| Beneath a Steel Sky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Revolution Software |
| Publisher(s) | Virgin Interactive Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | Charles Cecil Tony Warriner Daniel Marchant Dave Cummins Dave Gibbons |
| Programmer(s) | David Sykes Tony Warriner James Long |
| Writer(s) | Dave Cummins |
| Composer(s) | Dave Cummins |
| Engine | Virtual Theatre |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Amiga, Amiga CD32, iOS, Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Beneath a Steel Sky is a 1994 point-and-click adventure game developed by British developer Revolution Software and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for MS-DOS and Amiga home computers. It was made available as freeware – and with the source code released – for PC platforms in 2003. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, the player assumes the role of Robert Foster, who was stranded in a wasteland known as "the Gap" as a child and adopted by a group of local Aboriginals, gradually adjusting to his life in the wilderness. After many years, armed security officers arrive, killing the locals and taking Robert back to Union City. He escapes and soon uncovers the corruption which lies at the heart of society.
Originally titled Underworld, the game was a collaboration between game director Charles Cecil and comic book artist Dave Gibbons, and cost £40,000 to make. Cecil was a fan of Gibbons's work and approached with the idea of a video game. The game has a serious tone but features humour-filled dialogue, which came as a result of Cecil's and writer Dave Cummins's goal to find a middle ground between the earnestness of Sierra's and the slapstick comedy of LucasArts's adventure games. It was built using Revolution's Virtual Theatre engine, first used in Revolution's previous and debut release, 1992's Lure of the Temptress.
It received positive reviews at the time of its release and is retrospectively viewed as a cult classic and Revolution's greatest game besides Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. A remastered edition was released for iOS in 2009 as Beneath a Steel Sky Remastered, which also received a positive reception from the gaming press. A sequel was greenlit during the Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse 2012 Kickstarter campaign, and was announced in March 2019. Entitled Beyond a Steel Sky, it was released on Apple Arcade in June 2020, on Steam in July 2020, and on GOG.com in March 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Oldbasswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Smith, Tim (March 4, 1994). "Adventure unlimited". Western Daily Press. p. 25. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
At last, Beneath A Steel Sky is out and very playable.
- ^ "Beneath a Steel Sky: Remastered (iP)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2013.