MrTricorder

@mikebill1: How about Vampire Panic (PS2)? I think you can unlock a vampire mode if you beat the game. It's not exactly what you described, but it was released in Japan within a year of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath's release.

@remescen: Are you thinking of something similar to Castle of the Winds?

@crashman06: How about the game 3-Demon (1983)? It's a wireframe Pac-Man clone where all the enemy ghosts are red.

@crashman06: I haven't had any luck finding your game given the details so far. If the game was around in the early-to-mid 90's, there can't be too many options. A few questions:

1. Was the game in first person perspective?
2. Did you have any sort of weapon to deal with enemies?
3. Was the house haunted with ghosts? can you remember anything about the enemies?
4. Do you remember anything about the UI or menus?
5. Can you describe the portals? Were the "different dimensions" different 3D environments?
6. Did the game have any FMV?

@dfin24 said:

It's been a couple of months since you asked, but Roboforge (2001) is like this. You choose (or create) a fighting robot and then watch a simulation of your robot fighting another robot. Some of the robot component designs look alien (lizard-like). Hope that helps!

@tlchwi02: I think Urban Assault might be the game you're looking for, it's similar to what you described. It was also released as a bundle with the MS SideWinder Force Feedback joystick in the late 90's.

@wolfsterc: The only other game I can guess is the Clock Tower series, specifically Clock Tower 3 (https://www.giantbomb.com/clock-tower-3/3030-17962/). Here are some of the box images for it:

@vetmora said:

It's been a while since your post, but the game you're looking for might be Defiance (https://www.giantbomb.com/defiance/3030-16211/). It came out in 1997 and the first enemy you fight is a flying manta ray with a single red eye.

@wolfsterc: I know you said it isn't Siren, but could it be Siren 2? There are times when you play as a child, and the back of the game case looks like this:

@mahleesah: Hi. It's been over a week since your request, but I believe the educational game you've been looking for is "Milkcap Mazes". It released in the mid-90's and features the characters you mentioned. Hope that helps!