Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space is the sequel to Digital Eel's Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, which we reviewed earlier this year. Weird Worlds is a huge improvement upon SAIS, which was starting to show its age. The gameplay, graphics, sound, humor, and interface have all been improved, along with the various elements of Infinite Space, making for a really great game.

There isn't just one story to WW:RtIS. Depending on the ship you choose, you might be a down-on-your-luck pirate, a research scientist, or a military explorer. In either case, you are tasked with exploring Sector Prime. You need to travel to distant star systems to learn about new planets, lifeforms, or any any other items of interest. You will be rewarded based on what you find, minus the costs of the expedition and fines levied for being late.

Your ships will have different characteristics. Science vessels have huge cargo bays and come equipped with a hyperwave filter arrays for detecting starships in other star systems. Unfortunately it only comes with one weapon, so you better hope to find peaceful aliens on your travels. Corvettes come with two weapons, but they have a slightly smaller cargo bay. The frigate comes with three weapons and an incredibly small cargo bay. Each is appropriate for the mission you are given. Science vessels make it easier to explore new worlds and collect strange lifeforms, but frigates can help you in case running away isn't an option. Corvettes offer a nice balance between the two. You'll also find that certain items are worth more or less to you depending on what your mission is. Finding an interesting lifeform is worth a lot more to a scientist than to a member of the military, who might find more value in more powerful weapons. A pirate would be able to earn more by finding exotic valuables and relics.

Of course, you aren't alone in this sector. On your travels you will meet a variety of races, some friendly, others less so. You might find and repair a crippled ship, earning a valuable ally in your fights. While some races might be hostile towards you, they might warm up to you if they see that you are able to save a friend. Diplomats, criminals, and others may take up residence on your ship as you find them. It's also incredibly exciting to find mysterious ships lost in space, especially the awesome Damocles, a valuable asset to any fleet. All of the races in the game have powerful ships, however, so if you start a battle, you do so at your own risk. Of course, you can get access to these same ships if you hire mercenaries to aid you.

Battles can get interesting with all of the weapons, shields, and special items available. You'll quickly find which weapons are more to your liking than a Neptunian Rail Gun or some small missiles. My personal favorite is the Tachyon Ray Gun combined with as large a laser as you can find. Of course, the Chromium Gong allows you to make quick work out of any enemy ships, and summoning the Klakars can almost always help turn the tide in your favor. If you find the right items, you might never need to worry about fighting. The Aethric Mirror lets you switch places with any known ships in a different star system, and the Mantle of Babulon turns you into an amazingly charismatic individual, allowing safe passage through the systems of somewhat intelligent aliens. And if you so choose, the limited vacuum collapser is a good way to destroy any systems within five lightyears.

Of course, Weird Worlds wouldn't be complete without a huge variety of lifeforms and items. Interestingly enough, not all of the items are just for variety. For instance, lookout frogs may seem useless, but they provide a great service: guard duty. I would play multiple games and lose valuable items and towels to the thief Esmerelda. Just who was this woman?! Well, in one game, I had lookout frogs in my cargo, and when Esmerelda struck, they caught her! She became a prisoner, and it turns out she is worth something to the people back at home, which makes her a valuable catch.

Weird Worlds, and SAIS before it, are surprisingly deep games. Each session takes minutes. It can be deceptively easy to play, yet you'll still find yourself surprised by new items or races. You might stumble upon a battle between two of your enemies or gaze in wonder at space whales. You will also meet a variety of individuals.

Like SAIS before it, Weird Worlds is moddable, which means that there will be plenty of variations on the game available in the near future created by fans. It will be interesting to see what they create.


Graphics: +
Weird Worlds improves greatly on its predecessor, and it more than holds its own among other games. The variety of images and special effects make infinite space an interesting place to be.

Sound: +
The ambient sound, while somewhat repetitive, really makes the game come to life. Special sounds for certain items, such as the screech when you find the brain, reinforces the existence of a wide variety of otherworldly entities. The music is still catchy and appropriate.

Game Play: +
Fans of the original might find that controls are different, but the improvements more than make up for it. I like to expand the ship and cargo windows while I play, and they sometimes get in the way, but it isn't a major problem since I can just move the map over a bit easily.

Value: +
Not many games feel fresh after allowing you to play one, 50, or 100 sessions at one time. There are a few rare events as well, so some games might provide a special experience for players. Also, with three different roles to play, you can play with different goals in mind. Once the mods come out, it will be weird to find that the game has gotten old.

Concept: +
Weird Worlds is still a fairly unique game, and the ability to play for minutes or hours makes it a great asset to any game collection.

Fun: +
You might find that even though you have the option of playing for only a few minutes, you'll play for much longer. You can try to beat your previous score or you can just discover new things each time you play. Either way, you're having fun doing it.

Overall: BUY
It was hard to find anything seriously wrong with this game, although I did notice that the main menu screen would run awfully slowly on my computer, which more than met the minimum requirements. Interestingly enough, I didn't run into slowness while actually playing the game. Weird Worlds is a completely revamped game, so fans of the original will still want to check it out. It is definitely not a minor update.