Beyond A Steel Sky
iOS, PC
Don’t call it a sequel. Then again, Charles Cecil isn’t entirely sure of an appropriate alternative to describe the successor to 1994’s Beneath A Steel Sky. “I mean, it follows on,” he says. “It’s very much set in the same world. But the game is so totally different.”
He’s not wrong. Beyond goes, well, beyond any game Revolution has made in the 25 years since Beneath. During that time, you could argue that York’s finest has never fully lived up to its name; it’s kept the lights on by sticking to what it does best. Witty? Absolutely. Entertaining? Sure. But hardly revolutionary. Yet its recent success – and a little financial assistance from Apple – has allowed it to take that next step. That title doesn’t feel like an empty boast; rather, it’s a clear statement of intent.
It’s also a realisation of a long-held dream. Virtual Theatre was the name of the engine used to create Lure Of The Temptress three decades ago, but for Cecil it was a design ideal – albeit one, he admits, he’s never been able to properly make good on. Until now. “What I really wanted was a world where you can just sit and look at it go by, because people are doing things,” he explains. “Before, when we had a system like this on a 2D plane, characters would go off the screen and you’d have no idea where they were. Whereas here, you can look around and get a sense of an arena. And within that arena, all these characters are motivated by different things.”
AI routines for NPCs are nothing new, but as returning protagonist Robert Foster, you have a little more involvement in disrupting them. In fact, many of the game’s puzzles are built around this idea; rather than having to second-guess the designer’s obscure intentions (Cecil affectionately refers to Monkey Island’s rubber chicken) everything can be worked out by simply paying attention to your environment and the actions of the characters within it. You’ll note that a flock of crow-like birds is attracted by the pungent smell of sausages, but also that they’re scared of loud noises. One has a tool you need, and so you lure it over with the promise of a meaty snack and activate a hologram that startles the bird into dropping it. That’s just one way to get it; there will, Cecil says, be multiple solutions to many puzzles.
There’s room for mischief, too. Foster carries a handheld hacking device, with which he can subvert the behaviour of any computer system by switching processes in their internal flow chart. A vending machine is the perfect test subject. Disabling its tilt sensor lets you crowbar a drink from it. Shortly afterward, because its inputs and outputs have been switched, a thirsty trucker sets off a blaring alarm simply by putting a coin in the slot. We laugh guiltily when a drone flies over to arrest him. “It’s a bit of fun, but also a good way of foreshadowing the type of puzzles we’ve got throughout the game,” Cecil says.
This should reduce the probability of getting stuck. Likewise, the optional dialogue highlights that point you towards topics yielding crucial info; Cecil’s not a fan, but recognises that it’s ideal for those keen to get on with the story. The attractive comic-book style – to the untrained eye, it could be confused for a Telltale game – makes it more accessible, too. “You need to motivate the player. You need them to know what their objectives are,” he says. “We can convey an awful lot in this format, which otherwise would take a lot longer to do as part of a cutscene. Now, I know some developers believe that the cutscene is an artform and should go on for half an hour.” He breaks into an impish grin. “I do not agree.”
Quite. It’s apparent, even in these early exchanges, that Beyond’s storytelling is brisk and breezy. But that’s Revolution’s stock-intrade. What’s more exciting is that this feels like a genuine step forward, as an adventure game that doubles as a playful, puzzle-packed sandbox. This is one non-sequel that not only lives up to its name but, more significantly, that of the studio making it.
“You need to motivate the player. You need them to know what their objectives are”