BENEATH A STEEL SKY TITLE SCREEN SERIES

Oftentimes, passers-by who block the entire screen when I’m engaged in a conversation or some dialogues weren’t voiced. Moreover, I did come across some visual glitches that could definitely be worked upon. The latter ultimately feels predictable and noticeably rushed towards the end in a bid to wrap everything up. The reunion with Foster’s bestie Joey feels anticlimactic, especially given how he is an integral part of the plot itself. Some important aspects on the lore aren’t that well elaborated upon such as the Council and its members. Sometimes these go off-track and feel forced or even dull, especially with the protagonist who feels more like a placeholder for your actions rather than a charismatic adventurer, especially compared to NPCs who are more fleshed out with unique personalities of their own.Īdditionally, the plot suffers from some pacing and development issues other than the dull one-liners characterizing Foster. Still subverting the gritty, dark cyberpunk presentation, Beyond A Steel Sky offers a more chilled take with its humorous conversations and cheeky one-liners. Investing more on this aspect would have gone a long way in hammering the presentation. However, the audio score is something that could have been improved upon since they aren’t striking or memorable. Don’t worry if you haven’t played the original game, as this one is totally playable without former knowledge on the lore. Those who played the first installment might find it nostalgic to come across some recurring characters for the first time in 3D. On the presentation aspect, Beyond A Steel Sky does a fine job with its detailed, cel-shaded environment rendered in Unreal Engine that mimics a comic book’s visual. This becomes more evident as Foster gets closer to uncovering the truth behind Milo’s captors. But that doesn’t mean all is good and well in Union City as this depiction plays a part in the utopian aspect that every citizen of that city thinks of it (or are made to think of it). Beyond a Steel Sky subverts this expectation with a bright and colorful setting throughout its playthrough. When it comes to the cyberpunk setting, most will think of the gritty, dystopian one popularized by the likes of Blade Runner or the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077. friend Joey, there are way more sinister works happening under the shroud of this utopian facade. While it looks like a prospering, highly advanced city thanks to the work of his A.I. However, following the abduction of Milo, a child from the village, Foster’s detective work brings him back to Union City.

BENEATH A STEEL SKY TITLE SCREEN SERIES

Given that I fondly reminisce about these games, I looked forward to seeing what a game in the same vein had to offer in 2020.īeyond A Steel Sky puts you in control of series protagonist Robert Foster who has been living a peaceful life in a village in the Gap, or the region outside of the walled Union City, after the events of the first installment. The first entry, Beneath a Steel Sky, hails from the point-and-click MS-DOS era, and while I didn’t play the original game (I was still a toddler back then), I did play and love similar games from the Monkey Island series. Revisiting a dormant series is a tricky issue and with the puzzle genre, it’s doubly so as I attested with Syberia 3. As a sequel to a 26-year old game, I was holding my breath for Beyond a Steel Sky.

Beneath a steel sky title screen