Filed under: The Cult of the Game | Tags: another world, out of this world, The Cult of the Game
Modern day gaming owes a lot to the simple polygon, the geometric shaped used to put over 3d mesh wiring that allow objects to exist in 3D. It seems odd how far we’ve come to believe that a living breathing character like Marcus Phoenix for all his detail is nothing more than triangles with a fine coat of paint over them. 3D Gaming has done a lot for the industry though, allowing for more complex games to exist and assisting developers to push the boundaries beyond 2D limitations.
This is not a slight on 2D gaming at all because really todays game is a “2D” game. However the idea of modeling graphics in 3D has lead to some large innovations. Imagine if we’re still forced to make FPS’s like Doom (which, oddly, are actually 2D games made to look 3D.) We’d lose a lot of the design elements, such as simple rooms over rooms, physics, and lighting effects etc. that make 3D shooters so great. Translate that to the new Street Fighter IV, a very 2D game but is enhanced by its cinematic 3D presentation and we greatly see the benefits 3D graphics have offered us.
However what were the early efforts into the 3D like, not just for games mind you but for graphic design in general. Like a lot of things mostly crude, maybe not fully realizing the potential of what those things can achieve. However, they also tend to be visionary, victims of limitations that are not the creators fault. Through the history of 3D graphics we’ve often seen examples such as Dire Straits video for “Money for Nothing” or Pixar’s early efforts like Tin Toy to see there was never a lack of imagination.
There are numerous early efforts that are worth mentioning. Nintendo and it’s Super FX chip got the ball rolling with the incredible on rails shooter. Sega would counter with the Virtua series of games most notably at first Virtua Racing. On the PC front we can go even earlier with games like Elite and Starglider 2. However one of the most successful uses of polygons wasn’t even in a 3D game at all, or at least a traditional 3D game as we think of them today.
Delphine Software’s Another World (released in North America as Out of this World) is a visionary piece of gaming in many aspects. Graphically the game is an early feat of art meeting design. The game uses polygons to build its alien world. Back then complex texturing was not feasible as it is today. Characters and back grounds were made with polygons that were flatly shaded. While this hampered many of the early 3D efforts by making the environments seem a little drab and life less Another World used this to its advantage. The stark muted colour palette but incredible angular detail gave life to the alien world Lester Knight explores.
However the 3D element of the game was just to show off some graphical power wankery on the Amiga. Another World is often considered a “cinematic platform game.” At the games heart it’s not much different that say Prince of Persia, being an action game with strong puzzle elements. However the presentation of the game has a movie like flair to it. You play as Lester Knight, a physicist who is sucked into the portal after lightning strikes a particle accelerator. On this desolate alien planet Lester is enslaved by humanoid aliens but befriends a fellow alien slave and thus attempts to make his escape. Throughout the game use of cut scenes reveal the story. While there’s no spoken or written dialog the power of the polygonal graphics allow the characters to emote through heavy use of facial expressions and gestures, something that many 3D game programmers use today to convey the story and their characters.
Along with 3D graphics to make the game feel and play more like real life Another World uses rotoscopping animation. While the technique of rotoscopping is as old as Disney studios, the technique was first employed in the 30’s, little rotoscopping had been used in video games till this point. The idea is simple though, you film a subject and from their movements you would map them into the game’s character animations. While this caused the controls of the game to be somewhat loose it offers an eerie realness to the product.
Another World is in essence a 2D action game. It involves a lot of running, jumping and shooting of a laser pistol you acquire. However unknown to the genre was a number of really deep puzzles that show up in the game. Often times you’ll be forced to use the pistols various mode (basic fire, a shied generator that offered cover and a super blast that can destroy objects) in order to pass sections of the game. Later on you’ll attain an alien ally who you’ll need to employ to pass various parts of the game. This was definitely a mssive departure to the more arcade style shooters and can be seen as a precursor to games like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in its use of puzzles.
Another World ended inspiring a multitude of 2D platform games. Delphine itself would go on to release Flashback a game very similar to Another World. Blizzard would release a 2D shooter in the same vein by the name of Blackthorne. Visual Concepts, current curators of the 2K series of sports games, would release a rotoscopped 2D action adventure on the SNES called Lester the Unlikely about a nerdy kid who is sucked into a fantasy, the parallels between the two games are little more than a coincidence.
Another World is a game that ties a lot of winning elements together to provide one of the most satisfying 2D action experiences out there. Unique graphics, cinematic presentation and brainy gameplay probably alienated more action twitch gamers of its time but stands even to this day to be a shining example of innovation in gaming both technically and creatively.
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