Developed by Eric Chahi
Published by The Digital Lounge
Released for Xbox One (6/2014)
Also on 3DS/Android/iOS/Linux/Mac/Ouya/PC/PS3/PS4/Vita/WiiU
Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition was released for a multitude of platforms back in 2013 and 2014. The game was originally developed by a single creator, Eric Chahi, and first released for the Amiga and Atari ST back in 1991. As a kid I remember hearing tons of critical praise about the game and had the opportunity to try it out when it released for the Super Nintendo in '92 (known as Out of This World in North America). The game was also ported to the 3DO, Apple II, Commodore 64, Genesis, Macintosh, PC and mobile devices. It was even ported over to the Atari Jaguar in 2012 (as an unofficial release, of course)! The game featured cutting edge graphics and animation for the time, but one has to bear in mind it was made by one person and also how old this game is when you play it.
The graphics in Another World are made up of vector shapes and are extremely basic by today's standards, but in 1991 this was some mind-blowing stuff. The characters are all well-animated and the environments are very mysterious. The game is a cinematic platformer, so don't expect your standard ultra-responsive controls you typically get in 2D side-scrollers. There's a bit of delay between pressing the button and your character performing the action, but it's something you'll get used to if you stick with the game. The game relies heavily on trial & error and you'll constantly find yourself dying and repeating sections of the game until you figure it out. Luckily when you die there's a quick game over screen and it puts you right back in the action.
The story involves your character being transported to another planet, where you are quickly captured and put into a cage. After escaping from your cage with your cellmate, your goal is to make it out alive by any means necessary. Nothing is over-explained which gives the game a nice sense of mystery but also leads to some rather cryptic puzzles. The gameplay design is a bit clunky in several areas, such as everything being on a single screen (no scrolling) making some screen transitions jarring. The game is also quite short, and can be easily completed in under an hour or two if you know what you're doing (or use a guide). There's a nice feature where you can switch between the updated and original graphics on the fly. Another World is definitely still interesting from a historical and technical standpoint. While the actual gameplay doesn't hold up the best, I still enjoyed the time I spent with the title. The price tag is very reasonable and there is still some fun to be had. The cinematic presentation is still pretty cool even as dated as it is.
Final Verdict: Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition is an interesting and historically significant game that's worth a look if you're interested in the roots of the cinematic platformer genre.
Related Links:
Buy Another World - Microsoft Store
Another World - GameFAQs
Another World - Official Site
The Digital Lounge - Official Site
History Lessons: Another World - Waltorius Writes About Games
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