External Links


EAS2.zip *
Contains EAS2.BLB
also includes documentation and hints
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
eas2.zip *
Contains EAS2.BLB
original competition entry; also includes documentation and hints
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
eas2.blb
original competition entry
Requires a Glulx interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
TVTropes page
For the entire Earth and Sky series.
* Compressed with ZIP. Free Unzip tools are available for most systems at www.info-zip.org.

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Earth and Sky 2: Another Earth, Another Sky

by Paul O'Brian profile

Episode 2 of Earth and Sky
Superhero
2002

(based on 52 ratings)
3 reviews

Game Details


Awards

Nominee, Best Game; Nominee, Best Writing; Nominee, Best Setting; Nominee, Best Puzzles; Nominee, Best Individual NPC; Winner, Best Use of Medium - 2002 XYZZY Awards

1st Place overall; 2nd Place, Miss Congeniality Awards - 8th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2002)

Editorial Reviews

Baf's Guide


This game continues the charming vein of Earth and Sky, this time from the point of view of the brother in the brother-sister pair. This episode is longer than the first one, with relatively easy but well-designed puzzles and a compact, memorable setting. It features entertaining NPC dialogue, and advances the unfolding narrative arc quite nicely. Uses Glulx's multimedia abilities to include comic-book-style sound effects -- a very satisfying touch.

-- Emily Short

SPAG
That super strength of Austin's is much more fun than I imagined. How many times have you wanted to break down a locked door only to be told something like "violence isn't the answer to this one?" Well, this time, you get to break those doors down. (Adam Myrow)
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Member Reviews

5 star:
(6)
4 star:
(24)
3 star:
(19)
2 star:
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1 star:
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Average Rating:
Number of Reviews: 3
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Mid-length superhero game; more developed but more repetitive than first game, February 3, 2016

I played Earth and Sky and this game, its sequel, this morning.

This game was enjoyable, and I enjoyed the varied environments and the fun use of powers.

This game features the superhero Earth, who can break things and jump very far. You navigate a small set of areas (I think six), each with an inside and an outside.

At first, and at the end, I really enjoyed playing around with the powers and learning about abilities. But I found the middle game repetitive, especially because you have to travel the map repeatedly and exits aren't undoable in the normal way (i.e. going east and west doesn't return you to where you started).

Overall, a good game, but I preferred the first one.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Featured on Radio K #1, April 28, 2015
by Adam Cadre (Albany, California)

Jess Haskins and I discuss Another Earth, Another Sky at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsPm1BUNxsU#t=33m04s

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A "bridge" episode that doesn't stand on its own, October 31, 2023

Another Earth, Another Sky, the second installment of the popular Earth and Sky series, is a significant step up from its predecessor in terms of technical sophistication. Object implementation is complete but not very deep, matching a relatively spare descriptive style for locations. What stands out most is the "situational implementation" -- the game's bug-free logic is prepared for a wide variety of actions that the player character (Earth) might take, or might ask the key NPC (Sky) to do.

This attention to scenario detail was atypical at the time, and the game was exceptionally well-received. Not only did it win the 2002 IF Comp, it received 2nd place in the comp's Miss Congeniality rankings and was later nominated for five XYZZY awards (winning only Best Use of Medium). This last is almost certainly due to the use of comic-book style graphical elements (title cards and onomatopoeia-based "sound effects"), an affordance of the Glulx virtual machine that was still little-used at the time.

Unlike the first installment, which sweeps the player along quite quickly, this episode has a slower and more contemplative pace. The bulk of the action occurs in three parts: (Spoiler - click to show)a short investigation at an abandoned cabin, a much longer investigation on an unusual artificial planetoid, and a brief climax and denouement. The second portion will take up the bulk of the playtime, consisting of one long puzzle about gaining access to the endgame. The scenario is designed such that you must explore the entire area to find the pieces that you need, creating a "travelogue" type of experience that encourages you experience the sights, sounds and smells of the various geographical sections. Sprinkled through this are various optional discoveries that let the thorough player unravel the mystery that serves as a plot, but a full explanation will be provided before the cliffhanger ending in any case.

The game does not stand very well on its own, since the plot continues the events of the first game and seems largely designed to supply backstory for the third episode. The climax encounter with a new NPC is disappointingly short, especially when contrasted with the earlier interaction with the PC's superhero sibling. Rather than attempt this as standalone entertainment, it is probably best enjoyed as part of the series.

One minor item of interest is that the startup menu allows the player to optionally specify details of the resolution of key events that occurred during his or her playthrough of the first episode. The answers have a small impact on the introductory text, but I did not notice any other consequence.

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Earth and Sky 2: Another Earth, Another Sky on IFDB

Recommended Lists

Earth and Sky 2: Another Earth, Another Sky appears in the following Recommended Lists:

Highly polished gameplay by Emily Short
Games that are exceptionally well-tested and smooth to play. They may not always be the most original works, but the implementation is strong, offering minimal frustration with guess-the-verb and other common flaws.

Interactive Fiction Competition Winners by RichCheng
These are the games that won First Place honours in the IFComp each year.

Best superhero games by MathBrush
These are games featuring superheros, with my thoughts on them. I haven't tried the Frenetic Five games yet.

See all lists mentioning this game

Polls

The following polls include votes for Earth and Sky 2: Another Earth, Another Sky:

Up, Up, and Away: IF starring super heroes by Molly
It's often been said that super-heroes are a poor fit for IF, given the reliance of the former on flashy, colorful costumes and fights. But let it never be said that some poor bastards didn't try. What are some notable attempts at...

Games with Difficult Puzzles and a Forgiveness Rating of Tough or Lower by Athe
While searching for games that were difficult, I found many games that had a very unforgiving forgiveness rating, which I don't find very appealing. I do like puzzles, however, so I would be interested in finding games with challenging...

Great game sequels by Teaspoon
Whilst writing a review of "All Alone", Joey Jones's sequel to his game "If I Wasn't Shy", I became curious - how many examples of sequels are there in IF? Preferably good ones.

See all polls with votes for this game




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