Another World or Out of this World in US or Outer World in Japan is one of those pioneer games that truly deserves credit for it's place in the gaming industry. Originally developed for the Amiga in 1991 by Eric Chahi with Delphine Software and eventually being ported into many, many different consoles including modern day consoles like the PS3, PS4 and so on. It's a game that got so much acclaim for it's time, attained many cult status among many critics and hardcore gamers alike and would get many influences from so many different game developers that would go on to create their own story driven games that are far different and put plenty of love and care into them unlike the story driven games we keep getting today. A few games of that style did keep on going with Delphine going to work on Flashback while Eric Chahi would go on to create Heart of Darkness which shared a lot of elements from this game.
So what is the fuss with this game about then? Well Another World is a cinematic platformer where the game uses what's called rotoscope for the way the character controls and focus entire on the storyline. The story is that you are a young scientist named Lester Knight Chaykin who was working on his latest experiment but then suddenly the experiment goes wrong and Lester finds himself on a alien hostile world where he is then captured and has to escape alive with an alien ally named of all things Buddy. What the game was well known for was the cutscenes which makes the game play out like a movie, sure the cutscenes look like a polygon mess by today's standards but back in 1991 it was truly fantastic stuff for it's time. It's this kind of evolution in gaming where the game tried to tell out a story with the technology available and you can't really knock the game down for that. You can even see stuff happening around you in the background such as seeing your buddy escape from the enemies in real time during gameplay as you are making your escape and it's just incredible stuff again even for it's time.
Now like I said before the game is a cinematic platformer using the rotoscope animation where movement is different compared to platformers like Mario or Sonic and it feels choppy. Stuff will happen on the screen and you have to figure out what to do on each screen in order to advance. You start out unarmed as you kick off small enemies that would try to attack you, followed then by a chase sequence where you must run for your life and afterwards you are then given a gun as you try to fight your way out of each situation that the game throws at you. Each of the sequences in the game have their own unique puzzle to them for you to figure out and each of them can be very challenging. You can use the gun to break down walls, you can open up or lock doors to trap an enemy as well as disarm different switches to access other areas. They aren't tricky once you figure them out but however actually doing the actions to complete them is the real challenge you'll have with this game.
You see Another World is challenging in the ways that are multiple ways that you can get killed. You can get clawed by a beast if it gets close to you, get shot, drown, get blown up or get executed and thankfully these deaths are very creative but rather graphic for a 12+ rated game. This is a game where you are supposed to react to what is happening by either shooting or activating something and your failure to hit the buttons quickly, mistime your actions or do something out of order will resort in a death. You do get checkpoints as you progress through the game which makes things easier but not any less frustrating. There is no HUD system of any kind and you die instantly in one hit and also if your buddy gets killed as well you have no choice but to restart at the last checkpoints as there is no other way to advance if he is dead.
Combat can be sometimes tricky, you get a gun which has 3 different modes, first is a regular shot, second is a temporally shield which can protect you from shots for a short time if you hold the button for a second and then lastly there is a fully charged blast which is good for destroying walls and also for taking down enemy shields. Enemies tend to put up shields to protect themselves and you have to act smartly during these sections to shoot them down. Like placing yourself at least pixels at the shield but with your character's hand sticking out enough to shoot them without getting yourself shot, or use your shield and wait for the right moment to shoot. This combat takes some getting used to but it's not really that bad once you learn the combat, you can't just mash the fire button and hope that it hits them cause that will cause you to get shot and die instantly. The combat awards patience and timing rather then hammer the button.
Even so when you figure out the puzzles or try to master the combat the game at times just becomes cheap and kills you in ways that's a little unfair. There is a segment where you are supposed to let some enemies blast the wall down so that you can quickly escape and if you are slow to put a shield and run for it you die, there were instances where I put up a shield ready for me to start running only then I'd still get shot anyway. I had one where I tried to trick an enemy into dropping an energy bomb only that I'd get shot or one instance where I try to put my shield up while the enemies are distracted only that one enemy would instantly react pretty much as soon as I hit the button. It's these kind of things that can cause to lose so cheaply and will no doubt cause to get angry and rage a bit due to some of the cheaply difficult sections.
The controls like I said can be choppy and there were maybe one or two parts where I died just because I couldn't turn fast enough but for the most part the consoles do work. However I did feel the layout of the controls on the PlayStation versions where never mapped all that well for a platformer. X shoots and X while holding left or right on the d-pad makes you run and lastly square or circle makes you jump. Sometimes when I need to run I end up firing when I don't need to and sometimes I don't get the run jump and instead fall to my death. I would have liked the controls better if shooting and running where separate from each other and I would also liked it if shooting was square and running was like on circle or triangle and jumping was X instead. I did use the PS4's accessibility feature to change the controls to how I like it as the game does not allow you to change the controls. Still when you finally get a grip of the controls and the combat sections you eventually get to the ending parts which are really cool and finally complete it which is very rewarding for your patience.
Sadly though the sequel Heart of the Alien which I assume follows on from what happened in the was not included in this Anniversary release and that's a shame cause it would allowed new generation of players to play that and see what happens afterwards. Well at least this Anniversary release has the options to play with remastered sound and graphics or play with the CD versions soundtrack. You can actually change the graphics of the game at any time with a press of the Triangle button. It's cool seeing how the game looks in 1991 and then seeing it modernised in some way.
Another World is one of those retro games that holds a nostalgic place in many gamers hearts, it showcased fantastic cutscenes to tell of it's story and it's graphics where a step up above other games that were out in the market at the time. It's also one of them retro games where it has a balance between frustration that has that kind of reward for having the patience to go through it. It hasn't aged at well compared to other platformers like Sonic or Mario in terms of gameplay but however the technology was what made this game earn it's reputation throughout the gaming industry. If you wish to re-experience this gem from your childhood or if it's your first time playing like me then you get the game on almost any platform. The PlayStation versions on PSN has a few quick trophies that you can unlock on a single playthrough if you know what you are doing. By playing it you'll learn how story driven games have evolved over time compared to the modern games today.
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Game Score: 7.0/10
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Game Title: Another World 20th Anniversary Edition
Platform: PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4/PlayStation Vita
Developer: Delphine Software
Genre: Platformer
Age Rating: PEGI: 12+
Release Date: 20th July 2014 (Europe)
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The Good Points:
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1. Impressive graphics and cutscenes for the time
2. Enjoyable puzzles and the ways you can die
3. Options for remastered or classic looks and soundtrack
The Bad Points:
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1. It's super difficult and very short
2. Controls can be frustrating at times
3. No Sequel Storyline
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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