Out of This World
1991
- platform
- adventure
- action
- science fiction
- single player
The story
Out of This World (Another World in Europe) is a cinematic platformer that uses vector-based graphics and rotoscoped animations to deliver a minimalistic yet expressive visual style. It features a combination of action, platforming, and puzzle-solving mechanics, with a deliberate lack of HUD and textual guidance. Gameplay emphasizes trial-and-error, timing, and exploration, with a limited checkpoint system. In 2005, a homebrew port of the Atari ST version was released for the Game Boy Advance, officially allowed by Éric Chahi to be published with the original assets.
What it’s like
Stark, glowing vector outlines against deep blue-black backdrops, with the rotoscoped figures moving in a fluid, almost weightless way that feels more like watching animation than playing a game. The palette is cold and minimal: alien stone caverns lit by a faint hum of their own light, flat pools of water that swallow the hero in a shimmer, and long stretches of silence broken by low synth drones and the occasional sharp electronic cue. Nothing on screen explains itself, so the experience is one of quiet unease and slow discovery, a sci-fi dread that drifts somewhere between lonely and eerie. It suits a late night alone with headphones, or a patient evening when you want something atmospheric rather than busy. Pacing is deliberate and punishing: deaths come fast and sudden, with a sparse checkpoint system that asks for careful timing and repetition. Violence is frequent and abrupt, with brief bloody deaths, slavery and captivity themes, and some nudity; it is intense rather than gory. The emotional arc is a stranded scientist and an unexpected ally quietly bonding under pressure. It is for players who love cinematic puzzle-platformers, trial-and-error challenge, and wordless, moody sci-fi worlds.
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