Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)

This Point-and-Click Adventure is lauded as a masterpiece by most, and while I am no stranger to the genre, I found it to be about average. It has its fair share of moon logic puzzles, but that's true of most of the genre; I can handle that, especially for a game of this era. What it does better than some in this department is keeps things relatively contained to a small area, so while you're running around, smacking one thing against another, it limits your possibilities, and thereby your frustration. Pixel-hunting is a bit of a problem, too, making it a bit difficult not to get shot to death on the very first screen, but again, a walkthrough will solve this easily. The story gets off to a great start, with plenty of intrigue as you figure out how this city works and why they want you so badly. From there, it attempts to satirize the present by exaggerating it in a dystopian future. I see where they were going with everything, but I think there were a lot more misses than hits. It's not that the messages weren't clear, they just seemed to be handled a bit ham-handedly in a lot of situations. The characters were mostly just decent, but your robotic companion, Joey is usually good for a laugh; of all of the characters, I think I cared about him the most, even though he's just a machine and easily rebuilt, so long as Foster keeps his personality matrix. The music is actually pretty good; worth checking out, if nothing else. The visuals are a bit on the grainy side, but what I really liked was just the way that things were put together. The middle tier of the city in particular is constructed in such an interesting way that I found myself wishing for an opportunity to spend more time there. All in all, it's not a bad game by any means, and definitely worth checking out if you like the genre, but I didn't find it to be quite the masterpiece that I'd been told.

i played this game way back on my 486 and still love the style and story. if u like future dystopias with a touch of cyberpunk this is your game. the story is realistic, clever and makes you think twice about mankinds future with all its technological progress. a classic point and click adventure which isnt too hard to get through without going insane. for me one of them gems amongst all the released adventures back in the day. and always enjoyable even after all those years.

Honestly wasn't expecting to like this game, but from what I have played it is a fun and well designed game.

As a keen lover of classic, point and click adventure games, this one could of course not have escaped my attention. Everywhere it is hailed as one of the best of all time. But somehow, I had never played it until I recently discovered that it had been added to my library - for free! After playing it, I am disappointed. It is not without its qualities, but from all the hype, I was expecting a much more refined game, with the story told in a much more engaging and immersing way. The best things about the game is the overarching story, which is theoretically interesting, and the userinterface, which is perfectly simple: left click to look, right click to interact. For me, a good adventure game feels like you are reading a book or watching a movie, where the immersion and identification is boosted by being able to take the main character's hand as it were and lead him or her through the story, helping them solve the mysteries. One reviewer wrote that this game is like reading a book. I find that very far from my experience. My problem with the game is that it somehow fails fails to engage me in the characters and the story. Partly because the puzzles are often very counter-intuitive because you have happened to do things in a certain order. This breaks the immersion, because you are thinking not about the problems your character is having in his world, but the problems you are having with the game. Also, even when the puzzles do fit naturally into the story, they somehow fail to drive story forward in a coherent and meaningful way. Most actions that drive the story forward are only understood after you carried them out, because it was the only thing you could do. The midi-sounding music is really annoying. You can turn it down in the settings, but as soon as you walk into the next screen it's up again. Sure, for its time it was probably a pretty good game, and I guess in many ways a standard-setter, and it deserves credit for that. But comparing it with later stars of the genre (even leaving graphics and sound out of the comparison), it won't hit my top 10. Obviously, all hard-core fans of adventure games must try (and apparently also love) this one, but for casual players I think it can be skipped. From the hype it was getting I had expected a game that would give me a lasting impression, but I doubt it will.

This game is ideal for anyone who is curious about how point-and-click adventures work. This game has decent graphics even today and the sound is quite good, including the voice acting. It is quite good in directing you where you can and should go. There are some moments where you may get lost and confused, but it is not frustrating. Even when saving at every time, it does not brake the rhythm of a well written story that is not entirely captivating, but enough to drive the curious gamer. Add to that clear mechanics and this game was, to my recollection, one the first point-and-click games that I actually managed to finish with very little help from walkthroughs. Highly recommended to anyone who is looking to getting into this genre of game. No game is perfect and sometimes it can get frustrating making your way back and forward when you don't know immediately what needs to be done. The game has a very slow pace in the start and gets extremely fast by the end. It is riveting, but it could have been made in a more coherent structure. Overall, a nice addition if you enjoy exploring new types of game.