Syberia
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March 29th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Syberia is easily one of the most breathtaking games to look at. It’s landscapes and buildings are stunningly beautiful. The opening takes place in Valadilene, supposedly a town in the French Alps. It’s Art Nouveau architecture all around (Guimard, Majorelle and Lavirotte-style for enthusiasts out there), and creator Benoit Sokal is forgiven for putting Art Nouveau in the Alps. You’d be hard pressed to find decent Art Nouveau there nowadays, or any day in the past for that matter! But if Valadilene really existed, it would be an architectural Nirvana!
The animations in Syberia are superb – I’ve never seen moving water done better than this. The cutscenes are superb, razorsharp, and it is apparent that mr. Sokal likes atmosphere – the rainy openingsequence is very reminiscent of his first game, Amerzone.
But apart from graphics, is it a good game? Well, it certainly has a few shortcomings. For one, it’s much too easy. This was also the problem with the first game from mr. Sokal, Amerzone. Very atmospheric, but, too easy, too short. In Syberia, it’s all spelled out for you. “I should get someone to carry my suitcase.” So you talk to the first person around, an presto, he carries your case. “I can’t go in there, maybe I should find a missing part”, that sort of thing. In this case it reminded me of the recently released Road to India (also by Microids/Dreamcatcher) wich is an abysmal game and whould never have reached the shelves. But, Syberia overall is much, much better. First of all, it not that short. Although it’s always difficult to estimate gameplay in adventuregames – it all depends on how astute you are – I would say it’s 25 hours or so, certainly much less than Exile or Beyond Atlantis.
Syberia is reasonably immersive, although I wonder why mr. Sokal decided to design the game in third person, instead of the much more engaging first person perspective, as in Amerzone, Exile, Journeyman Project etc.
The difficulty-level is, of course, always the problem with adventuregames. Either you target the experienced gamer and put in hard puzzles. Or you target the bigger (and probably more lucrative) market of younger players, but then you’ll have to downgrade the difficulty. The latter is evidently the case here. It could have been overcome somewhat though, by giving the option of switching off the hints. It’s highly irritating to hear “I don’t need to go down there” every two minutes just for trying to open a door. Gameplaywise it’s very similar (if not identical) to The Longest Journey, with prerendered landscapes and a little lady running through it. You talk to people, you’ll get hints, nudges and pushes and you switch from one area to another.
I would have liked 3D free movement – as we have come to expect from most of the recent games around, like Exile, Beyond Atlantis and the like. In this way, Syberia has not kept up with these dramatic and very important opportunities and innovations. Valadilene, Barrockstadt, Aralbad, the surroundings are truly astounding. But time after time you feel the disappointment of not being able to look around in 3D! What a labour of love has gone into the artwork, but what a waste that I’m no able to zoom in, look closer, explore more…
In a recent interview mr. Sokal promised a ‘new gaming experience’. Well, sorry, but a new gaming experience it is certainly not. This is more like a sequel to The Longest Journey, but in a different setting (and much shorter). Graphics, gameplay, it is exactly the same. But TLJ is 5 years old, so you would have expected some evolution in graphics (3D!). Even the tedious conversations from TLJ – a major drawback of that game – are somewhat repeated here. The voiceacting in Syberia is much better though.
The puzzles are all inventorybased, and very, very simple. You don’t even need to try all the objects you have – your cursor will change into a cross if it’s not right. So in fact, there are no ‘real’ puzzles to speak of. Just click and see what happens.
The story is compelling, well written, funny, and foremost: moving. You are Kate Walker, a lawyer being send to Europe to handle the takeover of an robot-factory. But, of course, you’ll get into unexpected situations. You’ll have to fix machines, locate missing people, find hidden parts and so on. It’s not very original, but it is certainly entertaining. I wouldn’t say exciting, but entertaining, yes.
Soundeffects are extremely good, but I wonder why they didn’t put in some more. Ascending a ladder sounds exactly the same as ascending a iron staircase.
The music is very atmospheric, classical. Some money must have gone into the score, but most of the time, there’s no music at all and you wander around in utter silence. The main musical themes are certainly dramatic – sad even. As is the storyline overall – beginning with a funeral, and evolving into a familydrama. All in all, a sense of tristesse pervades Syberia, and I like that. The sadness of course reminds a bit of the Myst-series (cultures being whiped out) but in Syberia it’s much more done on a human scale. There’s humour too, as in Amerzone. The scene with the university rectors made me laugh out loud. Amerzone even makes its way into Syberia, with quite a few cross references. Overall, there are certainly quite a few shortcomings, but they are forgiven, just because the game is such a joy to look at, and I applaud Microids/Dreamcatcher for churning out these games. The adventuregenre has become an endangered species, and I dread the day they wil stop making them. So the four stars are mainly earned by looks, not complexity. Technically, the game ran very smooth, no bugs at all on my system (P3 550mhz, 128mb). So buy it? Yes do. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the sheer beauty. But don’t get your hopes up too high that this is a second Riven, Journeyman or Atlantis. Anticipate the architectural beauty, not the puzzles.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 29th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
This game is phenomenal on all levels — from graphics to video streaming cutscenes to puzzle solving. My only regret is that it ended too soon… but (not to spoil things for others interested in the game) the end is SUCH a cliffhanger! Much like the old movies of the 1950s — you can’t wait to see what happens in the next episode. It sets everything up for Syberia 2 (coming out in October).
The game plays more like a movie, the graphics and interaction are so refined, like nothing I’ve seen in any other game.
If you like shoot ‘em up games, this game isn’t for you. It is mouse-driven and puzzle solving with no killing or violence. It’s a game that will please both adults and teens. You click your way through various multi-layered scenes and solve puzzles to advance to the next level. The puzzles are challenging but not so difficult that you can’t figure them out, given enough time.
I’m a fan of the smartly written movie … this is the first video game I’ve come across that has dialogue and plot written as well as, if not better, than some movies out there. Whoever wrote the script for it is very talented … the discourse is natural, the actors voices in the game are perfect, you get so engrossed with the story line sometimes you forget you’re playing a videogame. Some of the dialogue is funny, some serious, but overall, well written to keep your attention.
There’s a cross-plot where the heroine’s best friend is trying to steal away her fiancee (via various cell phone conversations), and that adds to the layers of the whole game, giving the plot more detail, and sucking you into the storyline.
I played this game all the way through in about four days. Most advanced game players will finish it in a day or so. It’s not horribly challenging. But it’s entertaining and engrossing and you will find yourself forgetting its simplicity because of how all parts of this game come together — the graphics, the movie scenes, the plot, the puzzles. It’s a beautiful piece of programming.
There should be more games out there like this. I know I’d buy them all. Kudos! I can’t wait for Syberia 2 to be released!
Rating: 5 / 5
March 29th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Ordinarily, I’m a hard-core simulation and strategy gamer, with a bent towards city-building. I haven’t played an adventure game since “Black Dhalia” or “Myst.” I’d forgotten just how good the genre can be when done well. Syberia reminded me. I picked it up on a whim, and I know I won’t be able to quit until I’ve finished the story.
First of all, the graphics are stunning. There’s no other way to describe the quality and detail. Here, they raise the bar for adventure games to follow, and raise the genre to the level of art. It’s obvious a great deal of care and thought went into this game in that aspect. The only real complaint is that there’s no 360 degree view, and no angle variations on any scenes. But the quality of the graphics and the ease of navigation make up for it. Even a user who is not all that familiar with adventure games will be able to pick this one up and run with it in no time at all.
The puzzles are hard enough to be challenging, but not so difficult as to be impossible to figure out without hints or a walkthrough. I have resorted to hints only a few times, and it only confirmed that I would have been right to follow my instincts. Also, they are not at all abstract, but each is tied into the story and setting of the game, so they make even more sense if you think about it. Sometimes just wandering around will be enough to lead you to solve the puzzles presented. Other times, the answer is simpler than you might think. But if you’re an experienced adventure gamer you won’t have much trouble with them.
The real pleasure here is the story and the character development. Your interactions with certain characters is crucial to how well and how quickly your progress in the game. in a sense you have a hand in creating your own unique version of the story. The cell phone is employed as a means of fleshing out the life of the main character outside the story, and serves to create some dramatic tension, though the resolution is somewhat expected.
The only other drawback might be the lenght of time it takes the character to get from one point to another (there doesn’t seem to be a way to get across Valladilene instantly, for example), but at least the scenery makes the trip seem more worthwhile. Finally, the only other negative I can think of about this game is that it’s too short! By the end of the game I was left wanting more. But then I supposed that is the mark of truly good work on the part of the creators. I understand Syberia II is in the works. If it’s anything like the original, I’ll probably be in line to buy it when it’s released.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 29th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
As one of the steadily declining group remaining of adventure game enthusiasts for the PC, it was with great anticipation that I purchased this title. For the most part, it was a very worthwhile purchase. As so many have already said (and at the risk of stealing the thunder), the graphics are the main reason to buy this game. Simply phenomenal, particularly the atmospheric and weather effects. The game itself is ludicrously simple, with only a few puzzles proving to be stumpers (and those are simply mechanical do-this, then do-that puzzlers which will prove no problem to even the novice gamer.) While this is not exactly grand, it was actually a pleasant surprise to me. For once, you’re not beaten over the head with horridly obscure mazes and such that are just plain silly. Let’s hope future games learn from Syberia and stop already with the whole get-out-of-the-maze fiasco, because it’s a time-waster and an excuse to put less effort into game creation.
One thing I particularly liked in this game that I haven’t read anyone mentioning was the inventory use. In most adventure games I have played, harkening well back to the Sierra days when it was THE principal type of title, you gather up about 50 inventory items and wait for the appropriate time to use them. This is a colossal waste of time and logic. In Syberia, everything you pick up in a certain segment of the game gets used prior to moving on in the story. I can’t emphasize too highly how refreshing this was to me. Who wants to carry around a wrench for the whole story, anyway?
In any case, sound was good overall, as stated previously. I was also quite happy to install the game and run it with no problems, as that is becoming a rarity these days as well. The only complaint I have is an occasional lengthy delay between some screens when walking around, but that’s only because you have to repeatedly visit many locations and it’s minor, because it’s worth the wait to get those stellar landscapes.
The negatives in my mind relate mainly to plot. I won’t recite the basic facts again, but I found the end to be cliched to the extreme and rather unresolved. I know we always want to leave room for a sequel, but the characters just pretty much fade into thin air after you’re done with them. There are also an abundance of useless minor characters (excluding those two precious chess players at the Aralbad resort)and the dialogue is rather strained. Halfway through, a child of seven can generally guess what’s going to happen at the end.
Still, those few observations aside, I find this to be an extremely high quality game, well worth the price. I’d love to see more titles like this in the future. Obviously, if you liked TLJ, you’ll love this, but the first is the superior game if you have to choose between the two. A solid effort and an entertaining day or two of PC immersion.
Rating: 4 / 5
March 29th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
This game follows the adventures of Kate Walker, lawyer, as she tries to hunt down the heir to the Voralberg toy company. First, I’ll talk about the good parts of this game. The graphics were excellent, really stunning. What errors there were (sometimes Kate walked on top of things like lightpost that were supposed to stay in the background), were there, I’m told, because my laptop couldn’t handle DirectX 8. And it still looked good, even on my laptop. I loved the cutscenes, they were all really beautiful. The background music was wonderful, as well, which was a good thing, since I would’ve gone insane in some areas of the game if it hadn’t been. The voice acting was mostly quite good, although there were some voices that I found annoying, such as the voice of Dan (Kate’s fiance) and Kate’s boss.
Now on to the reasons why this game got a 3 from me. If it weren’t for how wonderful the atmosphere of the game had been, it would’ve gotten a 2. First, the puzzles: they were mainly pretty easy, which I don’t necessarily have anything against. However, a lot of them involved walking through screen after screen, and it got to the point where I wanted to scream. I really wish there had been a way to get from place to place quickly – even when she was running, it took a while to get Kate from one area to another. And she never ran on the stairs. When the puzzles were basically just something annoying (Oscar, the automaton train driver, was fond of asking Kate to do inanely stupid things, like get a ticket for the train when she was the only passenger planned), I felt like banging my head against a wall. When even the main character of the game is frusterated, you’d think it would occur to the game designers that the players would end up feeling the same thing. Also, this was probably the most linear game I have ever played. My dad, who loves games shoot ‘em up-type games, always complains that the games I play are way too linear. However, this game takes the cake. It’s literally impossible to do another puzzle until you’ve finished the first one. I spent much of my time wanting to work on some other part of the game that intrigued me, only to discover that I couldn’t do anything until I’d finished something else. If you get tired of working on a puzzle, that’s too bad, because you’ve got to finish it before you can work on anything else. That really bothered me. And the game designers never really took advantage of the fact that the game included these incredible automatons. Sure, they were there, and occaisionally a puzzle required that you had to make one work, but so much more could’ve been done with one. I wanted to examine how one worked, but the closest I ever got was getting to give one a pair of legs. It was dissappointing. I was, however, relieved that there were never any timed puzzles. Big plus.
Next, although the music and most of the voice acting was quite good, sometimes the music would drown out what the people were saying. I suggest keeping the caption mode on, although, when you do that, you’ll notice that the captions don’t always match what the people are saying exactly. Especially near the end, I kept noticing errors, too, like words left out and weird punctuation. It was still readable, but it shouldn’t have been too difficult to edit the captions.
Now, one last point. I really wish there had been something like a diary for Kate, or a notebook, or that she had occaisionally commented on some of the things that she could interact with (If you’ve played The Longest Journey, you know what I mean). It would’ve given more insight into how she thinks. I don’t think there was enough of that, and, especially as the details of her relationships with her family and friends became more apparent, that would’ve been nice.
So basically, the game was lovely, but it definitely had a lot of failings. The ending was a big let-down (I kept expecting more to happen, and then the game just ended), leaving me with the feeling that a sequel is probably planned. If a sequel is made, I’ll play it, but I just hope there are improvements in certain areas.
Rating: 3 / 5