Beyond a Steel Sky

Loving the game so far. Good deal on GOG, running on Ubuntu/Linux. I did have trouble starting the game after installing with Lutris, because Lutris doesn't execute post-install. In Terminal, go to the directory where the game has been installed and run: ./support/postinst.sh

From start to finish it's a pretty short game. Some of the puzzles are fun and others are a bit tedious (with some relying on hidden elements that would 100% make sense if you knew they existed but instead are left wandering for ten minutes trying to figure out). The writing is fun. The UI can be touchy and movement is *slow* even if you've got the run key pressed down. Sometimes interactive spots don't show up unless you back your character up and approach an area at a different angle. In some areas it feels more like an interactive novel than a video game. I'm glad I got it on sale. I don't hate it. I don't think I'd pay full price for it though.

This is a unexpected sequel, 26 years later... from 2D to beautiful 3D ! ok the game isn't perfect, but what other adventure game has a sequel 26 years later ? More than that, getting from a rough 2D to a beautiful 3D is mesmerizing. I would have preferred no Cell-Shading graphic, honestly, but maybe that would have cost too much ? The fact that Beneath A Steel Sky did have voices back in the day is very important. The connection between Foster and Joey was unique, and it's an absolute pleasure to retrieve Joey and immediatly bring back memories of that disrespectful robot. Now for the bad part, I think the puzzle are a bit too complicated (but I don't really like point & click games anyway so... I just play with the solution...). But what is really annoying is that $£% scanner that is so hard to use sometimes (like you need to be in a perfect position) The first part of the game is definitely the best, rediscovering Union City & stuff. The last part and end isn't that bad as some people say. I think everything has been done intelligently. About every 3D space creating in Unreal Engine 4 is greatly exploited. Again, graphics are great and would have been better without cell-shading/comic style, but I get why the game is like this. P.S : Oh and I'm grateful dev gave this game for free back in the day. I played it for free in 2005, I would have not care if I didn't played the original probably.

Just before playing this game I played the the first one for comparison. The first one was from 1994, was quirky and unpolished, which was a feature of many of the games- big industry gaming was not there the way it is now. Jokes then were more quirky, probably because they had less people and public representitives to "smooth" them out. The world was humourous, but very dangerous, and death was around every corner, even if it was a humourous death at times. Fastforward to Beyond a Steel Sky. it is, in comparison, a very polished game. Cell-shaded graphics, fully voiced, most of which done decently, fully 3d animated characters. It is also a longer game, being closer to 20 hours than the original 7. The music was much much better than the former game. It does tip its hat to its predicessor, though, placing it in an elevator where it belonged. Animation helped individualize each plot character, even aiding in the humour, which was something difficult for the pixelled original. Despite its polish and shine, it's humour was often too smooth and not as quirky as the first. Death was nearly non-existant, which removed a sense of accomplishment and pressure. The story itself, while engaging enough, had a few plot holes and manged to unravel itself and the enitre first game rather than improving upon it- a bad habit oft found in many sequal movies and games. So in a way, it was like replaying the first, but backwards. Regardless, you save the day... again, yet somehow it does not seem as inspiring. All in all I would likely give it a 3.5/5. It was an amusing light-hearted point and click adventure-no real pressure, but in some ways does not live up to its 7 hour predecessor, even as it excels in other ways. If you are looking for a relaxing point-n-click adventure puzzle game with hints (when needed), you might find this one of interest.

Excellent point and click game that shows Double A games can still exist in a world full of bloated big budgets, if the creators care enough