It transpires that the scanner is the key to many of the principle puzzles, allowing you to switch elements of the automated world around in a diagram screen which opens providing you are in close proximity to the machine that you wish to hack. The city itself is a wonder of science fiction modernity, with automated advertising, robots and devices at every turn, most of which can be hacked when you manage to barter for a scanner. Returning to the story, it is revealed early on that Union City was originally founded by Robert’s android Joey but he was ousted in recent years by the current rulers who on first encounter appear officious and more than a little sinister. This isn’t to say that you won’t be spending a lot of time exploring Union City, but Revolution’s knowledge of how to finely craft a satisfying adventure experience that sidesteps aimless wandering and focuses on delivering a joyous narrative shows why they are so highly regarded and they clearly still have the chops. This avoids being swamped with options when the complexity of the puzzles is ramped up and thus removes a lot of time wasting and frustration. Robert collects quite a few objects on his journey, and fortunately when you interact with anything, the HUD is forgiving enough to only allow you to select an object if has any relevance to the solution or comedy value. It’s an excellent system and helps to avoid looking for walkthoughs online which is never satisfying. Even after all the hints have been given, there are often times when you just have to rely upon your basic common sense so reaching a solution still feels like an achievement. ![]() Fortunately, the developers have included an excellent hints system which slowly reveals a solution over time, allowing you to try and unpick a problem without having it handed to you on a plate. Occasionally the solution to a puzzle doesn’t appear readily available, even after picking all the brains of the NPCs, scouring every interactive machine, or searching each building multiple times. Interacting with any of the significant NPCs opens a selection of conversation threads which you can choose to follow and the responses are generally witty and relevant to the story, adding depth to each character and all the while immersing the player into the story. ![]() ![]() Generally these areas are rich enough with content, characters and story that you don’t mind hanging out exploring every inch of your environs while you look for solutions to the puzzles. The game is structured in chunks, meaning that you’ll only move onto the next area once you have triggered the necessary events. Once the cut scenes have ended and you take control of Robert, it becomes apparent that the third person view and the amount of detail packed into each explorable area are thankfully worlds away from the original game’s point and click 2D experience. Buoyed by a search for the child and justice for his badly injured friend, Robert heads back into Union City in search of the mechanical behemoth responsible. Cut scenes re-introduce your smart-talking and slightly butch protagonist Robert Foster, who witnesses the abduction of his friend’s son while they are out in the countryside. The story opens in ‘The Gap’, the desert wastelands inhabited by those who choose not to be part of the corporate gated Union City. ![]() However, the scale of the game meant that Amiga owners had to juggle twelve floppy discs in order to traverse Union City during a playthrough. His collaboration with artist Dave Gibbons ( Watchmen) two years earlier in 1994 was no less critically acclaimed and featured the same high quality of storytelling along with his trademark wit and Gibbons’ inventive visuals. Revolution Software‘s Charles Cecil is something of a god amongst adventure aficionados, being responsible for the Broken Sword series which began its five game run in 1996, balancing densely plotted stories with intelligent wit to great effect. Visually, the cel-shaded 3D world bears little resemblance to the original 2D game from 1994, but has the gameplay moved on enough to make it a worthy successor for this generation of gamers? Beyond A Steel Sky Review (PS4) Featuring the same lead character Robert Foster, and set in the same dystopian Australia of the future, the new story concerns our protagonist’s search for a missing boy abducted from the desert wastelands around Union City which leads him into the metropolis to uncover the truth. Beyond A Steel Sky PS4 Review Twenty six years after the highly lauded point and click sci-fi adventure Beneath a Steel Sky was released on PC and the Commodore Amiga, the same team have reunited for the sequel Beyond a Steel Sky.
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