DAY 5 / GAME 5 Out of This World

DAY 5 / GAME 5

Out of This World

             Also titled Another World, I played this title on the Sega Genesis when I was about 12.  Like a lot of Genesis games I played, this was one my uncle picked up back when my brother and I used to spend a bunch of time at his place playing video games.  

          Out of this World had a very unique look to it at the time.  A look that is somewhat resurfacing as indie games try to capture some of the nostalgia of the 8 and 16 bit era.  The developer used a special engine to rotoscope animation using a polygon rendering system.  So it was all flat colours, no outlines and a smooth overall look to the characters actions.  It was a similar process, or at least, a similar result as was achieved in Prince of Persia and later on, Flashback.  The game used strong but minimal colour palettes and the look of the world was that of something Frazetta may have come up with in another lifetime.  It was a blend of primitive rock and steel with tech from the future.  Laser whips and electrified cages for slaves carving monumental structures out of rock while Pterodactyl and sabertooth tiger like creatures roam the land.  

           This game was especially appealing to me since at this age I was looking for more 'adult' games in an attempt to feel older than I was.  Another reason why the Genesis was overall my system choice at the time.  Games like Fatal Rewind, Slaughterhouse and the Immortal were all over console.  I never had a cartridge copy of this game, but I actually stumbled onto a copy for the Sega CD which contained the sequel, Heart of the Alien, as well.  I had actually beat the game at my uncles house before I got this copy.  I spent quite a few hours with my brother on this one while my younger cousin watched us play.  You see, this game was tough.  Prince of Persia style tough.  You had to get every action quite exact.  While admitting our frustrations with the game, my uncle dangled this carrot in front of us.  He explained to us that near the end of the game, there's a part where you actually run into a bathhouse full of naked women (pictured).  Naked alien women mind you.  And as you can see, it was all pretty tame in it's 16 bit glory.  But you have to believe that we really wanted to see this game to completion at this point.  And we did.  It wasn't much longer after that tidbit of information that we pressed on through the rest of the game.  And the reward wasn't the women of course, it was getting to see the story to it's end.  For a game that was so very cinematic in it's execution, a rare thing at the time, watching this whole story playout (you could probably play through the whole game in a couple hours) was very fulfilling.  This game could very well have been one of the games that started my love for cinematic games in general.
        Out of This World's most recent 20th Anniversary release on Steam with updated graphics and audio FX plays quite well and I highly recommend it if you haven't played this game yet.  Or even if you have.