Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)

I love playing point-and-click games and I, in general, enjoy it more if it’s hard and frustrating. But there is a fine line between frustrating and absolutely impossible and unfortunately, this game crossed the line for me. I’ve tried twice and I haven’t finished the game yet, here is why: As mentioned before, there is, apparently, no logical connection between the puzzles and I often stumbled around clicking randomly on everything, hoping it would work. It didn’t I had to get a walkthrough, booo me. On the other hand, some of these puzzles are ridiculously easy that I probably shouldn’t call them puzzles at all. The hardest puzzle of them all was figuring out how to actually save or quit (hint: press F5). Also, I didn’t feel very motivated to even finish the game. It starts with super interesting plot, but it all disappears when you start playing. You’re a wanted man, yet you can freely talk to local police. The feeling of danger and oppression just isn’t there. It’s all very slow paced, there is no action (I’ve read there are some timed sequences, but I haven’t gotten that far) and it feels like you have all the time in the world, because there isn’t actually anyone searching for you after first few minutes. On a positive note, I really like the graphics. Yeah, it’s sometimes a bit of pixel hunting, but thankfully my eyesight is still pretty good. I also like the humour, but it doesn’t really save (for me) really slow-paced dialogue. Plus it's for free, which is a great plus for obvious reasons. To be honest, I will probably give this game another few tries in a future, because I want to believe that all those great reviews aren’t just a joke and I really can't let anything lie around unfinished. TL;DR: Download this game as long as it’s for free and you’re extremely bored / don’t have anything else to play. However, if you want something similar that will make you want to keep playing, I’d suggest Primordia (also available on GOG).

I did enjoy it, great story and nice graphics, it's 1994 so music fits but sometimes it's too loud and even turning it off don't help, it goes back to loud in next room but it's not a bad problem. Game is good and if dated gfx is not a problem for You, try it.

Beneath a Steel Sky was sitting in my account for years before I got around to playing it--it was added into my account for free and I just forgot about it. It turns out it was a hidden gem sitting there quietly all these years. It's actually a surprisingly relatable dystopian story where corporations rule what's left of human society, people's civil liberties are restricted depending on their social caste or rank and human lives are deemed worth less than whatever the factories are manufacturing. Relatable indeed. Visually the game is pleasantly colorful and yet atmospheric; there is the gloom of the factory floor, the somewhat sterile and fake cheerfulness of the residential areas, and the creepy underground 'lair' of the evil supercomputer. Despite all the doom and gloom, the game doesn't lack sense of humour, primarily but not exclusively in the form of the robot sidekick Joey (I'm a sucker for robot sidekicks). One of my favourite moments in the whole game is when Joey gets a new body and is so excited about it that he starts imitating a Dalek. EX-TER-MI-NATE! EX-TER-MI-NATE. In a perfect Dalek voice, too. I would probably replay the game just to see that scene again. Fun times.

I had heard of this game for years and never played it until now. It's what you would expect from a point-and-click adventure game. Talk to people, examine stuff, collect items, use items, solve puzzles, etc. The main character is likeable, but a little typical, I suppose. There's voice acting and a soundtrack. I unfortunately stumbled upon a bug where Joey, the robot, got stuck and would not follow me into the elevator, causing the game to basically freeze after my character asked him to follow. I, of course, had only one save and it was after Joey stopped moving. Had I not downloaded some backed up save files I found online, I'd have had to start over, which would have pissed me off royally. That's the biggest beef I had with the game. The story was interesting, but a little predictable. Visually, it's pleasingly retro. Anyway, think of King's Quest, Space Quest or similar titles. That's what this game is like. If you're an adventure game fan, definitely try this.

I hesitated for years to play this game. I'm glad I gave it a chance! The story is very cute! I don't think I would have been able to figure this game out without a walkthrough though. I still very much enjoyed the gameplay and the nostalgia of these old school point and click type games. This one definitely feels like a classic game.