Sydney, Australia – October 13, 2021 – Studio Revolution Software and publisher Microids are delighted to unveil a Dev Diary for Beyond a Steel Sky, exploring the game’s unique art style. From Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword series, with art direction by Dave Gibbons, legendary comic book artist behind Watchmen, Beyond a Steel Sky is the spiritual successor to the classic Beneath a Steel Sky. The game will launch November 30 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles and Nintendo Switch.
In this new Dev Diary, Art Directors Dave Gibbons and Sucha Singh detail the artistic intent and process behind Beyond a Steel Sky. “What we’ve done is to give it a comic book look, because we felt it was really appropriate to the game” explains Dave Gibbons. To achieve this distinct comic book style, Revolution wrote a custom cel-shading tool, ToonToy, which emulates Dave’s hand-drawn comic book style in real time. As well as achieving an aesthetic objective, this visual style helps focus the eye on key, important background objects that are important for gameplay.
The game’s visual design developed from the close collaboration between Dave Gibbons and Revolution Software’s art team, thanks to a fruitful iterative process where each fed off the other’s expertise, both technically and artistically. “It’s a very fluid process, providing very fast feedback as well. I can do a couple dozen drawings and I’ll get feedback that same day.” adds Dave.
Of course, aspects of Beyond a Steel Sky’s art style take inspiration from Beneath a Steel Sky, featuring numerous references to the previous game. “But newcomers won’t need to have played the original to enjoy Beyond. Both sets of fans will be happy.” says Sucha Singh.
Key features:
- A fascinating sci-fi world – An adventure set within a dynamic world, populated by willful characters driven by motivations that the player can subvert. In combination with a unique hacking tool, multiple solutions to puzzles emerge from player choices.
- A thrilling story full of humour – Unravel dark conspiracies, defeat a terrifying antagonist in this dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller, which explores contemporary themes: social control, AI, and total surveillance.
- A unique 3D comic book art style – A beautifully detailed, comic-book styled world, from the mind of legendary comic artist Dave Gibbons.
- Ingenious puzzles – Intelligent puzzles are interwoven with an intriguing dramatic narrative to deliver a compelling gameplay experience.
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Check out the game’s Beyond a Steel Book and Utopia Editions!
The Beyond a Steel Book Edition contains:
- An Exclusive Steelbook® featuring comic artwork from Dave Gibbons
- The game on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch
- The game’s Original Soundtrack (digital format)
- A Sticker Sheet
The Utopia Edition includes all items available in the Beyond a Steel Book Edition:
- A Unique Collector’s Box
- An Exclusive Hologram Lamp
- A 50-page Mini Artbook
- 5 Holo-ad Cards
- Exchangeable Dog Tags (keychain & necklace)
- An Enamel Pin
- 2 XXL Premium Stickers
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About Microids
Microids is a French video game publisher. Founded in 1985, Microids’ editorial strategy now focuses on 4 major areas: adventure games, racing games, retro gaming and games inspired by iconic titles. By collaborating with renowned studios and authors (Pendulo Studios, Eden Studios, Benoît Sokal, Paul Cuisset, Philippe Dessoly and Pierre Adane), Microids has become a major player in international video games. Taking inspiration from legendary titles, Microids reaches a wide audience and creates original adventures which give gamers the chance to play as some of their most beloved characters.
About Revolution Software
Founded in 1990, Revolution is a world-leading developer of narrative-driven adventure video games with titles such as the Broken Sword series, Beneath a Steel Sky and numerous major licenses. Having been played by over 10 million players, Revolution’s Broken Sword is one of the world’s best loved adventure series.
