Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition

I know this updated version has been out for a while now, but I wanted to write a review since I recently purchased and played it so I can gush a little about how great this game is. I originally owned the Sega CD version (Heart of the Alien) and that version was pretty nicely polished compared to the Sega Genesis, SNES and PC DOS versions (I think there's Amiga and 3DO versions too. It's been ported everywhere.). But this new version looks much better than any of the previous ones. The backgrounds are crisp and much prettier than before. Everything is much easier to see now. The only thing I feel is missing is the Sega CD's background music, which you can download as extras here on GOG, but it should be in the game itself too. Anyway, this game easily rates 5 stars. It's become pretty easy for me to play as I've had a lot of experience playing it, but for any newcomers this one's gonna force you to stop and think before you go charging into the next room.

I played the Linux port from GoG which did not support my gamepad for some reason (XBox pad only for a retro game?) but it worked well via QJoypad. This was the first time I played this game so there is no nostalgia involved. Although I often stumble upon very old games that were new to me but great nonetheless, this was not one of such games. The gameplay is very flawed and consists of "leap of faiths" most of the time. If you are just walking you die, then you repeat the whole area again, do something different, go a few steps more and die... rinse and repeat until you know exactly what you have to do every second in the game in order to not have to play the area again. This whole game forces you to either use a walkthrough or create your own walkthrough by dying over and over again. I had no real fun and was glad that is was so short. I prefer Prince of Persia 1 and Blackthorne by far.

This game was certainly revolutionary; and still is a unique game. The game play and rotoscoped animations were really unheard of when it came out. However, this is also an old school platformer designed around advancement through trial and error, often without much feedback. You will die a lot. You will replay areas a lot. This is not necessarily a criticism as many old school arcade games were like this (fond memories of Gouls n Ghosts here). So, if trial and error with lots of replay is your thing, then this game is one you should definitely play. If you want a similar game play experience without the so much of the frustration that comes with trial and error replay, then check out Flashback. It came out a year later and is a much more accessible platformer.

This game should be #1 all-time gaming title! I enjoyed this game on Amiga, later on first Pentium and now with modern hardware as well. I remember how thrilled I was as a kid seeing the intro for the first time, and again later on PC when I heard final theme. Graphic design resists the time, simple but nice story, effective gameplay. You can finish the game in couple of hours, there is no bloat, no nonsense, just a gaming marvel that went pretty far ahead of it's time.

Just play it. It's one of those games that comes once in a lifetime I think. Superb gameplay and animation. Interesting and varied puzzles. A beautiful told story. I prefer the original on Sege Genesis since that's how I played it. The new version seems a bit too polished and slick.