![]() When you use this unique device, you can change the behaviour of the A.I and digital matter around you by rearranging commands. You’ve got access to a range of tools but there’s only one way to make progress with them, so experimentation is sadly off the table.Įven the digital doohickie isn’t utilized to its fullest potential and it’s the coolest aspect of the gameplay. One problem Beyond A Steel Sky can’t seem to solve however is making greater use out of what’s available. Whether it’s jacking openings with his trusty crowbar or fiddling with a digital pad to reconstruct A.I, Foster knows how to make use of his objects and gadgets to solve problems. Foster is no crochety old man, but he is a handyman. Not ashamed to be something of a highway litter picker, Foster seemingly has a distinct gift for knabbing stuff he comes across, some of which he uses to scare a flock of pesky birds with. His upbringing nurtured in The Gap is demonstrated by his technological savvy and ability to solve problems, which tucks in well alongside the gamey conceits of Beyond A Steel Sky. Arguably Foster could be replaced by a pint of Foster’s and he still wouldn’t be likeable – but that’s enough of the beer comparison silliness.įoster may not be blessed with the tools of an engaging personality, but he certainly knows how to use tools to accomplish his goals. The rigidity inherent in Foster’s personality and the lack of conviction in his words makes him unappealing, showing no strength of character or a reason to like him. It’s a disappointment as there’s clearly a well-defined pencil sketch of greatness to the cast but they won’t hold your attention for long.įoster is flat, quite like his namesake beer once it’s settled a bit. ![]() ![]() Yet despite the quirkiness and diversity of the characters you meet along the way, you aren’t given a compelling reason to care about any of them. Your associates include a truck driver, a tinkerer, a feisty young woman, a shady moustache-twirling miscreant and a boastful award-winning poet laureate. Your abode is adorned with technological enhancements as well, where a suave robotic butler greets you and performs domestic duties, a cornucopia of characters will make your acquaintance, some who will aid you on your quest, some who are strange and look like they’re hiding something sketchy from you, and hey if you love poetry, you’ll get a serving of that as well. Like Strange New World, you enter a city with laws and rules that are made to keep people happy – only this time there are no soma drugs involved. This leads Foster into uncovering the dark truth about Union City and it’s a convincing journey along the way.īeyond A Steel Sky, like its predecessor, plays with concepts familiar to classic fiction like Brave New World as well as landmark videogame series’ like Fallout and Borderlands to establish its identity whilst clinging steadfast to tradition like a rottweiler synching its teeth into your Nike shorts. Foster’s task leads him outside familiar surroundings and towards the unknown Union City – a pulsing futuristic metropolis and one of the last bastions and safe havens from war and political upheaval and strife, where robotic drones roam and the populace distracts itself with all manner of digital folly all under the watchful eye of a benign A.I.įoster has to resort to infiltration tactics after stealing an ID chip to gain access to Union City, donning several aliases to pass by unchecked from the city’s bigwigs as he attempts to track down Milo and take revenge on his captors. Set 10 years after the events of Beneath A Steel Sky, Robert Foster is no longer a timid little boy lost in the outlands known as “The Gap” he’s a man on a mission to rescue a boy called Milo who has gotten himself caught up in the clutches of masked riders as they ambush a settlement, kidnap him and stow him into the back of a four-legged machine-like vehicle. Is there any room for Beyond A Steel Sky to leave a lasting contribution on the evolution of the point and clicker over a quarter of a century later, or does it refuse to remove itself from the past? Later on, Telltale Games broke the mould with its emotionally resonating storytelling in The Walking Dead, following its success up with a myriad of licensed episodic adventures that excited and delighted purest point and clicker aficionados and casual newcomers alike. Tim Schafer followed up his 1993 classic Day of the Tentacle with the steely biker adventures of Full Throttle and the smooth classier than an Old Fashion cocktail Grim Fandango. Point and click adventures have come on leaps and bounds since 1994 – the year Beyond A Steel Sky’s predecessor Beneath A Steel Sky was released.
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