Story

Other Worlds is an AGS adventure game.  It was made by Alkis Polyrakis, and released on December 2004.

You are Natalia.  You return home one day to discover that your boyfriend Alkis is missing.  As you begin to search for him, you find a message asking you to meet him at an old mansion.  Since it is not like him to disappear like this, you decide to go to the mansion to investigate. 

Inside the mansion, you discover that there are other worlds besides our own, and you must travel through these worlds if you want to see Alkis again.  As you explore these other worlds, you learn that you can cast spells.  These spells help as you desperately try to find Alkis.  Will you succeed? 

This is a lovely game with plenty of funny moments and sad moments.  There are lots of jokes and play on words.  The plot twists will keep you hooked right to the end. 

Gameplay

You control the game by using icons at the top of the screen.  Move your mouse to the top to see various icons like Walk, Talk, Use etc.  You can access your inventory by clicking on the box icon shown here.  You can also save and load your game from here. 

As well as icons at the top of the screen, you can also right-click your mouse to 'cycle' through the available cursors.  This is useful later on in the game when casting spells. 

One minor complaint is that the exits are sometimes hard to find.  You need to move your mouse carefully to search for them. 

At the end of the game, you are treated to an 'update' for each character, showing what they are up to now.  I thought that was a very nice touch.

Graphics

The backgrounds are a mixture of real photos and specially designed landscapes.  They look very detailed and beautiful.  The characters themselves are bright and colourful.  They have more of a cartoon look about them, and they contrast well with the backgrounds.  It gives a very interesting feel to the game. 

Music and sound effects

Alkis has done a fantastic job with the music, it is so rich and atmospheric.  Sometimes it is slow and haunting; sometimes it is fast with a sense of urgency.  There are many different music scores for different locations, and it really makes you feel tense or scared etc. 

The sound effects are nice, but quite basic.  You can hear a cat meowing, birds chirping, or doors creaking etc. 

Puzzles

The puzzles are very clever and very well thought out.  There is some play on words, so you have to really think about what you are doing.  Later on in the game, you discover that you can cast spells.  This adds a whole new dimension to the game and you have to use your imagination to solve many puzzles.  You often have to use more than one spell to solve a puzzle.

Characters

There are many characters to discover in this game.  A lot of thought has been put into creating them, and they are all very unique.  You will have a lot of fun finding them and talking with them.

Summary

This is an excellent game.  It is very big and will keep you hooked for a long time to come.  The story is very involving and well thought out, with some interesting plot twists.  The puzzles are tricky enough to keep you guessing, but not so tough to make you frustrated.  The music is a pleasure to listen to.  The characters are unique and varied.  My only (minor) complaint is that exits are sometimes hard to find.  I highly recommend this game.