Are you a fan of music, podcasts, or radio talk shows? What about the idea that your actions can change the views of others? Finally, what if there was a game that focused on altering people’s perspectives through time travel and recording radio conversations? If your answer to all three questions is yes then Alt-Frequencies might just be the game for you. At PAX East 2019, we had the opportunity to preview this science fiction mystery game.
Alt-Frequencies is an upcoming iOS, Android, and Steam game that puts the player in the role of the traveler, an individual tasked with traveling through the time loop to alert the public about the manipulation of time by a secret government agency by using a simple recorder. As the player gets reactions from a radio channel, they are able to record the radio hosts’ responses in order to playback on alternate radio channels. Those recordings can then be replayed, decide when it is best applied, and guess how the radio host will respond. The world resets every three minutes due to the time loop. If the player misses the opportunity to share the clip at the right time, they can activate it at the start of the next loop.
During the limited demo, we were experimenting with different recorded phrases to see how different radio hosts would react. At one point we stumbled upon a train radio frequency and got yelled at for broadcasting on the channel. Sadly, the twenty-minute demo did not feel like it was enough time to get a grasp of how the game plays and how to effectively alter the time stream. At the start of the demo, the developers offered to show us how to play but we declined, wanting to find out the game’s secrets on our own. This self-imposed exploration ate a good amount of time that could have been used to hear different conversation lines. Alt-Frequencies will hopefully provide players with the opportunity to explore how the words of others can affect the game’s world.
Alt-Frequencies is scheduled for release in May for iOS, Android, and Steam. Fans of science fiction mystery games or podcasts should probably look into Alt-Frequencies. Those interested in the game and wanting to follow its progression can find more on the official website.
