.14): Players with poor spatial awareness may need to draw the platform map in Paint to navigate. This highlights a usability issue for some.

Gameplay feedback:
- Lobby-based multiplayer sessions (weight 0.78): Players join lobbies and wait for others to fill the session, often with random players. The game supports groups of up to 8 players and open lobbies are available.
- Traitor and altered roles (weight 0.59): The game features a traitor role and an altered role that players can take on. These roles change how the game is played.
- Spell system with Kavardak (weight 0.39): Spells include Kavardak, which can swap items among all players or just the targeted player. The spell system can reverse game outcomes.
- Voice-cast spells via microphone (weight 0.39): Players cast spells by yelling into the microphone, but this reveals their location to the traitor. Voice chat is used in lobbies.
- Killing and knife combat (weight 0.37): Players can kill other players, including from behind, and knife combat is part of the mechanics.
- Platform navigation and falling (weight 0.27): Players navigate platform maps and can fall off the platforms. This adds a spatial element to the gameplay.
- Carrying beaten players (weight 0.15): Players can beat others and carry them on their back. This mechanic allows for moving defeated players.
- Tutorial teaches useful mechanics (weight 0.15): The game has a tutorial that teaches mechanics that are useful later in the game. It helps players understand the basics.
- Maps and civilian role (weight 0.14): The game includes maps and abilities, such as a civilian role. These elements add variety to the roles and environments.

Performance notes:
- Runs on Old Hardware (weight 0.14): The game is reported to run acceptably on a 12-year-old PC build using minimum settings. This indicates low system requirements and reasonable optimization for older hardware.

Recommendations:
- Best with friends (weight 0.81): Multiple reviewers emphasize that the game is best enjoyed with friends, and some say it requires having friends to play. Without friends, the experience may be less enjoyable or not recommended.
- Generally recommended (weight 0.57): Several reviewers simply recommend buying or trying the game, indicating broad positive sentiment. This includes recommendations for everyone and for those looking to spend an evening with friends or randoms.
- Pay attention to tutorial (weight 0.15): One reviewer advises going through the tutorial carefully and remembering it, as it will help later in the game.

Other player notes:
- Compared to Dread Hunger (weight 0.27): Reviewers compare the game to Dread Hunger, noting similar quirks. It is also described as a descendant of Dread Hunger, indicating inspiration.
- Compared to Among Us (weight 0.16): The game is compared to Among Us as a similar style of game. This positions it within the popular social deduction category.
- Active mic usage in lobbies (weight 0.15): Players note that lobbies have mic-using players, unlike other games where microphones must be encouraged. This indicates a more communicative player base.
- Developer Discord for suggestions (weight 0.15): The developers maintain a Discord channel where players can submit suggestions. This shows active community engagement and openness to feedback.
- Mix of Amogus and DbD (weight 0.15): Described as a mix of Amogus and Dead by Daylight. This indicates a blend of social deduction and horror elements.
- Childish atmosphere noted (weight 0.14): One reviewer felt the game's atmosphere is childish compared to Murderer Mystery. This suggests a tonal mismatch for some players.
- Favorable comparison to Deceit (weight 0.14): A reviewer preferred this game's gameplay over Deceit. This highlights its appeal within the social deduction genre.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.14): Players are frustrated by the lack of a random lobby search when friends are unavailable, and by long waits for others to join. Poor spatial awareness makes platform navigation difficult, and the tutorial omits some mechanics that are hard to figure out initially.
- Amusement (weight 0.11): The chaotic sequence of players falling and being beaten on platforms provides amusement. Pure chaos from yelling spells into the mic and wild fun gameplay contribute to a humorous experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Enjoyment comes from stabbing people with a knife and playing with a large group. The voice-cast scroll system adds to the fun.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.07): Players feel enthusiastic because the game is very cool and engaging. It is also interesting and fun to play with friends or randoms.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Disappointment arises because the game requires 8 friends and has a low player count. The lack of friends needed for full immersion is a key letdown.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Excitement builds as the game becomes very interesting after getting into it. The spell system that lets you flip the game adds to the thrill.
- Joy (weight 0.07): Joy is experienced when lobbies fill with adequate people who use microphones, making it easy to chat. Playing with friends and laughing hard also brings joy.
- Liking (weight 0.07): Players develop a liking for the game from watching test streams. The game's theme also contributes to this positive feeling.
- Anticipation (weight 0.04): Players are anticipating a map with a ship and civilian abilities.
- Tension (weight 0.04): Tension arises from worrying about being killed from behind while drawing the platform map.
- Pride (weight 0.04): Pride is felt because the game is a domestic product.
- Hope (weight 0.04): Hope is driven by looking forward to more maps and new spells.
- Love (weight 0.04): Love for the game comes from playing as the altered and cutting people down.
- Fear (weight 0.04): Fear is caused by the game being creepy.
- Fun (weight 0.04): Fun is had at least during the first 4 hours of gameplay.
- Anxiety (weight 0.04): Anxiety is instilled by the atmospheric game.}