Retro Bullet Point Ramblings: Another World (Out of This World)

Sometimes streaming thought brings up the most obsure memories.

That's what happened yesterday morning when I read the headline that Bethesda had a bullseye on Interplay's back with regards to shutting down the Fallout "Project V13" MMO endeavour. This lead my mind into a convoluted mix of thoughts that ended with "What the hell happened to Interplay? They used to publish some good stuff."

My brain rattled off a bunch of titles: MDK, Descent, Baldur's Gate, Rock 'N Roll Racing (a classic!) and of course the Fallout series, before it finally settled on one of my all-time favorites, Out of This World[US]/Another World, a game I worshipped on the SNES back in the early 90s and which I still hold very fond memories of to this day. 


Back in the "Golden Days" of the SNES, Interplay published a little-known game (at least stateside) called Out of This World, which was inspired by Dragon's Lair's cel-shaded art style while incoporating Karateka's side-scrolling gameplay with a massive helping of atmosphere (mostly in the form of gloom). The game was actually released on a bunch of platforms, with the latest being an XP-remake that was published two years ago. If you're interested in the history of this little gem, you can check out more from the author here.

I recently took the latest remake for a spin, and so without further ado, ramblings from our time with the OOTW enhanced remake. Note: It should go without saying, but in case it's not obvious, there's a good chance there will be spoilers.

• The whole game is about mood, it really is.  The dark and gloomy environment goes a long way in giving OOTW its identity. A lack of any real music/soundtrack (other than some key moments) helps to enhance the overall feeling of loneliness.
• Right from the get-go the enhancements in the remake are apparent, particularly in the environments. While the sky is the most obvious, there are subtle differences in the detail of the horizon's draw distance, and the nuances of the various textures. Jaggies have also been eliminated. The polygon textures used in the characters seem to have been left alone.
  
• "Mysaruba", or whatever the hell your buddy says after you bust out of the cage, has got to be one of the most memorable nonsensical words in any game. It's still used on occasion with my videogame freak friends at random moments as an inside joke.  I don't even know what the word is, how it's spelled, or what it means - but the timing of the expression and the randomness of it in a pretty silent game make it priceless.

• Oh hey, look at that, early on your laser gun can run out of ammo (battery?). I don't remember that part when I last played this 17 years ago... Actually, now that I think about it, I recall a super-charged gun powerup with infinite ammo... but I'm probably just making that up. Oh well, time to restore my game and preserve ammo!
• Alright, well after rolling around in the dark dodging deadly steam blasts and bone-shattering falls, I managed to make it to my first gun recharge station. I remember these now...
• The pseudo-3D effect in a wholly 2D environment is kind of neat and handled really well for something circa 1991, though traversing staircases can sometimes be a pain....
• ... which leads me to the controls. For much of the same reason I didn't care for the original Prince of Persia when it was released, the controls for OOTW can get a bit sketchy (thank the lord you don't have to climb in OOTW), which inevitably leads to more deaths than I care to count.  Yet for whatever reason (probably the storyline/environment), I can tolerate OOTW much much more than PoP.
• I'm starting to find it annoying that the game relies almost entirely on random exploration plus trial and error for its challenges. There are only so many times I can run into the next screen only to immediately have random boulders fall on my head... or walk off a cliff and impale myself on unpleasantly placed stalagmites (because as everyone knows stalactites hang from ceilings! ~X( ) before I want to smash my head into a wall.
• My least favorite part of the game by far is the cave level, where the goal is to execute a bunch of tasks so that you can drain water from a dam in order to progress with the story. The whole level just seems kind of forced, and is a bunch of wandering around trying to figure out where you have to go next (including having to backtrack in some cases, which is always cause for confusion!). This was unfortunate, since it's probably the biggest chunk of the game.
• There's nothing quite like shooting a shiny green Christmas tree ball off the ceiling and crushing your unsuspecting alien enemy below. Actually, I lied, releasing a wild hellhound beast so that it can turn on and maul its (and your) enemy alien captors is more fun.
• Gun fights are very few and far between in OOTW. They seem to be more of a vehicle to break up the monotony of running around than anything else - provide the gamer with a bit of an action rush in the midst of all the adventuring. I do enjoy the touches where the player is asked to think of clever ways to get past seemingly invincible enemies (bouncing bombs + closed doors = rebound death!).
• The last few levels end up flying by, as all Lester is required to do is run for his dear life past bullets and other deadly projectiles. However, the trial and error aspect of the game doesn't let up, as running the wrong way usually means an immediate death. Thank god the restores are almost instantaneous.
• All told I ran through OOTW in about 2-3 hours, but I had the fortune of already playing through a few times (granted, the last time was nearly 2 decades ago, so the memory was a bit fuzzy), so that definitely helped speed things along some.

The game's author, in this interview with Eurogamer in 2007, has stated that he's not interested in revisiting the Another World universe in a true sequel anytime soon, which is a damn shame.  While there was a "sequel", Heart of the Alien (1994), it had 2 whammies against it - it was released only for the Sega CD (brilliant idea, Interplay!) and had zero input from the original's author (another good idea).

So, if I may, I would like to take a moment to address Eric Chahi directly.

Dear Mr. Chahi, if this ever gets back to you, OOTW/Another World is obviously the most beloved of all of your creations. The love and detail that went into it is noticeable right from the start and stays with us throughout the journey. Unfortunately, that journey is way too short. Thankfully, the ending lends itself to a true sequel, and you yourself said you weren't happy with Heart of the Alien. Let's call a mulligan on HotA, forget it ever happened, so that you can go to town on creating the true sequel as you envision it. The gaming world is in desperate need of a "less is more" title (you need to look no further to the successes of Pixeljunk Eden and Braid), and OOTW/Another World encompassed that mentality brilliantly like very few before and after.

Signed,
-Your Adoring Fans

That felt a little bit like talking to God (knowing full well he'll never get the message), but I feel better anyways. 

During my retro trip down OOTW/Another World Memory Lane, I stumpled on a few goodies. Here are videos of a speed run for the entire game... that lasted slightly more than 17 minutes.

Part I:

Part II:

Also check out this flash video created by a fan inspired by the OOTW universe. It's pretty trippy and not too shabby for something that was made in 2001...

Lastly, to anyone that has yet to experience OOTW: you owe it to yourself to at least download the demo of the XP-remake. You shouldn't be disappointed, and who knows, maybe if enough people purchase the remake we'll be able to help fund the sequel... we can all dream.