This means that the hacking never really changes and soon becomes a bit laborious.īeyond a Steel Sky will set you back between £30 to £35, depending on the format. This is really where most of the ‘puzzle’ solving comes in and while the hacking gets increasingly more complex, the basic idea of swapping modules remains the same. There’s the introduction of a hacking tool that you use to… well hack various electronic devices. I only know it is there as it pops up on the menu in the inventory screen. There is a hint system, which I never had to use. As for the puzzles, they’re all a bit too samey after a while and never really test the old grey matter. I mean, it’s not bad or anything but it does feel very subdued and too plodding at times. For me, the overall writing felt of a lower standard compared to the 1994 original. Pretty much every character you meet feels very shallow, even Robert Foster himself seems to be suck in the old 2D age at times.
In this regard, Beyond a Steel Sky really is a bit of a mixed bag. However, an adventure game’s strengths need to be in the writing and the puzzles. Just walking around and exploring Union City is actually kind of fun. The world feels alive with the residents of the city go about their daily routines, skyscrapers tower over you, robots fly/scurry about doing whatever robots do and more. The graphics here are kind of cell-shaded and certainly do look nice. When you do get inside, Union City really is a wonderful place to be in. This is your basic adventure game stuff and solving the many puzzles the game throws at you (while weeding out red herrings) soon becomes second nature. Talk to a few folk, pick up items, use said items and so on. Your first major task in Beyond a Steel Sky is to gain entrance to Union City. If you have played any modern adventure game, say the many Telltale Games… games, then you’ll know what to expect here. Now, everything is in glorious 3D and you solve the various puzzles in the game using a simple conversation wheel and inventory system. The old, very nineties, 2D point n’ click adventure look and style is gone.
So strictly speaking, you really don’t have to have played through Beneath a Steel Sky to know what this one is all about but if you want o get the most out of the references, you really should (it is free don’t forget). Thankfully, Beyond a Steel Sky gets you up to speed with the main events of the last game through various little references.
What’s not to love? But this City has a dark underbelly…įor those who do remember the original game from 1994, you are playing as Robert Foster once more and have to return to Union City a decade after the events of the first game. Union City is a utopia, its people loving life under the control of an altruistic AI: ever-attentive androids, designer living, piazzas and bars. The trail has led you to Union City, one of the last remaining mega-cities in a world ravaged by shattering wars, and political meltdown. A child has been abducted in a brutal attack. If you’re more of a modern fan I’d say it’s more of a crapshoot, and honestly I’d be more inclined to simply go with one of those remastered but authentic originals rather than trying out a hybrid that’s an attempt to recapture that feel to some degree, but not a true old-school experience.You are Robert Foster. For people who revere the classics this is an odd amalgam of old and new that may be a thrill, sort of giving you a taste of both worlds at once. The sense of humor is also a bit more understated, reflecting the more traditional adventures that didn’t adhere to the LucasArts mode, and that’s fine if you’re looking for more of the sci-fi vibes but on the whole I think much of the dialogue and characters end up being on the bland side. If you’re more into the modern flow of things I’d say the pacing here, in particular, feels a bit on the slow to develop side, with a bit more time being wasted on average meandering and trying to determine what you need to do than the average contemporary adventure. Depending on your tastes this is a double-edged sword. Having never played the original, but certainly having played my fair share of old-school adventure titles, Beyond a Steel Sky definitely has Having never played the original, but certainly having played my fair share of old-school adventure titles, Beyond a Steel Sky definitely has an authentic feel consistent with the classic era but with some more modern trappings.