The Last Variable, an expansion for The Alters, shifts the game away from the relentless danger that made the original compelling. It follows a version of Jan Scientist investigating why the Oasis can survive the planet’s lethal sun, but the reviewer finds the absence of the base game’s ticking-clock pressure makes the experience feel less meaningful, even if its mystery and characters remain enjoyable.

Players control an alter of Jan Scientist after the main campaign, while the original scientist has spent decades researching the Oasis, including 13 years trapped there. The expansion centres on placing terraformers to preserve parts of the landscape between destructive cycles, and introduces Jan Biologist, Chemist, Geologist and Physicist; these new alters are distinct but generally calmer and less rebellious, reflecting the lower sense of danger.