Another World 20th Anniversary Edition (PC) Review
We liked?
- Wonderful artistic style
- Great depth of world
- One of the true classics and a foreunner to so many modern classics
Not so much?
- Puzzles are a little obtuse at times
- Confusing at times where to go
- Hard.. really hard at times
- Very short when you know what you're doing
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition is nostalgia done right and offers up one of the classics of video gaming history that sometimes gets forgotten about amongst a slew of plumbers, blue hedgehogs, gibs and other more obvious icons
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition comes at a strange time. A time when indie development has come full circle. When Eric Chahi set out to make Another World, hot off of the success of Future Wars, what we call Indie now was pretty much mainstream.
Chahi, along with two others, created the entirety of Another World it it quite frankly blew the fledgling gaming world away. Wonderful animations the likes of which had not been attempted before in polygons. Coupled with the unique setting and wonderful artwork the game was almost an instant classic.
Over 20 years later the classic returns to Steam and the PC platform courtesy of DotEmu. This updated version is true to the original version but with the recently updated graphics and sound afforded by the newer platforms.
First off you’ll be bitterly disappointed if you envisaged that this version of the classic has been re-inked by Chahi. No, and to be honest that would probably ruin the entire thing. The artwork is simple yet very evocative and is still a gorgeous place to visit all these years on.
The rotoscoped animation technique that was so bleeding edge back then is now common place. Yet it’s the implementation and execution that leaves the experience fresh and still oddly compelling.
The game is the same as ever. You play Lester Knight Chaykin, a brilliant physicist. During a routine experiment at his particle accelerator Lester is sucked into an alternate dimension when lightning hits his lab. He awakes sinking into a massive pool of water. If you, the player, don’t realise the game has started then Lester will be grabbed by a series of tentacles from the depths of the water and sucked down to his death.
Another World 20th Anniversay Edition is very much like this. Death is imminent at all times and will happen in a heartbeat as you try and jump and run through various dangers and traps.
The biggest disappointment with the game both then and now happens to be the length. As someone who’d played the game many times all those years ago on the Amiga 500 I managed to blow the cobwebs from my increasingly senile brain and push through the game in a little over 90 minutes. For newcomers then you may well take a little longer. The game has some very haphazard puzzle solutions that you might spend half an hour trying to work out before the “oh!” moment happens.
This update comes complete with the option to use the original PC graphics or switch to the slightly smoother looking updated visuals. Likewise there is also a toggle to use the original or the remastered audio track too. Support has been added for gamepads which is a welcome addition.
Final Thoughts
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition is a faithful re-release of a classic title. So many designers still quote Another World as an important influence on their careers. Greats likes Kojima and Suda list it and Fumito Euda has said that it directly influenced the creation of Ico.
As with all “classic” titles an element of nostalgia creeps in and to be frank, I’m OK with that. Another World inspired a future generation to reach beyond the traditions of a standard “video game” and look to make rich and artistically sumptuous worlds.
Has the game stood the test of time well? That’s debatable, but what has stood the trials of a rapidly moving platform is the sheer scope of the art work and the unique world it brings.
Fans should snap up this slice of history and nostalgia. Newcomers would do well to give themselves an invaluable education in early gaming.
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition is nostalgia done right and offers up one of the classics of video gaming history that sometimes gets forgotten about amongst a slew of plumbers, blue hedgehogs, gibs and other more obvious icons.