#Syberia series

In closer environments like the town of Vaghen, the steampunk-like setting is both captivating and engaging, offering an alternate world to the one we’re familiar with. The scenic locations resemble Bob Ross paintings, building depth to the world around you. The attention to detail in both the wider environments and enclosed spaces are wonderful. The way you switch between the timelines is done well, and as the story progresses, both characters are given enough depth for you to care deeply about both of them. As Kate arrives in Vaghen and visits a nearby refuge, it started to become a lot more interesting, and it helps that the visuals are stunning. Much of the gameplay also feels sluggish, especially in walking and jogging around the streets, with certain conversations chugging along rather than offering anything of interest. The opening of Syberia: The World Before feels slow, and it takes some time before you start to take an interest in what is going on. Outside of solving the various puzzles, much of Syberia: The World Before requires you to investigate a range of items like documents and paintings open drawers and containers interact with objects scattered around the streets and various buildings and talk to passers by. These kind of puzzles present themselves throughout, and while not overly difficult, they’ll keep you on your toes and keep you invested until they’re solved. When you are solving some of the game’s trickier puzzles, they’re investing and smart, giving you plenty of brainteasers within a simple object.įor example, when you visit an antique shop in Vaghen as Kate, you need to open up a spherical automaton by turning dials to match a number sequence, move metal panels to find a button, and locate a key that requires further investigation to get it to take the correct shape in order to open the mechanism. Almost everything you do requires a button prompt or press, pulling you into every task, from layered puzzles to simple tasks like pulling a pint, ringing a doorbell, and catching a tram. Due to the nature of the puzzles, you become invested in both characters. Regardless, Dana Roze’s story is by far the most fascinating of the two, and it highlights the plight of fascism, hatred, and ignorance at a time of great turmoil in the world. It’s baffling just why this blatant omission exists, especially as the Brown Shadow sounds more like a nasty mess left in your underpants than a fascist and dangerous power. There’re seldom references to Dana being Jewish, but rather Vageran, yet it’s basically the same thing. She was dealing with the threat of the Brown Shadow, essentially the Nazis, and the impending Second World War. It’s delicately handled and beautifully told, and throughout Syberia: The World Before, you switch between 20, getting to play through memories of Roze’s story as Kate tried to find out more about her. What surprised me the most was just how heartbreaking Dana Roze’s story was.

A year passes, and she becomes obsessed by finding out who the girl in the painting was, sending her to a small town called Vaghen, somewhere near Switzerland. After Kate escapes the mines following the tragic death of her friend, she is left alone, and the only thing of any worth in her possession is a painting of Roze: a woman that looks a lot like her. The other follows a young woman called Dana Roze, a promising young pianist in 1937. One follows series’ protagonist Kate Walker in 2005, imprisoned in the salt mines (following on from the events of Syberia 3) who’s struggling with the news of her mother’s passing. The story of Syberia: The World Before takes place in two separate timelines. It may be a little slow at times, and doesn’t doing anything particularly new, but it’s still a captivating adventure game filled with some remarkable visuals. Thankfully, Syberia: The World Before has plenty going for it, from its smart and intricate puzzles, to its sombre and moving story.

#Syberia series

After the lacklustre Syberia 3, it was important to get the latest entry right, not just because it needed to remind players why the series was loved, but because its creator, Benoît Sokal, sadly passed away last year, so it was important to honour the legacy he left behind.