Out of This World
- 3DO Maniac Pack (1995)
-
Classic Collection: Adventure
(1994) -
Interplay's 10 Year Anthology: Classic Collection
(1993)
-
Out of this World
(1987 on
Commodore 64,
ZX Spectrum,
Amstrad CPC)
-
Out of This World
(1987 on
Enterprise)
Description official descriptions
A young physics professor named Lester conducts a particle experiment. Suddenly, something goes wrong, lightning strikes, and in a moment Lester finds himself in a strange alien world. Now he must fight for his life, first with his bare hands, then with a gun he finds. But what gives him courage is that he is not alone. One of the aliens who escapes from the prison together with him helps him on his dangerous quest. Friendship can overcome all obstacles.
Out of This World combines shooting, platforming, and puzzle-solving elements. The game is divided into stages; some of them are straightforward and can only be accessed one time, while others are connected to each other, constituting a larger environment. Exploration and problem-solving are emphasized. Many levels include challenges not seen in the previous ones. Tasks may involve environmental puzzles, timed sequences, precise jumping, and combat.
Typically, enemies are defeated by using an energy gun found in an early stage. The gun's regular function is shooting energy projectiles. By pressing down and holding the fire button the player can activate an energy shield that protects Lester from regular attacks, allowing him to fire from relative safety until it evaporates. Finally, by holding the fire button even longer the gun creates powerful blasts which can disrupt shields. Most enemies are equipped with similar guns and are able to perform the same actions as Lester. Fighting enemies, therefore, requires tactical usage of regular attacks, shields, and bombs, as well as learning enemy patterns.
Each level can be accessed by typing a code the player learns after having completed the level. If Lester dies, the level must be restarted. There is no on-screen interface and no in-game dialogue in the game. Vector graphics are used for creating the game's environments and animated cutscenes.
Spellings
- Another World: Коллекционное переиздание - Russian spelling
- עולם אחר - Hebrew spelling
- アウターワールド - Japanese spelling
- 另一個世界 - Chinese spelling (traditional)
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (DOS version)
12 People (4 developers, 8 thanks)
| Design | |
| Original Programming | |
| DOS Conversion | |
| Graphics / Artwork | |
| Music | |
| Sound Effects | |
| Thanks To | |
| Manual |
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| Illustrations |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 83% (based on 75 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 590 ratings with 25 reviews)
Definetely a groundbreaking game
The Good
Well, first of all the game is full of incredible animated cutscenes. They help develop the original storyline just like a movie. You play the game in cooperation with a native you encountered, so this is a really unique twist in the genre.
The controls are easy to grasp, and easy to use. You use only the cursor keys and spacebar. Finally the ambient sound effects you hear during the game are very atmospheric. It's even possible to use the PC speaker to play the digital soundtrack!
The Bad
Although there are level codes, some levels are really large and hard. Thus if you die in one of those levels, it may get really disappointing to repeat all the actions required again and again.
The Bottom Line
Just an incredible game in the history of computer gaming, which makes you feel as if you are really in an alien world.
DOS · by IJan (1971) · 1999
A classic in every sense of the word
The Good
OOTW is a truly groundbreaking game. The unique (for its day) graphics engine and a well thought out plotline combine to make one of the best adventures out there.
The graphics system drew everything, as opposed to using sprites. The result looked somewhat basic in terms of the detailing, but at the same time it didn't look like anything you'd seen before. The developer also took the time to make sure they put in lots of little details, in one instance you're in a room full of electric charge, and your hair stands on end. There are also a small number of "cutscenes" included, all drawn with the basic engine.
The game itself is basically a platform game, similar in many ways to Prince of Persia. However there are so many little details they added that make it work so well. For instance when you get captured at one point, you awake in a cage and below you is a guard. He's just arriving on shift it seems, because you can watch him take off his "jacket" before starting to walk about.
Timing is an important aspect of this game, and not in the traditional sense where you have to do things really fast. In OOTW you'll find that things happen on screens that you're not currently on - for instance in one case you need to protect your buddy while he opens a door (which takes a bit of time), and if you simply run off the screen while that's happening, he'll get zapped. So you walk over to another screen and hunker down while he works offscreen. In most games the entire world is on the screen you're on, not so in OOTW.
And somewhat surprisingly, considering the nature of the game, the story draws you in. This has always been the dividing line between good and bad games for me, Marathon might not have looked as good as Quake, but it was a lot more fun because of the story. Well OOTW delivers, even in what is a very small game, no mean feat.
The Bad
The only real problem I have is that the game is really really hard. This wouldn't be a bad thing on it's own but the game has no save feature. Instead each of the "areas" have to be played to completion, at which point you'll get a password to return to the new level you reached.
I found myself repeatedly trying a single level over and over trying to get past some specific problem, and half the time dying on some other problem I'd already solved. It could be very frustrating at points.
The Bottom Line
With a good walkthrough you can finish this in a day, and the Windows version (otherwise identical to the DOS and Mac versions) works great on everything, so go try it out.
DOS · by Maury Markowitz (266) · 2001
I don't understand how such simple games can be so impressive and addictive!
The Good
Oh my, you won't believe it until you experience it... a game of awful 16 color polygon graphics (and not even 3d!), without platforms without big mean guys, without inventory, and weapon variety, can impress you so much!!
The game is consisted by rich original puzzles which are solved not by commands or items but by your gun or combined moves!
The game 'narrative' is so brilliant that makes you believe you are exploring a whole new planet... the way of presentation, scenery etc is very atmospheric (notice the birds that fly in the scenery, or the buildings at the distance) and will make you believe that this otherwise simple game has a real depth..
I can't say why, but while playing you have the feeling that this Another World is a whole virtual world and you will be able to explore it.. but you won't because of the storyline limits!!
nothing more i can say.. the game is brilliantly designed!!
The Bad
look above!! the game managed to make pros out of its own cons!!
The Bottom Line
brilliant!
DOS · by Boston Low (85) · 2004
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| DOS Manual | Freeman (65034) | Sep 19, 2016 |
| No evidence on Win3x | eXo (346) | Apr 7, 2015 |
| 15/20th anniversary | Cavalary (11445) | Dec 30, 2013 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Another World appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
3DO version
The 3DO version of Out of This World is quite different from the other versions in terms of graphics and sound. The polygon backgrounds have been replaced by hand-drawn versions, the quality of which varies from stunning to amateurish. Music is played quite consistently throughout the game. It somewhat resembles a film score, and is similar to the music in the Sega CD sequel Heart of the Alien. The sound effects seem to be the same, however. Oddly enough, after the game is completed and the credits roll, the intro sequence from Heart of the Alien is played, with the same hand-drawn art style as the rest of the game. The gameplay has not changed at all. There is also a hidden mini-game by entering the password BRGR.
Advertisement
Due to its visuals, the game featured in a UK TV advert for the Amiga. The advert also featured a UK hit song called Sunshine on a Rainy Day by Zoe.
Apple IIgs release
Out of this World was one of the last commercially released games for the Apple IIgs. The port was written by Bill Heineman, who also was responsible for the SNES version (both the IIgs and the SNES share the same main processor). If the screen size was reduced, the game ran extremely smoothly on a stock unaccelerated IIgs.
Cutscenes
Out of this World was the first game to have cinematic cutscenes seen in many games today.
Development
When he needed a model for the rotoscoping in this game, Eric Chahi got his brother to run around in the back garden of their house!
DOS version
Released first on the Amiga and Atari ST, many players complained that Out Of This World was too easy. Because of this, the PC version includes two extra levels and has slightly increased difficulty in other parts of the game.
Dreamcast release
In Dec 2005 Out of this World was ported to the Dreamcast,with permission from Eric Chahi. Eric Chahi also allowed the Dreamcast port to include the datafiles. You can download the port here.
Ending
Some original storyboards, drawn up during the game's initial development, reveal an unmade ending in which Lester Chaykin survives and becomes a leader of the alien world. The storyboards can be viewed on the game's official site (http://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk)
(Click on Another World from the side menu, then select Illustration from the top.There is a sketch with minimal detail at the bottom of the page that could represent the unmade cutscene.It seems to be Lester sitting at a throne, wearing a robe(?) and holding a sword.)
Flashback
Flashback is technically a sequel to Out Of This World. But since the storyline is completely different, it is not proper to call it a sequel.
Game Boy Advance release
In 2005, a free Game Boy Advance port of Out of this World was released by FoxySofts in the form of a downloadable rom, with the blessing of the game's original creator Eric Chahi. The port is a near flawless recreation of the original. It can be downloaded from: http://www.foxysofts.com/index.php?l=content/gba/anworld.inc
Graphics
It is important to note that Out Of This World is a technical achievement. All graphics in the game are filled vector images (2D polygons). This has been used before to save disk space with early adventure games (like King's Quest), but never before in an action game. Also, all music and sound effects are mixed in realtime to provide multichannel music and sound on modest sound hardware. All this on a 286!
ICO
In an issue of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, Japanese game designer Fumito Ueda cited this as an influence for ICO.
Intro erorrs
During the intro, watch Lester's hand as he's using the keypad. It moves forward too much, thus revealing...there is no arm attached to it! Also, at the very beginning of the intro, Lester goes up an elevator. Later on, a lightning hits a metal surface on the ground floor, but Lester is sitting right behind it. How is that possible?
Jaguar version
The Jaguar port contains an optional enhanced graphics mode (referred to as 15th anniversary mode), but everything else is identical to the original version, unlike the changes for the 15th anniversary version of the game,
References to the game
This game has a reference in Eiffel 65's song, My Console.
Release history
Out of This World was rereleased in 1995 on CD with a Windows binary in addition to the original DOS binary.
SNES version
The SNES version features a theme song -- the first time you hear it is in the very beginning of the game, when the black beast starts chasing you. There was also some tinkering with the background images of the last level (involving naked women viewed from the back) and all blood was removed.
Windows release
On April 14th, 2006 Out of this World has been re-released by it's developer Eric Chahi (who got back the rights to the game) in a completely remastered edition for Windows XP which supports resolutions of up to 1280x800. You can purchase it online and read about the making of the game (both the original version and the remake) at www.anotherworld.fr
Awards
- Amiga Joker
- Issue 02/1993 – #2 Best Genre Mix of 1992 (Readers' Vote)
- FLUX
- Issue #4 - #73 in the "Top 100 Video Games of All-Time" list
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- February 1993 (issue #43) - Game of the Month (Genesis version)
- 1993 Buyer's Guide - Most Innovative Game of the Year
- ST Format
- January 1993 (issue #42) - #32 in '50 finest Atari ST games of all time' list
Information also contributed by Big John WV, Brian Hirt, Caim Douglas, Darksaviour69, Gil Megidish, leon101, hydra9, Jiguryo, Mark Ennis, Martin Smith, Matt Dabrowski, Zack Green and Zovni
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by IJan.
Zodiac added by Trypticon. Genesis added by POMAH. Jaguar added by Sciere. Windows, Atari ST, Symbian added by Kabushi. Windows 3.x added by Freeman. Macintosh added by Игги Друге. SNES added by Unicorn Lynx. Amiga added by MAT. 3DO added by quizzley7. Apple IIgs added by Garcia.
Additional contributors: Trixter, POMAH, tarmo888, Alaka, Игги Друге, Crawly, Klaster_1, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Jo ST, FatherJack, RufUsul, Kayburt, Vincent Kinian.
Game added December 12, 1999. Last modified February 16, 2024.