I love a good mystery, and I love a good Point-and-Click adventure. Beyond a Steel Sky hits both of those boxes and scratches a really particular itch for me. It is more than just a story-driven mystery title, it has a unique world, and a unique story to it as well.

Beyond a Steel Sky is the sequel to 1994’s Beneath a Steel Sky and takes place 10 years after the first game. I haven’t played the original game, so I can’t really compare the two. However, I can say that you play as the protagonist from the first game, Robert Foster, all grown up. He finds himself returning to Union City, the setting of the original game, after a young boy is kidnapped and trafficked into the city via mysterious means.

He finds that the city is not at all the way it was when he left, and you wind up having to infiltrate the city to find the missing child you’re looking for. The game plays out like most narrative story games a la Telltale games or other Point-and-Click titles. You talk to NPC’s, interact with items, use items to solve puzzles, etc.

However, there are also a few clever puzzles that allow you to hack electronic devices using your hacker tool, in order to do various things. The puzzles can be tricky, but if you are paying attention you’ll figure out what you need to do. If not, the hint system is actually really helpful, as it can tell you exactly what you’re meant to do if you ask for enough hints. The first few hints are vague, just to guide you to the right destination. After a while though, they become more specific.

The controls are smooth and are easy to work with. There are a few accessibility settings, though the options menu is somewhat limited. I did run into a few visual bugs, mostly with character models during dialogue, facial features acting weird, and things like that.

Overall though, I really liked my time with Beyond a Steel Sky. The story is interesting, the world-building is imaginative and fascinating, and the characters are unique and engaging. I am sure that if you have played Beneath a Steel Sky, you’ll get more out of the sequel, but I don’t think the first game is all that required. However, maybe this will encourage the developers to remaster the first game, so we can all go back and play them close together.

If you’re looking for a gift for the January birthday babies in your life, or you just know someone that loves a good mystery, this is a great option. I haven’t played such an enthralling narrative Point-and-Click in quite a while, and I think it is well worth your time.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Beyond A Steel Sky was provided by Microids for this review.

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Beyond a Steel Sky

$39.99 USD

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Great Worldbuilding
• Fun Characters
• Helpful Hint System
• Clever Puzzles and Gameplay

Cons

• Minor Bugs
• Visual Issues with Character Models