08/08/20: BaSS just got a big update, and many of the technical issues that plagued my experience have reportedly been remedied. As such, I have changed the review to positive, and updated its contents.

Beyond a Steel Sky (BaSS) is a direct sequel to the 1994 point-and-click Beneath a Steel Sky, and continues the story of Robert Foster and Union City. BaSS features enjoyable gameplay and likeable characters, but suffers from a few rather bland plot points, and lacks some polish.

🎮BaSS can be played with both keyboard/mouse and controller, though controls cannot be re-bound for either.🎮

BaSS’s gameplay is reminiscent of classic point-and-click titles; it couples a relatively modern third-person perspective, free camera and WASD controls with point-and-click interaction. Upon coming to and highlighting an object, players have the option to interact with it, use an inventory item, or inspect it, causing Foster to comment. Movement and camera control feel pretty good.

Much of one’s progression through the game involves solving various puzzles using the environment and inventory items. For example, finding a firecracker to scare away some birds in order to access the door they were blocking. A hint system is present if players get stuck.

Adding another dimension to the puzzle solving is the new hacking system; Foster can now interact with various electronic devices via his hacking tool. For instance, if a door won’t open because Foster isn’t allowed in, he can switch the door’s programming so that it opens when approached by someone who isn’t authorised.

I liked the hacking system quite a lot, I only wish I got the chance to use it more often and in more ways.

BaSS is presented as a series of small levels that players will visit multiple times throughout the game. These are filled with NPCs who move around and interact in an attempt to make the world feel alive, and the game does a decent job of accomplishing this. Some areas from the first game are revisited, offering a little slice of nostalgia for fans. Ambient dialogue is silent, which feels a bit jarring, as all other encounters are fully voiced.

BaSS ditches much of its predecessor’s grungy, industrial aesthetic in favour of a clean, sci-fi look. It all looks quite nice, with nicely modelled sci-fi vehicles, buildings and holograms, but as someone who’s seen a lot of this kind of thing before, it felt quite generic. Later in the game, however, Foster returns to the high up industrial area of the city, and it looks great. The orange-tinted skyline and sound of wind rushing past sets a fantastic scene, and will undoubtedly bring nostalgia to bear in those who played the first game.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2169364201
Like its predecessor, BaSS features a serious tone, but offsets it with humorous dialogue and character moments. Foster visits Union City once again; a place he once saved with his robot buddy Joey, whom he left behind to run the city and improve the lives of its citizens. This time, he’s on the trail of a child kidnapped from his village.

Union City is now a utopian place where every human need is attended to, but at the cost of its citizens’ freedom of both body and thought, not to mention the unseen moral and physical costs of maintaining such a place. Various nods to the previous game are present.

BaSS features a dialogue wheel similar to Mass Effect or Fallout 4, which allows players to choose responses to give and questions to ask in conversations. This doesn’t see much use in story-heavy encounters, however, as Foster has his own personality and will converse automatically.

BaSS also features a number of quite amusing personalities, and most character interactions are interesting, entertaining, or both. It does feature a generic moustache-twirler antagonist though, unfortunately.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2169366639
Sadly, when using the dialogue wheel, conversation can feel disjointed; some options will cause an NPC to speak as if they’d forgotten what you’d just told them, or vice-versa. Likewise, in scripted dialogue encounters, Foster sometimes mentions things that he and the player are aware of, but the person he’s speaking to shouldn’t be, yet they just continue as if they know exactly what he’s talking about.

The weakest point of the story is its ending, and emphasis placed on characters in it. The game overstays its welcome by continuing after what feels like an (albeit somewhat inconclusive) ending to present a final sequence that’s out of place with the rest of the game. This sequence delves into the moral and philosophical failings of the utopian Union City, but the delivery is so blunt and on the nose that I found it hard to enjoy or even take seriously, especially when coupled with the bizarre manner in which it’s presented. The emotional value of this sequence also hinges almost entirely on the player having experienced the previous game, and even then, falls a bit flat.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
HDD
Windows 10

BaSS first released on mobile, and as one would expect, its graphics are a bit dated, though still quite nice.There are a few nice views to be had, and the high-quality comic book style cutscenes in the beginning of the game are a nice throwback to the previous entry.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2169364976
BaSS features pleasant music, particularly the main-menu track, though for the most part it’s relatively unremarkable. I did notice one track that sounded reminiscent of the style used in the previous game, however, so that was nice. Sound effects are good, with some nice ambient sounds like vehicles flying overhead and the wind rushing past when up on a tall building.

Using the specs listed above, I got a consistent 60fps on the highest settings, with very rare dips into the 40’s.

Shadow quality has a large effect on GPU usage; having shadows on “epic” caused my GPU to run up to 95% load. All other graphics settings had minimal impact, even on their highest options.


NPCs can occasionally have trouble pathfinding around the player or each other, and can get stuck.

The game still lacks some polish, but I'm confident it will continue to be improved.

BaSS is an enjoyable game with solid gameplay that offers something a little different, as well as a line-up of likeable characters and good humour, though a couple of plot points did fall a bit flat.

I recommend this game to fans of the 1994 classic, and to those who like its quirky style.

If you're looking for more quality reviews like this, follow our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

[h1][i]26 years on, the cult classic gets a sequel. All is not well in Union City.[/i][/h1] [h2][i]-[u]Review Update[/u]-[/i][/h2] [b]08/08/20:[/b] [i]BaSS[/i] just got a big update, and many of the technical issues that plagued my experience have reportedly been remedied. As such, I have changed the review to positive, and updated its contents. [h2][i]-[u]Overview[/u]-[/i][/h2] [i]Beyond a Steel Sky (BaSS)[/i] is a direct sequel to the 1994 point-and-click [i]Beneath a Steel Sky[/i], and continues the story of Robert Foster and [i]Union City[/i]. [i]BaSS[/i] features enjoyable gameplay and likeable characters, but suffers from a few rather bland plot points, and lacks some polish. [quote]🎮[i]BaSS can be played with both keyboard/mouse and controller, though controls [b]cannot[/b] be re-bound for either.[/i]🎮[/quote] [h2][i]-[u]Gameplay[/u]-[/i][/h2] [h3]Basics:[/h3] [i]BaSS’s[/i] gameplay is reminiscent of classic point-and-click titles; it couples a relatively modern third-person perspective, free camera and WASD controls with point-and-click interaction. Upon coming to and highlighting an object, players have the option to interact with it, use an inventory item, or inspect it, causing Foster to comment. Movement and camera control feel pretty good. Much of one’s progression through the game involves solving various puzzles using the environment and inventory items. For example, finding a firecracker to scare away some birds in order to access the door they were blocking. A hint system is present if players get stuck. Adding another dimension to the puzzle solving is the new hacking system; Foster can now interact with various electronic devices via his hacking tool. For instance, if a door won’t open because Foster isn’t allowed in, he can switch the door’s programming so that it opens when approached by someone who [i]isn’t[/i] authorised. I liked the hacking system quite a lot, I only wish I got the chance to use it more often and in more ways. [h3]World Design:[/h3] [i]BaSS[/i] is presented as a series of small levels that players will visit multiple times throughout the game. These are filled with NPCs who move around and interact in an attempt to make the world feel alive, and the game does a decent job of accomplishing this. Some areas from the first game are revisited, offering a little slice of nostalgia for fans. Ambient dialogue is silent, which feels a bit jarring, as all other encounters are fully voiced. [i]BaSS[/i] ditches much of its predecessor’s grungy, industrial aesthetic in favour of a clean, sci-fi look. It all looks quite nice, with nicely modelled sci-fi vehicles, buildings and holograms, but as someone who’s seen a lot of this kind of thing before, it felt quite generic. Later in the game, however, Foster returns to the high up industrial area of the city, and it looks great. The orange-tinted skyline and sound of wind rushing past sets a fantastic scene, and will undoubtedly bring nostalgia to bear in those who played the first game. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2169364201 [h2][i]-[u]Story[/u]-[/i][/h2] Like its predecessor, [i]BaSS[/i] features a serious tone, but offsets it with humorous dialogue and character moments. Foster visits [i]Union City[/i] once again; a place he once saved with his robot buddy Joey, whom he left behind to run the city and improve the lives of its citizens. This time, he’s on the trail of a child kidnapped from his village. [i]Union City[/i] is now a utopian place where every human need is attended to, but at the cost of its citizens’ freedom of both body and thought, not to mention the unseen moral and physical costs of maintaining such a place. Various nods to the previous game are present. [i]BaSS[/i] features a dialogue wheel similar to [i]Mass Effect[/i] or [i]Fallout 4[/i], which allows players to choose responses to give and questions to ask in conversations. This doesn’t see much use in story-heavy encounters, however, as Foster has his own personality and will converse automatically. [i]BaSS[/i] also features a number of quite amusing personalities, and most character interactions are interesting, entertaining, or both. It does feature a generic moustache-twirler antagonist though, unfortunately. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2169366639 Sadly, when using the dialogue wheel, conversation can feel disjointed; some options will cause an NPC to speak as if they’d forgotten what you’d just told them, or vice-versa. Likewise, in scripted dialogue encounters, Foster sometimes mentions things that he and the player are aware of, but the person he’s speaking to shouldn’t be, yet they just continue as if they know exactly what he’s talking about. The weakest point of the story is its ending, and emphasis placed on characters in it. The game overstays its welcome by continuing after what feels like an (albeit somewhat inconclusive) ending to present a final sequence that’s out of place with the rest of the game. This sequence delves into the moral and philosophical failings of the utopian [i]Union City[/i], but the delivery is so blunt and on the nose that I found it hard to enjoy or even take seriously, especially when coupled with the bizarre manner in which it’s presented. The emotional value of this sequence also hinges almost entirely on the player having experienced the previous game, and even then, falls a bit flat. [h2][i]-[u]Technical[/u]-[/i][/h2] [quote][b]This game was played with the following PC specs:[/b] Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz 16GB DDR3 RAM GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB 1680x1050 resolution HDD Windows 10[/quote] [h3]Visuals:[/h3] [i]BaSS[/i] first released on mobile, and as one would expect, its graphics are a bit dated, though still quite nice.There are a few nice views to be had, and the high-quality comic book style cutscenes in the beginning of the game are a nice throwback to the previous entry. https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2169364976 [h3]Audio:[/h3] [i]BaSS[/i] features pleasant music, particularly the main-menu track, though for the most part it’s relatively unremarkable. I did notice one track that sounded reminiscent of the style used in the previous game, however, so that was nice. Sound effects are good, with some nice ambient sounds like vehicles flying overhead and the wind rushing past when up on a tall building. [h3]Performance:[/h3] Using the specs listed above, I got a consistent 60fps on the highest settings, with very rare dips into the 40’s. Shadow quality has a large effect on GPU usage; having shadows on “epic” caused my GPU to run up to 95% load. All other graphics settings had minimal impact, even on their highest options. [h3]Issues:[/h3] NPCs can occasionally have trouble pathfinding around the player or each other, and can get stuck. The game still lacks some polish, but I'm confident it will continue to be improved. [h2][i]-[u]Summary[/u]-[/i][/h2] [i]BaSS[/i] is an enjoyable game with solid gameplay that offers something a little different, as well as a line-up of likeable characters and good humour, though a couple of plot points did fall a bit flat. [b]I recommend this game to fans of the 1994 classic, and to those who like its quirky style.[/b] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37072886][quote]If you're looking for more quality reviews like this, follow our curator page, [b]Devils in the Detail[/b].