Out of this World

Out of This World for DOS is the North American edition of Delphine Software International's cinematic science-fiction action adventure, known elsewhere as Another World. Released for PC compatibles in the early 1990s and published in North America by Interplay, it follows physicist Lester Knight Chaykin after an experiment with a particle accelerator goes catastrophically wrong. A flash of lightning sends him to an unfamiliar planet, beginning a largely wordless journey through hostile landscapes, prisons, caverns, and alien strongholds. Designed by Éric Chahi, the game uses concise scenes, animated transitions, and sparse presentation to let its strange setting communicate through action rather than exposition.

The DOS game is played from a side-on view, with keyboard or joystick controls used to run, jump, crouch, climb, swim, and react to the dangers in each screen. Progress depends on reading the environment carefully. A single misplaced step, poorly timed jump, or encounter with a creature or hostile projectile can end Lester's attempt immediately, so learning hazards and retrying from checkpoints is part of the structure. Instead of a conventional heads-up display or written dialogue, Out of This World relies on animation, sound effects, and the changing conditions of each area to signal what the player must do next.

Lester begins without a weapon and must survive long enough to take an energy gun from an alien opponent. That weapon supports more than straightforward firing: a brief charge creates a protective barrier, while a longer charge produces a stronger blast that can break opposing shields and clear certain obstructions. Alien guards have comparable capabilities, turning many confrontations into small timing and positioning problems. Players must decide when to fire, when to set a shield, and when to move through a room rather than treating every encounter as a simple shooting sequence.

The adventure moves through distinct locations with platforming, environmental puzzles, escapes, and combat challenges. Early survival is solitary, but Lester eventually escapes captivity alongside an alien prisoner commonly called Buddy. Their cooperation becomes central to the later scenes, even though the game avoids explanatory conversation. The DOS version also uses a password system for returning to reached sections, a practical feature for a game built around difficult sequences and rapid restarts. Its design rewards observation: solutions are often established by the behavior of enemies, machinery, creatures, and the layout of a particular screen.

Out of This World for DOS is especially associated with its stylized animation. Delphine's presentation combines polygonal characters with painted backdrops, producing a clean, fluid look while keeping the action readable on period hardware. Chahi developed the original game around this approach, and the DOS conversion added material to the adventure before later console releases drew from that expanded version. The game reached DOS after its original 1991 Amiga and Atari ST debut, retaining its unusual blend of cinematic storytelling and exacting action.

Although it was sold as Out of This World in North America to distinguish it from the unrelated television program titled Another World, it is the same core adventure. The title has since appeared on numerous platforms and in anniversary editions, but the DOS release remains a key version in the game's early history. Its economical narrative, instant consequences, and multi-purpose energy gun give the adventure a distinctive identity among early-1990s computer games, while Lester and his unexpected alien ally provide its emotional thread without needing lengthy dialogue or a traditional cutscene-heavy script.