Another World originally released by Delphine Software in 1991 gets a new lease of life with the release of the 20th anniversary edition via Digital Lounge on Xbox One. But has this classic stood the test of time?
I cannot even begin to describe my feelings the minute I loaded up Another World and started watching the introduction sequence. The Ferrari 228 GTO pulling up outside the laboratory, the lift descent, the lightning strike and then the inevitable accident. I was so entranced that I died as soon as the sequence finished because I was too busy reminiscing, damn those bloody tentacles.
You are a Lester Knight Chaykin, a genius physicist. While working on your latest particle accelerator experiment late one night a lightning strike hits your laboratory and causes your experiment to overload and explode. This creates a tear in space and time teleporting you to an alien planet.
You start the game with no weapons at all. The only abilities you have are jump and kick. As we all know kicking will only get you so far in life. Once you pass the first section you will meet you alien ally known only as Buddy. Do not let Buddy die under any circumstances. His assistance is needed to complete some of the puzzles later on and if he dies you will have to commit suicide and start from your last checkpoint.
Further on in the game you acquire a gun which has three different modes to switch between. If you press A quickly you fire a single laser shot, hold the button foa few seconds and you will produce an energy shield but hold it a few seconds longer and you will let rip with a charged energy shot.
Another World mixes old school platforming, mind boggling puzzles and shooting. This game is HARD. You are in one shot kills territory here and the puzzles will also test your staying power. Some obscure methods of solving them will leave you baffled. But when you do solve them the sense of achievement is fantastic. The majority of sections where you need to jump over enemies requires pin point accuracy. There is no quarter given here. A generous checkpoint system helps to ease the frustration though. But be prepared to play some sections over and over. If you’re new to the game it may well be a case of rinse and repeat.
Like I said earlier on this game can be punishingly hard so it’s not for everyone. Sometimes the shooting sections can feel impossible and some of the puzzles can be pot luck. The controls are mapped awkwardly as well. A is used to shoot and run which is fine. But the decision to map the action button to B is bizarre to say the least. You will need to hold A to run at speed and press B to jump across big gaps. This is such an awkward button configuration and does not feel natural at all. You are supposed to be able to use X button instead of B but it just doesn’t work. The analogue control is also very awkward so I just stuck with the D Pad. The game is also very short if you know what you are doing. I completed my second run through in about forty minutes.
Those problems aside I bloody loved replaying Another World. I fell in love with this game the first time I played it on my Amiga 1200 and the aesthetics of the game still enthral me. I have no hesitation in recommending this game to anyone who has never played it before and to those who remember it on the Amiga like myself. Am I being a little biased based on my past experience with the original? Maybe. But a game that makes me feel like a teenager again is a good thing in my books.
Another World is available now on Xbox One through Microsoft's ID@Xbox label. Huge thanks to Xbox for the game.