Worlds Apart
Suzanne Britton
Platform: TADS
Rating: 8.1
Total Votes: 30
Std. Dev.: +- 2.4
Average Playtime: Between 6 and 12 hours
Genre: Fantasy / Science Fiction / Surreal / Indescribable / Religious
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Audience Comments:5/10/08 09:44 AM
Rating:8
9/22/06 01:21 PM
This is an amazingly detailed, immersive game. Even though the subject matter doesn't really appeal to me---too new-agey for my tastes---the game is so well-written that it kept my interest all the way to the end. The plot is very cleverly sequenced, with events unfolding in a way that eases you into the story-world, and keeps you guessing until the end. I was a bit disappointed that the story ended on day 2, and several threads of the plot were left unresolved (a book-form sequel is promised), because by then the narrative has so successfully captivated me that I wanted to know what the ending would turn out to be. There is so much detail in the game it's impressive just on that virtue alone. Almost every object can be meaningfully examined, even decorations, and many objects change as the game progresses. Some descriptions even change depending on the state of the PC. Toward the latter part of the game, some glitches begin to show---some missing synonyms in conversation topics and scenery objects, some conversation topic disambiguations that perhaps gave away too much (bringing up a topic that the PC hasn't encountered yet). But none of them were plot-ruining, and in a game of this size, bugs of this nature is to be expected. The details that *were* implemented completely offsets these minor complaints. Overall, an outstanding example of what IF can be when done right.
Rating:10
7/15/06 01:20 PM
A game both long and deep. The setting might be considered a bit - silly? New Age? Regardless of one's attitude towards it, it is one of the most comprehensive and well developed settings portrayed in an IF game. Strongly story-driven with strong writing, and fully developed characters. This is definitely a game to divide an audience. I fall on the side of disliking the setting, but recognised the overall merit to play to the end.
Rating:8
6/16/06 04:58 PM
Immersive and vivid. It's been a long time since I felt like a part of a game, rather than a mere observer. And what can I say? It had all the elements I love: good characterization, a closeness with nature, and puzzles that fit into the story and don't make you have to go traipsing around to gather component parts elsewhere. Puzzles are solvable in the region they are in. So, if you like the fantasy genre and are looking for a literary experience with awesome world-building and characters that come out of the world, as opposed to the other way around, try this game. It's one of my ultimate favorites.
Rating:10
4/27/05 01:14 AM
Rating:9
12/02/04 11:11 PM
For wandering and wondering.
Rating:10
11/14/04 11:05 PM
Rating:10
9/16/04 09:13 AM
Rating:8
2/13/04 03:33 AM
Rating:10
1/02/04 05:40 AM
Rating:1
9/26/03 10:58 PM
It took an effort to get past the fantasy setting (which managed to feel cliched even when actually being reasonably original), but I soon fell under its spell. Yes, we're talking about the kind of thing whose dust-cover, if it had a dust-cover, would be festooned with epithets like "magical", and "enchanting", and probably "spellbinding". But ignore all that. It's actually really very good.
Rating:8
9/21/03 05:13 PM
Beautifully written with an incredible level of detail and backstory. Manages to be fantasy-like without relying on too many cliches. My only real complaint is that the story feels so unfinished, with too many dangling threads -- I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Rating:9
7/24/03 07:48 AM
Admirable scope and attention to detail, but none of it interested me.
Rating:3
7/25/03 06:41 AM
Rating:10
7/18/05 09:39 AM
Warm and fuzzy New Age crystal nonsense. Overwrought prose. Vague to the point of meaninglessness. Wants to be profound but all it did was try my patience.
Rating:2
7/10/03 12:10 PM
This is incredibly detailed, polished, and immersive. A splendid, professional effort. I keep piling on the adjectives... It was just a lot of fun, if you like fantasy at all. Don't be misled by the "waking up with amnesia" old cliche. Worlds Apart has much more to offer.
Rating:10
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Well written and wonderfully imagined, this game brings a whole world to life. Unfortunately, it is in a sense too big - I had to stop playing for a while due to time constraints and found it difficult to resume where I left, story-wise, and too daunting to restart.
Rating:8
7/10/03 12:10 PM
An exhaustively realized world with well-developed characters, and puzzles that fit seamlessly into the plot.
Rating:10
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Rating:10
7/10/03 12:10 PM
A good game, but one that has completely failed to draw me in. Spent a while moving mechanically through the puzzles, consulting the hints, until I finally just gave up.
Rating:7
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Impressive effort, but too muddled and boring to make me want to finish it.
Rating:4
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Hauntingly beautiful, with a lot of depth. Everything is described in great detail, and almost everything can be examined, listened to, touched, smelt,...
Recommended if you're one of those gamers who like to examine everything, with no hurry to complete the game. ;)
Rating:10
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Rating:7
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Rating:8
7/10/03 12:10 PM
SF epic in a world Britton has clearly designed down to the last detail; it's too bad some of those details are magic singing dolphins and stuff, but the other bits generally work ok or even great.
Rating:7
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Well-developed world, but quite a bit takes place outside the main game.
Rating:9
7/10/03 12:10 PM
A *huge* world with a compelling story and characters. Everyone has something to say about almost everything, so don't just barrel through the plot. This game rewards taking your time.
Rating:9
2/05/06 08:35 AM
Very big and very detailed, with nice use of evocative imagery, atmosphere and narrative technique; sadly, the scifi / fantasy setting is too twee and Anne McCaffreyesque, and for such a character-driven plot the characters mostly seem distant and uninter
Rating:8
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Rich, deep, weighty fantasy, sometimes veering towards the overly sweet, but with a startling amount of setting development and backstory.
Rating:9
7/10/03 12:10 PM
Wow. Fantastic, but only part of the story.
Rating:8
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