But as Cecil himself admits, while Orwell’s work gave a vocabulary to the sophisticated spin-techniques that would spring from the decades that followed, the totalitarian doom-state that Orwell described has only materialized in select countries, and often for limited periods of time. Throughout our interview, Cecil repeatedly references George Orwell’s classic work “1984” as a major touchstone for this upcoming game’s themes.
Since an AI would ostensibly follow all those rules as consistently as possible, it would rigidly adhere to that hierarchy at all times, even when it might seem counterproductive. In particular, Cecil describes how an AI might view the ideal human society by referring to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a famous triangle-shaped construct in sociology that attempts to explain how the fundamental needs of human beings build off each other.
While “Beneath” dealt with the rampant sentience and breakdown of a “Neuromancer”-esque AI called LINC that haunted an entire city, Cecil and Gibbons say that its follow-up will deal with more pressing questions of social control and privacy under the watchful eye of the supposedly-benevolent, omniscient artificial-intelligence that Foster installed at the conclusion of the first game. While Cecil isn’t comfortable talking more specific than that just yet, he says that the team’s goal is to embody the spirit of the adventure games that put them on the map, such as their lengthy “Broken Sword” series, emphasizing that the non-violent nature of the genre has allowed the studio to garner a diverse fanbase broader than that of more traditional action games.ĭespite the duo’s stated goal of producing a work that stands apart from its well-known predecessor, “Beyond” stars the returning protagonist of the original game, a small-time engineer named Robert Foster. Gibbons takes great pains to note that the studio has developed an entirely new tool to facilitate a comic-book aesthetic while still taking advantage of this newfound depth and technology.
Beyond a steel sky game length full#
In accordance with more modern approaches to the adventure genre exhibited by “walk-’em-ups” like “Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture,” Cecil says that “Beyond” will feature fully 3D environments that the player can stroll through and interact with, with full camera control. If you’ve played the original, it will enrich the experience, but it isn’t absolutely necessary.” With ‘Beyond,’ we’re trying to make a game that people who maybe weren’t even alive in 1994 can appreciate. “When you respect the continuity, you make all the fans happy, and that’s good, but it keeps out all the new people. The Look: A beautifully detailed, comic-book styled world from the mind of legendary comic artist Dave Gibbons ( Watchmen).“That’s a thing I see in comics all the time,” echoes Gibbons.The Puzzles: Intelligent puzzles are interwoven with an intriguing dramatic narrative to deliver a compelling gameplay experience.The Story: Unravel dark conspiracies and defeat a terrifying antagonist in this dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller which explores contemporary themes, such as: social control, AI, and total surveillance.
In combination with a unique hacking tool, multiple solutions to puzzles emerge from the player’s choices. The World: An adventure set within a dynamic world, populated by willful characters and driven by motivations that the player can subvert.
But all is far from what it seems.īeyond a Steel Sky is a dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller in which engaging puzzles drive a fast-paced narrative set in a dynamic world that responds to – and is subverted by – the player’s actions. Fortified and impenetrable, it is a utopia in which people live happily under the surveillance and control of a benign AI. But the trail has led you from your community of desert wasteland dwellers to Union City, one of the last remaining mega-cities in a world ravaged by shattering wars and political meltdown. You are Robert Foster, who has vowed to bring a child back home after they were brutally attacked. From Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword series, with art direction by Dave Gibbons, legendary comic book artist behind Watchmen, comes Beyond a Steel Sky, the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic Beneath a Steel Sky.
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