Young scientist Lester Chaykin was fast at work on his latest experiment. He was moments away from an important discovery on his test of sub-atomic particles—when suddenly—a brilliant flash of lightning struck the laboratory. Lester was instantaneously teleported into another dimension. Lester is alone now, in a bizarre setting that offers no reminder of the security and familiarity of his own world.
It is your task to come to the aid of Lester and help him return safely home.
If you possess the necessary skills, undying persistence and a quick wit, your mission will be a successful one.
This game has two titles: Another World was the original one, Out of this World the American release title. Maybe the latter was chosen because of an eighties sitcon of the same name.
I have listed it as an adventure, unsure if this really is the best description. After all, it requires arcade skills, which is why I never got very far. I have seen it described as a platform game, too.
The version I played (or rather, tried to play) is the Windows 3.1 version. This Windows version did not really add anything new. If played in a window, you only have 16 colors—maybe it's different if you really play under Windows 3.1 with your desktop set to 256 colors. At least it's a way to have sound on a modern computer.
A Macintosh version was released on 1996-02-02 (or 1993?) by MacPlay, who have no information about it on their website any more. Incidentally, the port was done by Feargus Urquhart, who soon became known as producer of the Fallout games.
There is a Commodore 64/Amstrad CPC game from 1988 called Out of this World – A Psychedelic Experience, but the two games are not connected in any way.
Releases
- 1991: Amiga, Atari ST, DOS/VGA
- 1992: SNES, SEGA Genesis
- 1993: Macintosh
- 1994: Windows 3.1, 3DO
There is also an inofficial 8-bit Atari version. The title screen credits Chris Ryley for the graphics and David Parkins for sound, both are generally perceived pseudonyms, probably for Polish programmer(s).
Links and Reviews
- Home of the Underdogs is quite enthusiastic:
The game's style and technology are worth mentioning, before I get to the gameplay. Instead of bitmapped or digitized graphics that was all the rage in the early 1990s, designer Eric Chahi instead opted for primitive-looking polygonal graphics to represent the characters… and what an excellent move it was. Polygonal graphics allow for very smooth, realistic character animations that would be impossible to do with digitized graphics (and remember: this was before the age of 3D accelerators). Even die-hard fans of Prince of Persia will admit that Lester moves much more smoothly and realistically than their favorite Arabian prince.
- Ben Langberg, who played it on the Amiga, no less:
When I got the game, I had my friends over with the sound running through my stereo. The first time one of the aliens talked we all were hooked. I prefer the computer version to the consoles, as music was added to the console versions which I feel detracts from the mood of the game. The game is short and took about a week to beat, but I'll never forget that week.
