Game classic Beneath a Steel Sky from 1994 gets a sequel
Revolution Software has announced Beyond a Steel Sky. The game is a successor to the point and click puzzle game Beneath a Steel Sky, which appeared in 1994. The creators of the original are involved in the successor that will appear on PC, consoles and Apple Arcade this year.
In Beyond a Steel Sky, main character Robert Froster returns and finds himself once again in a dystopian city ruled by an artificial intelligence. The game deals with themes such as social control and privacy. The graphical style of the new game has changed a lot from the two-dimensional original. Beyond a Steel Sky will have three-dimensional environments in which players can also walk around instead of just clicking on objects.
The creative duo behind the original game are working on the sequel. These are Charles Cecil, the chief designer and CEO of Revolution Software, and artist Dave Gibbons. He is also known for his work on the Watchmen comic strip, which he co-wrote with Alan Moore. In an interview with Variety they say that they deliberately do not call the game Beneath a Steel Sky 2, because then the game would be associated with the point and click style of the first part. They also want people who don’t know the original to be able to play the new game without any problems. The game is in line with the first part in terms of themes and story, but knowledge of that game is not required.
Beyond a Steel Sky was announced Monday evening at the presentation of Apple’s Arcade game service, and footage was also shown. The game will be part of that subscription, but there will also be versions for PC and consoles. It is not yet clear which consoles the game will be released on. A release date has not yet been announced, but it has been announced that the game will be released this year.
The original game Beneath a Steel Sky was released in 1994 for MS-DOS and the Commodore Amiga. Several releases followed on other platforms, including Windows. A remastered iOS version of the game was released in 2009. The original PC version is now available for free as freeware. The game received high ratings upon release and was praised for its good puzzles and story. It was also a commercial success.
Apple Arcade announcement video detailing Beyond a Steel Sky starting at 00:17