Heart of the Alien: Out of this World Parts I and II

The Good
This Sega CD version of Out Of This World is surely the best one to have, as it is the only one that includes the sequel.

I'm not going to review the original game here. I bought the PC version when it came out in 1992 and absolutely loved it. I still do. In this review, I'll just talk about the sequel.

OK...Good things. Well, the game is certainly addictive and compelling, despite the often ludicrously high level of difficulty. You will die many, many times in this game, but somehow it manages to avoid being annoying - well, most of the time. In fact, at times, it's almost peaceful, probably due to the serene blue graphics and atmospheric soundtrack. The graphics and music are indeed, very good. The animation is variable - Usually very good, but sometimes noticeably below the standard set by the first game. On the whole, though, this is a fun follow-up to a classic game.

The Bad
The most off-putting thing about the game is certainly its high level of difficulty. There are many screens which require split-second timing, where you will probably die fifty times before you finally get to the next section. This is not helped by the sluggish controls, which often seem to take a while to respond. Just as Lester had a gun in the first game, so the alien protagonist has an energy whip in the second game. This whip can be used to lasso stalactites and thus swing across gaps (very cool) and it can also be used in exactly the same way as the gun from the first game. There is nothing wrong with this idea, as the gun was an inspired creation, but the problem is the controls; When 'firing' the whip, they are very over-sensitive, meaning it is way too easy to make a force barrier when you are actually trying to fire off shots. As I got further through the game, I did get better at using the whip, but it never became easy.

The game's levels are a mixed bag - Some are interesting and fun, while others border on the tedious. Overall, the feel is rather scrappy and patched together, especially when compared to the first game which offered something completely new on each level, and had a strong feeling of continuity. This is more like a patchwork of puzzle rooms, alternating the basic patterns of deadly bursts of gas, electric beams, guards to shoot and chasms to leap across. There are few (if any) real set-pieces, whereas the first game was inspired set-piece after set-piece. The gameplay does satisfy at times with little puzzles to solve, but too often it comes down to learning split-second timings and remembering where the traps are. The first game also had a lot of that, but nowhere near the level seen in the sequel.

I know I said the graphics were good, and that's generally true. There are some very nice caves and industrial complexes to walk around, but where this game falls down is in its cinematic sequences. The cut-scenes in the first game were always done in a way that was both stylish and clear, whereas the cut-scenes in the sequel tend to look somewhat messy and convoluted.

Then there's the ending. I won't spoil anything for you, but, well...it sucks.

The Bottom Line
Out Of This World was an amazing game that had an incredible amount of purity and clarity, both in its unique visuals and in its simple, but flexible controls. Its gameplay balanced action with puzzle solving and Eric Chahi managed to create a truly wondrous new gameworld, full of intrigue and emotion.

The sequel, while it is definitely worth playing through (unless you'd prefer not to see the ending) does not have the same purity. It has some messy visuals at times, difficult controls and many players will be put off by its totally unforgiving nature. However, it is a solid and enjoyable game, that I found compelling to the end. If you liked Out Of This World and have huge amounts of patience (definitely a requirement), then I think you'll like this one, too.

Right. Now I'm off to play Heart Of Darkness...