Alternates

Alternates is a squad-focused first-person shooter operating on Polygon and Telos, distinguished by one unconventional design choice unrelated to either chain: authentication uses a Google account and payment occurs through ordinary credit or debit cards. This eliminates the typical friction of blockchain onboarding, placing it among the small subset of blockchain shooters requiring no prior crypto familiarity to start playing.

The core gameplay deliberately mirrors conventional design. Search and Destroy drives the experience — round-based offense and defense, no respawning on botched decisions — making success hinge on squad timing, map awareness and coordination more than on-chain mechanics. Factions supply lore and group identity, with NFTs managing characters and cosmetic enhancements alongside an asset trading system.

That sameness creates a vulnerability. A polished tactical shooter directly contends with free, enormous, heavily invested rivals, and reward systems based on competitive success concentrate value among consistent winners. Round-based matchmaking stress increases sharply when the player base is thin, meaning population becomes more critical than token incentives here.

Worth exploring if you want a conventional shooter with asset ownership built in quietly; much less so if your interest lies in experimental economic mechanics.