As established earlier, there was a time, late nineties to mid-2000s, when I wasn't really that interested in gaming. That's not to say however that the interest had completely died off - I still got some use out of an Atari Lynx and I was still playing DOS games on my PC. One such game was one I remember playing extensively and enjoying: Inner Worlds.
Like many DOS games of it's era, Inner Worlds was made up of three installments. The first one was freeware, available for free distribution, but in order to get the rest of the game, players had to pay for the other two installments. I however managed to get my claws on all three and play through them.
Although not well known as other DOS games of the early to mid nineties, the development of Inner Worlds is well-documented: It was made a group called Sleepless Software - a team of three people which, through the magic of the Internet, grew into twenty seven people from nine different countries. In addition, the music was provided through an Internet contest where musicians from separate corners of the globe could submit their work for a place in the game.
But onto the game itself: It was a platform game where the player controls a werewolf by the name of Nikita. She is able to change between a wolf and a human at will and she goes on a quest (at least in the first installment) to defeat an evil demon....thingy within a castle. Throughout the quest Nikita gradually grows stronger, obtaining spells, status upgrades and weapons to use. And in the next two installments, Nikita goes outside and beyond the castle to face more demonic forces before eventually heading into a volcano for the final showdown with the imaginatively named baddie Claws.
The first level!
When I first played this game I was unimpressed: It looked like a relic from the by then obsolete 16 bit era, there were a lot of goofiness about it (like the text that randomly appears), the exposition seemed somehow forced in and it didn't really seem to be that interesting. But for some reason I still don't understand I decided to stick with it (maybe because there was little else to play at the time) and somehow the game won me over. Whilst there were some slow parts of the game I did find myself enjoying the music and finding the bad guys to have some really inventive designs.
The game however really kicked into high gear when Nikita leaves the castle. The music got even better , the bad guys got scary, the settings show a diversity and the goofiness takes a back seat for a more serious tone. As such, it was enough to keep me hooked right until the end of the game - alas I was unable to beat Claws in the final confrontation (damn!)
A location from the second world (I love this level's theme)
Looking back over a decade later, there certainly was a lot going for this game. Having learned about the diversity involved in the development phase, one would expect this game to be something of a Frankenstein's Monster with a lot of elements held together with a lack of cohesion - and it does show. I made mention of the change between the first and second installments and it really shows: it was as if the developers had some really good ideas but they put them all in the second and third parts, thus leaving the first part lacking in comparison. It does seem an odd move seeing as the first part was freeware and was, essentially, a hook to get players interested in the rest of the game.
Aside from that, there are some miss fitting graphics that looked like they'd stepped out of an entirely different game, ideas that appear only once & never after and exposition that seems merely dumped into the game as if it was there through obligation - most of it comes via a wall of text at the beginning and seems forced and trying it's hardest to be something epic and grandiose. Particular elements are also reused to underwhelming effect: By way of example there is a the huge spider in the third installment. It comes after the end of a huge build up to it and is definitely a tough boss character. But in the next level, that intimidation factor is undermined through Nikita having to defeat some clones of the spider! Take about running a well-executed idea into the ground.
And here's what the third world looks like
But what I find particularly engaging about Inner Worlds is that the gameplay seems to be the most compelling element. Whilst the graphics lack cohesion and the exposition seems laughable in it's attempts to make the player care, the gameplay alone is enough to carry the game. The platforming is great fun and the werewolf idea is a strong one indeed. In addition, the RPG elements is well integrated - I always found it great to get a new spell and how it changed my perception of the the game and how to beat it. In retrospect this combination of platforming and RPG was something of a new idea: Yes it was still following Super Metroid's lead but it was before Castlevania Symphony of the Night which is at least worth something. Indeed, I can imagine PC owners would've been delighted to have something like the great Super Metroid to call their own.
But what strikes me most about the gameplay is that there are times when it seems the development team put more thought into it than the rest of the game. It does make for a fascinating oddity in this day and age when gameplay is often shafted aside for telling gripping stories and having mind-blowing visuals. Thus it does feel that Inner Worlds has done the exact opposite - it's like a visitor from a parallel dimension where game technology went the other direction from what did happen in this world.
In addition, the music was great. It may have come from diverse sources but never once does it get dull. Okay sure the first part had some limp moments but the rest of the music was both moody and atmospheric and even, at times, hectic. It does seem a shame a CD was never released because damn I'd buy it!
One of the many enjoyable themes in this game
Alas, the game wasn't really that big a hit: The development took three years to complete (instead of the intended one) and as a result, it came out looking dated to the games of the, by then, fifth generation. As such, Sleepless Software never made another game.
Still, Inner Worlds was a fun game and truly a lost gem in the history of gaming. Sure it may not work in some places but when it does it works a treat.
It a great game to me and that is indeed enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment