What is it, in summary? In post-apocalyptic probably-Australia, a man (Robert) and his robot best friend (Joey) enter the walled-off city of Union City to explore and untangle the mystery of why the city is a dystopia actually. Game-play is mostly solving puzzles of the "make thing X do Y to advance plot" sort by applying items in your inventory on items in the environment. The games' humour has often got a light-hearted and playful edge but pretty dark implications.
What do you love about it? I'm a sucker for all things cyberpunk/dystopia, and there's room for a lot of Joey pathos combined with Joey sarcasm, and a lot of Robert/Joey feelings, and Joey is not shy about letting Robert know when he's upset. I love robots particularly when the AI has a personality. I also love cities being not so shiny dystopias and I think there's plenty of room to better flesh out the worldbuilding that we got.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Anything! I would love Robert/Joey with a nice meaty exploration of Joey's feelings/programming and how they both interpret what Robert did at the end of Beneath which turns out to be a sticking point for Joey all throughout Beyond, and I would also love a nice meaty worldbuilding fic on what has happened to Union City in Beyond. There's a dark humour to this game, and I'd love anything that either plays with that humour or completely subverts it in favour of the potential for dystopia-style cruelty, drama, and betrayal in order to double down on the sickness of Union City. Whether Joey winds up being more comical robot sidekick who sounds very human and cracks human jokes, or literal-minded robot sidekick who takes what Robert says seriously to comic effect or jarring dramatic effect, I would love it all.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships? Yes! In fact, most of Beneath a Steel Sky (the first game) isn't needed. Furthermore, it's from the 90s and is pretty dated in parts, and complex to play if you're not used to the point-and-click adventure style of games of that era. (This game is also specifically known for being a bit obtuse as far as puzzle design goes.) Most of the Joey sarcasm is in the first hour or so of the linked youtube playthrough, and the last 1/2 hour or so of the playthrough to find out what happens to him and how it sets up the sequel game. That's about all you need from Beneath.
Roughly the first half of Beyond a Steel Sky doesn't feature Joey, so you could also pick this up in the playthrough after Robert gets to the Museum of New History's "Old History" exhibit, where he finds Joey's circuit-board chip (roughly at the 3hr mark in the linked youtube video).
Content notes (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - this is at your discretion and is not expected to be comprehensive Beneath a Steel Sky: The humour definitely comes off a bit dated. At some point one of the game puzzles involves a bit of slapstick where the goal is to catapult a dog into a pool (the dog is visibly fine after). There are some very dark plots about what's been going on with Union City citizens. It's bleaker in tone than Beyond.
Beyond a Steel Sky: Once again there are some very dark plots about what's been going on with Union City citizens, namely mind control and neural experimentation on children. Milo, Robert's friend's son, is kidnapped and put in danger, and you meet at least one other kid who does not escaped unscathed.
Beneath a Steel Sky & Beyond a Steel Sky
Approx length: How Long To Beat suggests 16 hrs for the pair (6hrs + 10hrs). The youtube playthroughs I've linked gives about 10 hrs (2.5hrs + 7 hrs).
Where to find it:
Find Beneath a Steel Sky here; it's free on GOG. Actually, since it's so old, you can also play it online here through the browser.
Find Beyond a Steel Sky here.
You could also watch the playthroughs, available on youtube:
Beneath a Steel Sky
Beyond a Steel Sky.
What is it, in summary?
In post-apocalyptic probably-Australia, a man (Robert) and his robot best friend (Joey) enter the walled-off city of Union City to explore and untangle the mystery of why the city is a dystopia actually. Game-play is mostly solving puzzles of the "make thing X do Y to advance plot" sort by applying items in your inventory on items in the environment. The games' humour has often got a light-hearted and playful edge but pretty dark implications.
What do you love about it?
I'm a sucker for all things cyberpunk/dystopia, and there's room for a lot of Joey pathos combined with Joey sarcasm, and a lot of Robert/Joey feelings, and Joey is not shy about letting Robert know when he's upset. I love robots particularly when the AI has a personality. I also love cities being not so shiny dystopias and I think there's plenty of room to better flesh out the worldbuilding that we got.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?
Anything! I would love Robert/Joey with a nice meaty exploration of Joey's feelings/programming and how they both interpret what Robert did at the end of Beneath which turns out to be a sticking point for Joey all throughout Beyond, and I would also love a nice meaty worldbuilding fic on what has happened to Union City in Beyond. There's a dark humour to this game, and I'd love anything that either plays with that humour or completely subverts it in favour of the potential for dystopia-style cruelty, drama, and betrayal in order to double down on the sickness of Union City. Whether Joey winds up being more comical robot sidekick who sounds very human and cracks human jokes, or literal-minded robot sidekick who takes what Robert says seriously to comic effect or jarring dramatic effect, I would love it all.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?
Yes! In fact, most of Beneath a Steel Sky (the first game) isn't needed. Furthermore, it's from the 90s and is pretty dated in parts, and complex to play if you're not used to the point-and-click adventure style of games of that era. (This game is also specifically known for being a bit obtuse as far as puzzle design goes.) Most of the Joey sarcasm is in the first hour or so of the linked youtube playthrough, and the last 1/2 hour or so of the playthrough to find out what happens to him and how it sets up the sequel game. That's about all you need from Beneath.
Roughly the first half of Beyond a Steel Sky doesn't feature Joey, so you could also pick this up in the playthrough after Robert gets to the Museum of New History's "Old History" exhibit, where he finds Joey's circuit-board chip (roughly at the 3hr mark in the linked youtube video).
Content notes (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - this is at your discretion and is not expected to be comprehensive
Beneath a Steel Sky: The humour definitely comes off a bit dated. At some point one of the game puzzles involves a bit of slapstick where the goal is to catapult a dog into a pool (the dog is visibly fine after). There are some very dark plots about what's been going on with Union City citizens. It's bleaker in tone than Beyond.
Beyond a Steel Sky: Once again there are some very dark plots about what's been going on with Union City citizens, namely mind control and neural experimentation on children. Milo, Robert's friend's son, is kidnapped and put in danger, and you meet at least one other kid who does not escaped unscathed.