Beyond a Steel Sky Analysis: Return to Union City

It has been a long time since the world of video games received Under a sky of steel, a cult classic that brought in 1994 one of the great graphic adventures of the time. Set in a cyberpunk sci-fi universe, this work was developed by Revolution software. The British studio has endowed its work with some doses of comedy in an addicting narrative. Together, they made an unforgettable trip. Exploration, elections and a dream art section now return in Beyond a sky of steel.

With Charles Cecil (creator of Broken sword) as director, and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen designer) in the artistic direction, nothing could go wrong. The long-awaited sequel to Under a sky of steel It’s here, and it brings us back to Union City, a utopian city where nothing is what it seems. After freeing her from the evil IA LINC, Foster must return, driven by the difficult mission of finding Milo, a kidnapped boy in his colony. After the attack, our protagonist will find out how much Union City has changed.

Beyond Steel Sky presents Union City to us like never before

One of the reasons why I think this game will attract new players is without a doubt its artistic section. The whole adventure is based on the characteristic style of “cel shading”, a device that we have already seen on several occasions. Borders is one of the most recognizable examples, and it is no wonder that Beyond a sky of steel use it, keeping in mind the geniuses behind it.

Charles Cecil once again demonstrates his ease with this type of video game, because Broken sword he also followed the same path in his time. The “comic” tone goes beyond the general visual section of the video game. Its own intro puts us squarely at the start of the adventure with vignettes and dialogue, which seem to be taken from a regular comic book. And that’s where it comes in Dave Gibbons, designer for Watchmen. Revolution Software thus achieves a cast full of talent, where Gibbons brings his touch to give life to a Union City like we have never seen it before.

As Foster begins his journey in the middle of the desert, it won’t take long to discover how much the big city has changed. Joey

, his old friend, who ruled and brought stability to Union City after the fall of LINC, ceded power to a new AI. Greta, along with the Council, is tasked with keeping this gigantic futuristic city safe. Just take a first glance to see how detailed it is. The exterior is captivating from the start, with massive skyscrapers, fantastic lighting, and cool design across the board, characters included.

Interiors, also thanks to the possibilities of interaction, have a multitude of objects and details. In addition, the game features two modes in the video section; 60fps at 1080 The 30fps a 4K in the X series, while in the S series, we will have 30 frames per second with more detail at 1080. Although we cannot move freely around the city, the perceived sensation at all times is that we are faced with a well polished game with a visual section that more than fulfills its mission.

Beyond is a graphic adventure with all the letters

The new from Revolution Software takes the basics of Broken sword and many other adventure games, including the one above Beyond a sky of steel. We must not forget the genre to which it belongs, and as such, it is a graphic adventure adapted to the time. To tell us the rest of Under a sky of steel, Revolution Software gives the player complete freedom to explore, although yes, with limited areas, more than a world open to use.

In these spaces, we will find many elements with which to interact. In a way, the game presents us with a sort of much bigger puzzle, which in turn is made up of “mini puzzles”. Moving forward, it will be essential to review every inch and unlock new dialogues, so that we can achieve these goals and move on. A good example of this is all it took to get into Union City. In addition to various objects, I had to interact with various characters, in a succession of choices and dialogues, which led to the solution to access Union City. I won’t disclose anything but… let’s just say Foster isn’t using the most legal method in the world.

Everyone brings something to Beyond a Steel Sky

Regarding the dialogues, the game provides many lines with which in addition to immersing ourselves in the main plot, we will discover new information about everything around us. In fact, there are characters who, while not that important, allow us to unlock certain achievements or learn a little more about them or the city. In the middle of the conversation, we will have time to choose our answers and questions.

Each dialogue opens up an interesting range of possibilities, and something I liked is the naturalness of the NPC when interacting with us, with additional answers if we insist on the same question. Although the animations could be improved, I have to say that everything is working as expected.

“The lore is part of the game”

That’s right, Union City is alive. As soon as we enter it, we will see a new universe, a sea of ​​imposing skyscrapers, which goes beyond its simple facade. Beyond has several ways to display it, and one of them is the “Greta” terminals. They’re available all over town, and in them Greta, the new AI at the helm, gives us information on whatever we need. However, it won’t take long for Foster to realize that there is something fishy about her.

Another way to find out how Union City works is MINOS. It is a portal available in the city’s cyberspace, and which we can easily access with our identification. Inside, you can read all our pending messages, discover the civic guide that applies to citizens, watch the news or know our amount of Qdos, the “currency” of the game. Although more than a currency, it is the amount that allows people to be placed in one social class or another.

Full control over citizens

Absolutely everything is related to us. And once the U-chip in hand and registered with an ID, we will become Union City citizens. This way, it will be enough to use your hand to use the vending machines, access restaurants, shops, MINOS stands, and much more.

Very quickly, we realize that the city is not just a setting. And besides being controlled by Greta, there is a board behind that makes sure everything is under control. Something that one can find out through MINOS, where each of the different ministries controlled by the council is collected, like the ministry of social assistance, which will have some relation with Foster (I cannot reveal more). If you don’t go to work, if you don’t vote, if you don’t consume anything, if you don’t show signs of life, the council will know.

Hacking and inventory

The hacking mechanics are very present throughout the adventure, and it is that where there is so much technology, it is clear that there is always room to seek life in a less… legal way. . After obtaining the corresponding device and having configured it for this, we will be able to control the accesses or the machines that allow it.. And it’s not only useful for controlling vending machines. They can really lead the way for us where the use of words or force doesn’t. After activating it, we will see a series of schematics for controlling the systems in question, although the options are usually very limited. Also, it’s not entirely clear how to achieve them, so it’s time to try and take it one step at a time.

Maybe in that sense I have a feeling that hacking is okay, but sometimes you feel something wasted

, and with it also the environments themselves, which don’t give as much play as I expected. Of course, when managing our inventory, we will have a good space to fill with all kinds of items. And I advise you to keep each object, because you never know when they will be useful to us.

Sound section; one lime and one sand

In terms of sound, Beyond a sky of steel compliant, but not particularly flashy. Perhaps also due to its own characteristics, this is a title that does not feature a sufficiently remarkable soundtrack. Its slow pace and lack of cutscenes or background music takes care of virtually everything in the interaction and dialogue. Of course, the sound effects help to give the city more life. Even from the inside, we can hear how life is still on the streets.

Although the character animations are quite improvable, once i got into their dialogs and the options that generate them i liked them very much. You have to take into account the great work that this entails, as this is a title fully supported by its storytelling, with many alternate lines and options that are not always necessary for the adventure. Even like that, gives the impression that everything is well built, with dubbing to match and plenty of moments of comedy, tension and even the most surreal situations.

Does he live up to Beneath a Steel Sky?

It is a graphic adventure that follows the plot that left us in its time Under a sky of steel, and in that sense, I think the fans can be more than happy. There are a lot of nods to Foster’s first adventure, a renovated town with fantastic visuals and lots of dialogue that, along with exploration, results in a good handful of hours of fun. Keep in mind that many less accustomed players may find this adventure boring, due to its slow pace.

The plot is perhaps not the most elaborate, nor particularly addicting. To this must be added a few open spaces which could well be better exploited. However, the setting, its puzzles, and the fact of returning to a new Union City, are more than enough reasons to put yourself in Foster’s shoes, find Joey and complete a complicated new mission.

We thank the team of Afternoon games, the code for this analysis. We remind you that they are responsible for bringing us the physical edition of this great launch in Europe.

If you liked this scan, remember that you can find plenty more in the Xbox area.