25 Gaming Experiences You Must Have Before You Die - Part VII: Another World

Another World (Amiga, 1991)

 

 Why You Should Play It
Thanks in part to a recent flame war between Roger Ebert and the entire gaming community, there’s been a lot of talk and reassessment in regards to games being considered art lately.To my surprise, there is a lot of dissent even amongst the gaming elite, with folks on the gaming side of the argument not wanting to seem like they’re desperately trying to validate their time-wasting hobby. I find this a bit disappointing, as while I’m not ready to incite the wrath of the dissenters by saying “Games are art, period!”, I nonetheless feel that this is a missed opportunity. We’re alive in a time where a form of entertainment is being analyzed for its value as something that profoundly affects us on an emotional and cognitive level. Regardless of whether or not art theory will ever be applied to games on a wide scale, we could very well be on the cusp of a new art form, and the last time this happened was almost a hundred years ago when films like Birth of a Nation began making similarly cynical spectators reassesses their view of motion pictures as nothing more than pulp entertainment.

 

 

 

I believe what separates the dissenters from the adherents is largely based in motivation. We all play games for different reasons, and while almost all of us began with the goal of innocent fun, it didn’t take long for video games to reach for something a bit more cerebral. Art, in terms of its effect on culture, has served two main purposes throughout history: a mode of escapism while simultaneously commenting on the world of the onlooker with varying levels of subtlety. In every true work of art, there is a submission to the world the art takes place in wherein the art says something to us, and regardless of whether or not we agree, there is usually a change, be it profound or utterly inconsequential. The first time I ever had that experience playing a video game was in 1993 when I played an SNES game called Out of this World.

 

Unbeknownst to me then, Out of this World was a port of an Amiga game programmed by Eric Chahi called Another World. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen up to that point (I hadn’t yet played Prince of Persia). There was nothing particularly fun about it. It felt stiff and clunky, I couldn’t jump 20 feet in the air, I didn’t know what the hell to do most the time and I kept dying every 30 seconds. For an 8 year old fresh off Super Mario World, this was unacceptable. I sold the game at a pawn shop or something, but nevertheless, I never quite forgot it. There was some eldritch quality to it that all at once enticed me and made me feel uneasy. I just wasn’t ready for it.

Some years later and largely thanks to my budding relationship with the world of emulation, I found myself futzing around with SNES games from my childhood, and one of the first games I revisited was Out of this World. This time, I couldn’t put it down. Since then, it’s become one of my favorite games, and in this humble writer’s opinion, a paragon in the argument for games as art.

 

Another World chronicles the brief but incredible adventures of a young, entrepreneurial physicist named Lester Knight Chaykin.  The game opens with a cutscene (one of the most incredible of its time) where he drives to a remote, restricted-access lab, and during an experiment with a particle accelerator, a bolt of lightning strikes the lab, causing some kind of malfunction that ultimately transports Lester to another dimension. Deposited in the middle of a pool, Lester crawls from the water and into a desolate alien landscape where all manner of creatures and an entire alien race (with one important exception) seek to kill him. Just a few steps into his adventure, Lester is chased by a giant -black beast into the grip of a pair of alien hunters who capture him and take him to an underground prison. There, Lester shares a cell with one of the aliens, and together, they make an escape that will take them through the vast chasms and towering citadels of the alien civilization. Their survival depends on their relationship – a relationship of silent understandings and unspoken words.

 

There is nothing particularly noteworthy in regards to Another World as a “game”. As mentioned above, it’s stiff and clunky, an inheritance from its papa, as it uses Prince of Persia as a template for its gameplay. Lester can’t do anything extraordinary. He has no powers, he can only leap a few feet forward and any encounter with a creature, alien or environmental hazard will kill him instantly. He does have two very powerful assets, however. First, a rechargeable laser pistol that, when charged, can create virtually impenetrable force fields and, inversely, powerful energy blasts that can destroy nearly any obstacle. Second and most importantly is Lester’s buddy (who is never named, but many fans refer to him affectionately as “Buddy”), who is incredibly strong, agile, and is intimately familiar with the layout of the alien fortress that Lester must escape from. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Lester will rely entirely on his buddy, as there are just as many instances where you must help him out.

 

I really can’t stress enough how important this relationship is not only to the game as a functioning piece of interactive software, but as a theoretical work of art. There are times in this game where the utterly oppressive atmosphere beats you into submission, where the darkness surrounds you and all seems lost. And in those darkest moments, salvation suddenly shines through in the form of a tall, imposing creature that is all at once alien and familiar. And Chahi, in his genius, anticipated the gamer’s feelings and knew how to manipulate them, playing tricks on us and showing us things that would tug at our heartstrings. There comes a point in Another World where jumping over a spike pit or getting into a firefight with a bunch of prison guards is a moot point. What matters is what’s going to happen. Is Lester going to escape? If he does, will he be able to get back to his own world? What will happen to his friend? Some might argue that this drowning out of the “game” part of the game in order to tell a story goes against its charge as a game, but the prevailing thought in my mind is, “Does that even matter?” And even if that is the case, it’s admirable that Another World doesn’t resort to something as simple as text boxes and long expository cutscenes to express itself. The story it tells is just as engaging without any words to tell it, and only briefly is the control of the story ever wrenched from the hands of the player. It’s total integration of video game and narrative, not one being interrupted by the other, and if that’s not art, I don’t know what is.

 

Potential Barriers

Action adventure games aren't very popular. Contemporary games of their ilk have evolved into entirely different sub-genres and reap the benefits of years of genre amalgamation. In this day and age, it's hard to imagine a gaming experience that involves you dying every few steps, and dying repeatedly in the same place until you figure out the proper course of action. Time and patience are a must here. Give Another World an opportunity to suck in with its haunting, ethereal atmosphere and its engaging, wordless story, and you'll find yourself tolerating the elements of it that feel like echoes of a bygone era.

Current Availability
Another World was initially released on the Amiga computer system and the Atari ST in 1991. These aren't particularly popular or accessible platforms for most gamers. Fortunately, the game would be available on more mainstream platforms a year later. The game was ported to the more mainstream operating systems with a DOS and Mac version. A second build of the game was made for consoles. This build is much longer and contains a whole new area along with its own soundtrack. It was released on SNES and Genesis in the US as “Out of This World”, and naturally, the SNES version is much better. Shortly after the SNES and Genesis releases, the game received a graphical overhaul and a new soundtrack and was released on Panasonic's ill-fated 3DO. This version means well, but the hand-drawn artwork replacing the old digital backgrounds takes away from the distinct character of the game.

 

From left to right: Another World (3DO), Heart of the Alien (Sega CD), Another World: 15th Anniversary Edition (Windows)

In 1994, Interplay released a “sequel” against Chahi's wishes called “Heart of the Alien” for Sega CD, where the player takes the role of the alien buddy rather than Lester. This game is considered a horrible misstep and a mar on the otherwise celebrated legacy of Another World. However, the Sega CD sequel comes packaged with what is probably the best console version of Another World, a remastered version of the SNES/Genesis build with yet another new soundtrack. Finally, to celebrate the game's 15th and 20th anniversaries, the game was remastered and rereleased for Windows and iOS, respectively. Chahi considers the former of these to be the definitive version of Another World. Obviously, the most readily available version (legally) at the moment is the one for phones and portable devices that run iOS. However, a great deal of Another World's impact rests with how much it pulls you into its world and atmosphere, and much of this will be lost playing it in such a reduced form. My recommendation is that you attempt to track down the SNES, Sega CD, or Windows Anniversary edition of the game.

 

 If You Really Dig It

As dead as the genre is today, games like these enjoyed a wonderful renaissance in the early and mid-90s, and there is no shortage of great titles that share their genetics with Another World. The most obvious of these is the Prince of Persia series, but those a bit too obvious for me to plug here. Allow me to suggest some games you may not be as familiar with.

Flashback (Various, 1992)

Flashback isn't just in the same genre as Another World, it's built on the same framework by a lot of the same people at Delphine software who worked on the various ports of Another World. Flashback is considered Another World's sister game, and as every bit a spiritual successor as it is a contemporary. It came out on just about every piece of hardware that existed in the 90s, with the Jaguar and Sega CD versions often being cited as the best, particularly for the remixed soundtrack and voice acting in the latter.

Blackthorne (SNES/32X - 1994)

Before Blizzard ruled the world with Diablo and Warcraft, they made neat little games like Lost Vikings, Rock 'n' Roll Racing, and this, undoubtedly the greatest work of their early library--Blackthorne. Blackthorne is like a greatest hits album for everything a pre-teen boy wanted to be in the mid-90s. A long-haired, muscle-bound royal badass clad in denim claims bloody vengeance on a bunch of aliens with a shotgun. While aesthetically and thematically, it is the antithesis of Another World, the blood of Chahi's masterpiece still runs in Blackthorne's veins. It was originally released for the SNES and PC, and later, a punched-up version was released for Sega's 32X. The SNES and 32X versions are the best of the lot. Both have their drawbacks and advantages, and both are worth an individual playthrough. Blackthorne was also released on GBA, but the handheld's hardware limitations have ruined the game's atmosphere.

 

Oddworld Series

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (PSOne, 1997)

Oddworld: Abe's Exodus (PSOne, 1998)

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee (XBox, 2001)

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (XBox, 2005)

While the first two Oddworld games are the only ones that echo Another World in any capacity (particularly in terms of atmosphere), the whole series is more than worthwhile in its own right. The PSOne games are both masterpieces, and are readily available via the Playstation Store for a mere pittance of $6 a pop. Munch's Oddysee is definitely the weakest link in the series and serves as its awkward first foray into 3D. Fortunately, Munch's Oddysee leads us to Stranger's Wrath, which is one of the best games on the original XBox and one of the more brilliantly realized games of the last generation as a whole. An HD remake of Stranger's Wrath was recently released for Playstation Network, allowing you to experience the three better games in the franchise all on one piece of hardware.

Heart of Darkness (PC/PSOne, 1998)

Eric Chahi began developing his next game immediately after finishing Another World and handing it off to a bevy of publishers. It wasn't until seven long years later that Heart of Darkness finally saw the light of day, and while it was a commercial failure, it's far and away one of the greatest games of the late-90s. While still built on Another World's foundation, Heart of Darkness is much more whimsical and wonderful. The game was released on Windows and Playstation, and surprisingly, the Playstation version comes out on top along with being more easily accessible.

The Longest Journey (PC, 1999)

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC/XBox, 2006)

Now, this is a bit of a stretch, but bear with me. The Longest Journey is very different from Another World at its core. It's a classical adventure game of the point & click variety. But in terms of atmosphere and attention to detail, it provides a similarly absorbing and otherworldly experience as Another World. Its sequel, Dreamfall, is a bit more like Another World in that it's an action/adventure game. Both games are incredible and stand as one of the greatest works of video game storytelling on any platform.