It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
Another World: 20th Anniversary EditionAnother game that has not aged well.(26 posts)(26 posts)
(26 posts)
Pages:
1
2
This is my favourite topic
Posted July 26, 2010
I'm sure this was mind blowing back in the days of the Amiga and Commodore 64, as well as on the NES. To be sure, it looks excellent and it's so bloody fluid. Not only that, the game has an abundance of atmosphere, working with it's excellent-for-the-time graphics (made far better in this release) to immerse the player in the alien landscape. Props.
Unfortunately, the gameplay is really where it falls apart. Perhaps to a child with a NES this would be a great way to waste a weekend, and I'm sure many did indeed do just that. But after tasting modern gameplay, you really can't be satisfied with this, at least not for long. Perhaps I'm spoiled - I leave that up to you to judge.
If you've seen reviews (or had the misfortune of playing) Dragons Lair for the NES, you've pretty much got the core gameplay mechanic of this game down. Ooh and ahh at the excellent animation, die. Figure out how to reload. Die. Die. Die. Ohh, you have to HOLD the button to get away from the seaweed. Next screen! Huh. Little crawling worms. I wonder if they - *SNKT* ... okay, they nick you and kill you instantly. Okay, jump over jump jump jump - *SNKT* GAH! Jump jump jump jump jump... Repeat for a while... Check the controls... Figure out how to attack. Kick the leeches in the face for the aggravation you've suffered. Move on.
Face a beast. Get shredded. Reload. Get killed by the leeches. Make it to the beast. Get shredded. What to do? Okay, run BACK as fast as you can, get shredded. Try again, kill leeches, head up to beast, turn around and start RUNNING the moment he appears. Escape by the skin of your teeth, grab a vine, swing around behind him, hesitate for a moment as you wonder if it's safe, get shredded. Do it all over again, run back to the RIGHT after grabbing the vine...
This entire game is an exercise in trial and error, and that is it's greatest weakness. It's just FRUSTRATING. You need to die and die repeatedly to figure out what to do. While it may have been acceptable for a virgin gamer, it's simply frustrating for me. At least you get a weapon in the second part, but by then my will to play more or less evaporated.
If you don't mind trial and error gameplay, pick this one up. Otherwise, stay clear. It's not worth the price. It's a NES game with updated graphics, nothing more, and something that old really should be free - it's not good enough to charge for.
On the other hand, if you can look past that and look to the game's wonderful atmosphere, which really makes you feel as if you have gotten sucked into another world, this may be interesting for you.
Posted December 20, 2010
I thought most of what you just described from the start of the game were pretty intuitive reactions. Teleport in water - get out. Huge monster - avoid immediately.
Posted December 30, 2010
Personally, I think the game is more fun now than when I first tried it. Probably because my computer can actually keep up with it and I've got a sound card to hear the music.

The whole thing is pretty intuitive, even if the puzzles aren't always very easy. I know it took me a while to figure out how to deal with that first beast.

They did fix the biggest annoyance, and that is the way the save feature works.
Posted April 24, 2011
I disagree. I never played the game originally, and as such, the issues you mentioned should be more apparent to me, but I have enjoyed by time in this Other World so far.

Sure, you will die a lot, and oftentimes you are not given time to prepare, but that is realistic. It's nice to play a game that doesn't lead you by the hand.
Posted April 26, 2011
It's really not that hard, and makes me question your abilities. It's true, there are quite a few situations in the game where you really have to die at least once to find out what to do next, but most of these situations aren't until later on. It's about exploring, and figuring out how things work. One thing I always loved in the game were the well-spaced checkpoints, and lack of lives that old-school games tended to have.

Really in some ways this game is very modern, for instance the cutscenes, the scripted events, the partner who helps you out. Other games tell you how to play, with games like another world, discovering how is the fun of it. Not for everyone I guess, but there are modern games about discovery too. Anyway, I just played through the game, and even after all this time didn't find it very challenging. I've played flash games that are much worse.
Posted April 26, 2011
avatar
anjohl: I disagree. I never played the game originally, and as such, the issues you mentioned should be more apparent to me, but I have enjoyed by time in this Other World so far.

Sure, you will die a lot, and oftentimes you are not given time to prepare, but that is realistic. It's nice to play a game that doesn't lead you by the hand.
It kind of does, though. I mean, a lot of times you'll die to something you couldn't have known about, and now that you know you avoid it every subsequent playthrough. So what's the point of such a challenge if the only thing it's actually challenging is your lack of precognition? That's not difficult, it's just time consuming.

Which is, of course, the point. Another World is a very short game, and quite easy once you know what to do. The traps in the game don't exist to test your skill, they exist to add gameplay time without having to add content.

I understand why it was created this way, and I certainly don't regret buying it for the nostalgia, but I'm not really inclined to say that the game was difficult because it wanted to challenge people, or that the "die every few steps to make the game last longer" style of design is one worth revisiting.
Posted April 27, 2011
avatar
sethsez: I understand why it was created this way, and I certainly don't regret buying it for the nostalgia, but I'm not really inclined to say that the game was difficult because it wanted to challenge people, or that the "die every few steps to make the game last longer" style of design is one worth revisiting.
Another World reminds me of an adventure game, in that you get stuck (in this case, by dying a lot) until you figure out how to proceed, and then things are quite trivial. And yes, sometimes I died simply because I didn't know about something ahead of time, but often I died because I hadn't figured out exactly what to do yet... it was like a puzzle where you figure it out by trying things and failing a lot. I found this initial process to be pretty fun, actually. And, like an adventure game, once I'd figured out all the puzzles, everything was very easy and I could beat the entire game again in about twenty minutes.

You are right that it often seems a bit arbitrary and not necessary good game design, but I found these puzzles not only made the game feel a lot longer than it was, but also allowed the excellent atmosphere of the game world to shine through. When I spent a lot of time figuring out how to get through certain parts of the alien city, I got a much better sense of place than I would have if I had been able to blow through that section in a few minutes. Each screen became very important.

So I guess my point is that I don't think the design was solely for the purpose of making the game longer, although that was clearly one of the goals. It also allowed for some interesting puzzles and the creation of a very cool atmosphere by slowing the pace of the game.
Posted April 27, 2011
avatar
sethsez: It kind of does, though. I mean, a lot of times you'll die to something you couldn't have known about, and now that you know you avoid it every subsequent playthrough. So what's the point of such a challenge if the only thing it's actually challenging is your lack of precognition? That's not difficult, it's just time consuming.
I think it adds a sense of helplessness to the game, which is part of it's atmosphere and thus, it's appeal. That being said, I am glad that style of mechanic has largely been done away with as well.
Posted May 04, 2011
I don't think that Trial-and-Error gameplay is lost on modern game design. Just look at Limbo (fantastic game, by the way). I think Another World's issue is that the solutions are sometimes way too exacting (like some of the shield fights). I still think this is a flawed but fun game, and certainly worthy of a playthrough despite its shortcomings.
Posted May 05, 2011
avatar
Waltorious: Another World reminds me of an adventure game, in that you get stuck (in this case, by dying a lot) until you figure out how to proceed, and then things are quite trivial.
Except I can never get the hang of combat (when to shoot, when to shield, when to move forward in front of the shield, etc), so that part is still hard for me.
Posted May 05, 2011
avatar
kalirion: Except I can never get the hang of combat (when to shoot, when to shield, when to move forward in front of the shield, etc), so that part is still hard for me.
Yeah that can be tricky at first. I found that kneeling while shooting helps a lot, because then you don't accidentally move too far forward such that you're no longer protected by your shield.

Most fights can be solved by doing the following: Immediately make a shield. Then, run forward for just a split second, then kneel (kneeling will stop your forward motion). Now your gun is sticking out past your shield, but you're still protected behind it. You should have just about enough time to charge up a super-shot, break your enemy's shield, and kill him with a normal shot. Then immediately make a new shield, as your current one will be fading. Now just run forward a tiny bit again, kneel again, and repeat.

For some of the really hard fights, you will basically just do shield, super-shot, shield, super-shot... each time you set up a new shield, you're also getting a normal shot in which should hopefully kill your enemy.

You can practice these techniques on the level where you first find the gun. Kill a few guys, then die on purpose so you can try fighting them again. They're pretty easy relative to some of the later gunfights.
Posted August 23, 2011
avatar
ECisMe: I don't think that Trial-and-Error gameplay is lost on modern game design. Just look at Limbo (fantastic game, by the way). I think Another World's issue is that the solutions are sometimes way too exacting (like some of the shield fights). I still think this is a flawed but fun game, and certainly worthy of a playthrough despite its shortcomings.
Very true !
The link with Another World was precisely my thought during my whole playthrough of Limbo. It might not only be related to the trial-and-error mechanism, although it is for sure a very strong component of both these games ; I think the simple ambition of sustaining an interesting narration through a 2D platformer game without any other tool than a very basic gameplay can be regarded as a tremendous achievement, in the early nineties as well as today.
Posted March 11, 2012
i agree that the gameplay isnt strong in this game, it suffers from a trial and error aproch with many solutions difficult to spot for the actual player, and with long restart locations the game falls into frustration quickly. if the restart locations had been per screen then the game would of flowed much better. Today it doesnt have its cutting edge graphics and animations to impress and keep people playing since its outdated but still stylish looking its relying alot more on its gameplay and this is one classic game that does not stand the test of time because of it.
Post edited March 11, 2012 by deathshroud
Posted April 28, 2012
I would love to see Heart of Darkness and Flashback on GOG :)
Posted May 22, 2012
It was the whole trial-and-error thing, issues you could never have known about such as falling objects or having to stop just at the right point, that really kept me from enjoying the game when I was younger.

When I eventually beat it, it was on an emulator where I could actually save state between areas, but it was still rather annoying being killed by something you don't know is there or having to practically pussyfoot around then mad dash and knowing when to do both.
Pages:
1
2
This is my favourite topic
Community
Another World: 20th Anniversary EditionAnother game that has not aged well.(26 posts)(26 posts)
(26 posts)