Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)

I encounted BASS as a demo on a cover disk before it first released and have completed the full game a few times over the years but I wanted to revisit it before playing Beyond a Steel Sky for the first time. The story in BASS still holds up but won't feel as fresh as it did when it first released as the themes have become overused in SF over the last few decades. Several of the characters, however, remain memorable and are entertaining to interact with. The humour, which keeps the game from getting dark despite the underlying theme, is classically British and of the era. The graphics, although low resolution, are charming and suit the game well. This is a classic point and click adventure, so there are a few cheap deaths that might catch you out. Save often. Also, it's easy to miss important puzzle objects that are needed to progress so get used to pixel hunting. There are no hints and some of the puzzles are a little obtuse by modern standards but the game is short and can be entirely completed without resorting to a guide in just a few playing sessions. In isolation, I would give it 4 stars but have rounded up to 5 stars for nostalgia. The game is free on GOG and is well worth spending a few hours playing.

A point-and-click adventure game with an interesting idea and story. Joey's dry humor throughout the early and mid-portion of the game was great, most characters were fairly interesting, and the plot was good. My main complaint is that Foster was rather bland, and had little reason for his goals. He just wanted to find out who caused the incident, why, and how to get out. I feel his goals could have been a little bit more varied from that, and that the puzzles could've been easier. Some of the items for said puzzles don't make sense, or they're not very clear. Finding characters for certain dialogue to solve puzzles is also frustrating, as well as Joey simply not being able to keep up. Overall, however, BASS is great for a free game! Just be sure to grab a game guide to solve those puzzles.

Amazing atmosphere as always in a cyberpunk style game that probably resembles a Steampunk a little, creating amazing atmosphere that will draw you in.

An engaging design both in the interface and story. Humor is sprinkled throughout, coming from many different characters, yet the plot is intriguing. The main character, Robert Foster, is a roughened individual. The intro reveals why. As the story unfolds you can thus understand what drives him from one scene to the next, sort of. Sort of because he is as much in the dark as the person playing the game is. Very well done! Extremely satisfying adventure set at just the right difficulty. A little thought, a look in the inventory, carefully listening to npcs, will get you right through to the end. Nothing to complain about here. As my title states, excellent! A gem! Check out this teaser. It's sure to get you off the fence and into the game! https://youtu.be/O0dY9nXNTqo

Games were hard back then. I started with Kings Quest I so I know... But in these days I don't have time or nerve for these any more. Never complete anything without clues back then. But nice graphics, music and voice. Very well made game. I have two walkthroughs and still can not complete this? Maybe bug? One door does not open. I'll try for the story.