I’m really happy that new demo version in fact has more content than I’ve initially planned. But on the other hand, it lacks new music tracks, which I had to move to version 0.2.2 (that I hope to release next week). Now, let’s move straight to the current update details.
I’ve added full-scale tutorial to the game. It starts with small introduction about equipment basics and continues with training mission that explains everything you need to know about the combat. This training mission is not tied to the story and won’t need much time to be completed. When you start the game for the first time it will give you prompt about tutorial. Once tutorial is complete, or if you refused to start it, this prompt will stop appearing later even if you reset your save by starting new game. But you still can start tutorial any time by pressing “?” button on the Map or Equipment screen.
I’ve added time measurement feature that will be very interesting for speed runners. It measures only actual gameplay time, ignoring time you spend in menus, pauses and dialogues. However, it still counts all boss fights attempts if you failed to defeat a boss in the first attempt to do so. You can check your current playthrough time in settings section of the main menu. If it will be possible, later I’ll make a ladder based on different players playthrough times.
Sound and visual improvements are also here. There is bunch of new sound effects implemented along with improvements for some particular sounds. As for the visual part it was improved in general and has one principal fix that I planned long ago. The game is now free of asset rotation usage. Previously I used it for the things with fast rotation speed, like wheels or vents. Now all such things have animated sprites instead of rotation, which is critical for pixel art visual style.
I also couldn’t avoid some balance changes. I’ve tweaked a lot of things here, from turrets rate of fire to mini-bosses health. As a result – gameplay became a bit harder and more interesting. But here I’d like to warn you about non-lethal attack and Shock Stabilizer device that improves it. From now non-lethal attack has much worse range and requires more energy to be used, and Shock Stabilizer device improves the attack to pre-0.2.1 state, and even improves its range further. Also I'd like to mention the crafting system improvement that allows you to craft items much more often.
Holiday Gift Ideas That Will Make Gamers Of All Types Happy
One of the daunting challenges when buying gifts for gamers are the scores of options and the equal number of uncertainties. Dozens of games have been released in the past year and it’s tough to know which ones are good or if a player has one already.
Moving beyond releases, gift-givers can turn to peripherals that have become popular over the past few years. Headsets or controllers are usually good offerings but choosing the right one can be difficult. If you’re not familiar with all gaming, here are gift ideas tailored for all types players whether they focus on console, PC or mobile gaming.
“Deathloop” pits Colt Vaught against Julianna Blake as they fight amid time loop that keeps both at an island full of mad scientists and mentally unstable creatives. (Bethesda)THE PERFECT GAMES FOR … First-person shooter fans: “Deathloop” is one of the best games to come out all year and combines Arkane Studios’ signature sandbox gameplay with an engrossing and original story about the protagonist Colt Vahn being stuck in a time loop on an island full of the most inane and pretentious villains on the planet. Think of it as a “Groundhog Day” with a heavy dose of “Diehard” action. The only caveat before picking up this title is that it’s exclusively for the PlayStation 5, which is a machine that’s hard to come by, and PC. Price: $59.99
Nintendo Switch owners: “Monster Hunter Rise” streamlines this Capcom franchise’s signature gameplay and makes it more accessible than ever before. If the gamer is a fan of cooperative titles and action-heavy combat, this is the release that will satisfy for hours as players explore the game’s impressive depth. Price: $59.99
Xbox or PC players: Xbox Games Pass will be the gift that keeps on giving. Microsoft’s “Netflix”-style service gives players access to a plethora of projects, and over the past year, the company has been making it more attractive with the likes of “Psychonauts 2,” “Forza Horizon 5” and the upcoming “Halo Infinite.” Best of all, the service offers gaming via the cloud, which lets players access games on a wide range of devices. They can also pick it up on their Xbox or PC as well. Price: $14.99 per month for Ultimate or $119.99 for 12 month membership
Immerse Gaming is software that uses artificial intelligence and neural networks to create a personalized preset for players. (Immerse Gaming)THE PERFECT EXTRA FOR …… The competitive PC gamer who seemingly has everything: Immerse Gaming is a subscription software that’s designed to give players an edge in online shooters. The service uses AI and machine learning to create a personal preset based on a photograph of a player’s ear. It essentially brings Head Related Transfer Function to the masses using that technology. The result is a feature comparable to Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing but turned up to 11 because the software is custom-crafted to a headset and a player’s ear. That makes it more powerful. Before picking it up, make sure you pick the flavor for the right headset. Price: $14.99 for an annual subscription
Astro Gaming collaborated with Timbuk2 to create a line of gaming-focused bags — the CS03 Crossbody Sling, left, and the BP35 Gaming Backpack. (Astro Gaming)THE BEST BAG FOR …… “Pokemon Go” players: The Timbuk2 x Astro Gaming CS03 is the perfect bag for video game adventures outdoors. If players are out for Community Day or Pokemon Go Fest, they’ll need to carry batteries, power cords and other important items. A fanny pack could do but this crossbody sling works much better. It’s made of durable and water resistant materials and features nice design touches, such as a magnetically closing pocket. It’s also technically designed to hold a Nintendo Switch if players need to trade pocket monsters in “Pokemon Brilliant Diamond” or “Pokemon Shining Pearl.” The design and quality makes this video game-centric bag better than most out there. Price: $79.99.
The HyperX CloudX Singer Core wireless headset lacks some features that its rivals have but it excels at battery life and comfort. (HyperX)AN AFFORDABLE HEADSET FOR …… Xbox Series X|S players: The HyperX CloudX Stinger Core may not be the best device of its kind out there, but it’s certainly one of the best values for what it does. This wireless headset connects directly to Microsoft’s consoles and offers the signature HyperX comfort. It’s a headset that players can wear for hours without feeling any soreness or pain. Add in 17 hours of battery life and players have a device that’s perfect for marathon sessions on stream. It’s a solid choice for players looking for no-frills wireless device. Price: $99.99
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid are earbuds built for gaming. They work on the PlayStation 5, Nintendo switch and smartphone. (EPOS)THE BEST WIRELESS HEADSET FOR … … Gamers who want versatility: The EPOS GTW 270 is likely the direction gaming headsets will go in the next few years. Over-the-ear headsets are best in a bubble but the convenience and utility of the earbuds are ideal for the wireless world. These earbuds do a good job of isolating players with great sound, but the fact that this device can be used inside or outside the living room is what sets it apart. Think of it as a gamer version of the Apple AirPods with an emphasis on minimizing audio lag and a decent focus on chat. Price: $199
The Victrix Gambit Dual Core Tournament Controller features 14 swappable component and a carrying case. That’s a lot of value for the price. (Performance Designed Products) THE CONTROLLER WITH MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK FOR … … Competitive Xbox gamers: The Victrix Gambit Dual Core Tournament Controller has all the features one would expect from an elite-style peripheral. It has paddles in the back so that players won’t have to take their thumbs off the analog sticks. It has adjustable trigger stop positions for quick firing. It has 14 swappable components that let players customize the controller to their liking. The wired controller even has its own carrying case. Best of all, its Dual Core technology creates quick input processing giving players an edge in fighting games, shooters and other competitive games. In other words, if a Victrix player and an opponent both hit a button at the same time, the Victrix will likely register with the console sooner than the rival. That gives it fantastic responsiveness. It’s one of my favorite devices this year because of the value. Price: $99.One of the seminal, all time great point and click adventure games in the history of the medium is Beneath the Steel Sky, spoken of almost reverentially as one of the progenitors of the genre that would go on to become almost synonymous with the golden age of PC gaming. And yet, in an industry that is as trigger happy with remakes, re-releases, reimaginings, and indeed, sequels, as it is with running its successes into the ground, for whatever reason, Beneath a Steel Sky never saw a follow up in all the years that followed. Indeed, literal decades have gone by, and we have seen the rise, fall, and subsequent resurgence of the style of adventure games that it once pioneered – but we never saw a true follow up.
Until last year anyway, when Beyond a Steel Sky launched to an entirely new generation of players on PC and mobile devices. Now, that game has come over to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo consoles as well, exposing that sequel to an even broader audience – which is good, because this is definitely an unusual game that warrants a look at from anyone who is interested in adventure games, narrative based games, or just good old world building and dystopian narratives. Beyond a Steel Sky is decidedly a cerebral and slower game – it takes its time setting up the conflict and the stakes, there’s obviously no action to speak of, and the bulk of the gameplay is walking around, talking to people, looking at things, and then repeating those same actions in different orders to open up new pathways of progression. Much like visual novels, it’s more similar to reading a novel than it is to playing a game – and it actually comes with a lot of the same strengths that a graphic novel might have, including art work by famed Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons.
That art is actually the first thing you notice about the game, before anything else. The game starts out with a very comic book style introduction, with a quick recap of the original game’s story, and an equally quick setup of the immediate conflict that kicks off this game’s follow up to that narrative. This introduction is presented in the form of comic panels, complete with some pretty gorgeous art and some speech bubbles and exposition boxes, and random words bolded and italicized in the tradition of some of the most celebrated comics of all time. This strong art style and aesthetic is then maintained even when the comic book style introduction gives way to the actual game side of things, which has you controlling Robert Foster, the protagonist from the first game, in a 3D space, examining objects in the environment, talking to people, and solving puzzles.
"That art is actually the first thing you notice about the game, before anything else. The game starts out with a very comic book style introduction, with a quick recap of the original game’s story, and an equally quick setup of the immediate conflict that kicks off this game’s follow up to that narrative. This introduction is presented in the form of comic panels, complete with some pretty gorgeous art and some speech bubbles and exposition boxes, and random words bolded and italicized in the tradition of some of the most celebrated comics of all time."
Now, in a lot of modern adventure games and their derivatives, there has been a decidedly noticeable degradation in how they look when you are controlling the characters, versus how they look when you’re just in non interactive story segments. Some of the earlier Telltale games from the previous decade, such as The Walking Dead, definitely looked worse for the wear during gameplay segments, while visual novels like Zero Time Dilemma look great during cutscenes, and then pretty awful during gameplay. Beyond a Steel Sky manages to maintain its extraordinarily strong sense of aesthetic throughout – yes, those early comic segments I mentioned look gorgeous, but then the art style and the execution of said art style continues to hold even when you are playing the game. The characters look quirky and charming, and really well drawn, and the environments especially create an extremely strong sense of place, from the outskirts of Union City, to the city itself, with its shining piazzas and skyline that stretches as far into the distance as the eye can see, to the pristine interiors you find yourself in.
Those gorgeous visuals do justice to the really strong writing that ultimately forms the crux of an adventure game like this one – and yes, that writing holds up its end of the bargain. Characters are colorful, with strongly defined quirks of personality that never feel exaggerated or reductive in a way that we can often see in so many forms of media, the dialog is sharp and has the traditional wit that one would expect from a sequel to Beneath the Steel Sky. And the world building, from the flavor text you can find in descriptions to Foster’s own monologues, is extremely effective at painting a verbal picture about the world you are in, and the dystopia that the game’s setting of Union City seems to have descended into. Through all of this, the game manages to get some jabs in about a lot of aspects of modern contemporary existence in the real world too, from the never ending push towards “smart” connected devices, to the over reliance on technology, to even how insular a lot of communities can be, turning a blind eye to others’ sufferings happening right outside their boundaries, because it happens to not concern them in the moment. Beyond a Steel Sky has a surprising amount of things to say, and it says them well.
Unfortunately, the pacing of the actual storytelling can be, well, slow. I mentioned that this is a cerebral game earlier, and while I did mean it as a compliment, it can often feel dreadfully trite interacting with every possible thing that is interactable and talking to the same few people over and over again as you try and puzzle out what you are supposed to do; when stuff in the story happens, it usually feels appropriately engaging and like a satisfying payoff for the time you have spent in trying to get it to happen, but getting there can take a while.
"It can often feel dreadfully trite interacting with every possible thing that is interactable and talking to the same few people over and over again as you try and puzzle out what you are supposed to do; when stuff in the story happens, it usually feels appropriately engaging and like a satisfying payoff for the time you have spent in trying to get it to happen, but getting there can take a while."
A large part of this has to do with the nature of the gameplay – it’s always going to be talking to people and interacting with objects, sometimes in repeated permutations and combinations, and often in service to some mostly simplistically designed puzzle that feels tedious to solve. The worst of it happens when the puzzle is simple, but still obtusely telegraphed, meaning that the solution feels uniquely unsatisfying and deflating when you do get it. The good thing is, the game includes a pretty good Hints system that you can peruse at any time – it starts by nudging you in the right direction, presumably hoping that you can figure things out from its directions yourself, but if you keep pulling it up, eventually it will give you the full solution outright. It’s balanced well too – you can only call up one hint every 30 seconds, meaning the game does expect you to follow up on the hint it gives you first yourself before letting you pull more help. It’s a fine line walked between being helpful, and outright just playing the game for you, and I think it’s well done. I just do think that a lot of the times the hint system ends up doing some of the heavy lifting for puzzles and problems that simply should and could have been better designed.
Not all the puzzles are poorly designed – a lot of them can feel like eureka moments in the tradition of the best point and click adventure puzzles from the genre’s heyday, for example, and the hacking puzzles are definitely fun little distractions. Those puzzles, which see you override the many connected devices and terminals throughout Union City and then rearrange their logic in some surprisingly effective visual representations of programming macros, present some of the best gameplay segments in the game – particularly because they are often paired with some of the best writing in the game as well.
How much you ultimately enjoy Beyond a Steel Sky will come down singularly to how much you enjoy its story, its world, and its characters. For fans of the original game, there’s a lot to love here – while this is clearly meant to be a standalone entry that newcomers can enjoy, it’s filled with references to the original game, and the conclusion of the story acts as much as a coda to the 1994 original as it does to this game’s narrative arc. For newcomers who aren’t already invested in the world, Beyond a Steel Sky does a remarkable job at setting up its world and conflict appropriately – but the slower pace of storytelling as well as the plodding gameplay could end up turning away a lot of people. Those who stay will find a very engaging experience – even if some nuances are lost on them, they will find a pretty effective story here populated with some delightfully memorable characters in a richly realized setting.
Almost 30 years have gone by since Beneath a Steel Sky; so much of the industry in general, and adventure games in particular, saw an evolution in that intervening period. Beyond a Steel Sky could easily have gone wrong. It could have stubbornly stuck to the past. Refusing to account for how things have changed in the almost three decades since the original game; it could have tried to chase down the modern take on adventure games in the guise of Telltale and Dontnod games, losing a lot of what made the original so beloved in the process. Instead, it straddles a fine line between modernization and tradition, and delivers a well told story that, while decidedly beyond a must-play love letter for fans of the original, manages to deliver a compelling experience to newcomers along the way as well, in spite of some unfortunate stumbles.
This game was reviewed on Xbox One.
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