![]() The art direction (which I should add was beautifully crafted by the talented Dave Gibbons) is nothing short of eye-catching sticking to a more cartoon-like design, similar to what has been familiarized in titles like Borderlands or The Wolf Among us. Upon returning however, it’s apparent that things are not all they seem anymore, and a much larger scaled conspiracy begins to unfold.Īs someone who played and thoroughly enjoyed the original game, seeing the transition from detailed hand-drawn backgrounds and pixelated characters to a colorful, blooming 3D futuristic environment, truly amped up the excitement and nostalgia factor. who brought peace and stability to the city. Following the events of the games predecessor, the city was left in command with Foster’s right hand companion, Joey an engineered A.I. Without wasting time, our protagonist heads out into the wastelands eventually making his way back to Union City a vast, enclosed metropolis where machines and humans co-exist and streets once flowed with economic corruption. Foster is determined to set out and bring them home. The opening moments of this cyberpunk adventure play out like a comic book re-introducing players to the infamous Robert Foster and his current state of life who’s living peacefully in the barren, desert wasteland better known as ‘The Gap.” Things take a turn for the worst almost immediately as a child from a local village is kidnapped by unknown abductors. Once again reigned by the creative minds who brought players the original game Revolution Software have steered away from the ‘point and click’ formula they are best known for, and delivered a much more alive and functioning semi-open world concept. After nearly two decades, a sequel to the cult classic Beyond A Steel Sky, has finally made its way to Steam. Beneath A Steel Sky was undoubtedly one of them, and has maintained a positive fan-following still going strong to this day. However, a few still hold ground as the ”forefathers” of the genre, and are considered favorites 20+ years later. ![]() ![]() There were almost too many to keep up with. There's a gravitas to much of the game's dialogue later in the story, but the enormous narrative discoveries are hindered by mediocre voice acting and stunted facial expressions.PC gamers of the early 90’s are certainly no strangers to the wave of ‘adventure’ games that flooded the scene during that era. There aren't that many locations themselves, but each location gives the player a sense of the scale and stratification of the city. Instead, the approach in Beyond a Steel Sky is somewhat linear, with segments of the city becoming unlocked as players progress through the narrative, which takes Robert on a relatively short journey. Light puzzles make up the core of the player's time in Union City. The gameplay is a vehicle for the story, and no one would be at fault for believing the game is more akin to a visual novel than an RPG, as there aren't in-depth stats to build upon or expansive character choices to make. The thematic elements of the original have been tweaked, as players familiar with that story must now deal with the actions they took ten years prior. The player takes control of Beneath a Steel Sky's protagonist, Robert Foster, who seemingly by fate returns to Union City, which has been taken over by AI-driven happiness. The meat of the game is its story, though, as with its predecessor. The narrative isn't particularly exceptional, especially compared to other PC titles with a similar focus on world-building (think Disco Elysium). ![]() Controls were fully ported, giving players the ability to use proper, keyboard movements and mouse clicks to solve the various puzzles in the environment. The PC port, available on Steam, is serviceable. They may not look particularly impressive on the PC, as textures are somewhat muddy and facial expressions tilt towards the more barren, unflinching side of things, but the game undeniably looks good as a mobile entry, which was its original purpose. The original game was fully two dimensional, and the sequel, developed on Unreal Engine 4, gives players fully three dimensional, cell-shaded environments to explore. Players still get to explore Union City once more while toying with slightly altered gameplay - particularly in the way the player moves. Cyberpunk is very popular at the moment, and Beyond a Steel Sky is situated to capitalize on that popularity with a release on PC. The sequel transitions the genre but not the setting, retaining the comic book aesthetic but evolving the narrative. Its humble roots began in a 1994 point-and-click adventure title Beneath a Steel Sky, which offers a comic-book adventure that allows players to explore cyberpunk locals. Some may be familiar of the origins of the Steel Sky series. ![]()
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