Syberia

Syberia is a classic adventure gem which was made many years ago, back in the year 2002. Since then, event although the game may feel somewhat dated to some, its charming story and simple, beautiful graphics make this game still enjoyable in the year 2018. In my eyes, Syberia is a relaxed, well-written story to enjoy during long winter evenings, when you are feeling lazy. A lovely, artistic piece of a game, which won't give you any headaches while advancing further in the story towards the very end of it.

Linear? Yes. Lot of "adventure game logic" (read "kind of stupid") puzzles? Check. Annoying ammount of objects you'd like to interact with and places you'd love to explore except you can't? Indeed. Has any of it ruined my playthrough (second one, after finishing the game about 15 years ago and forgetting most of the details and puzzle solutions in the meantime)? Not really. Syberia may not be the best adventure game and it certainly isn't the most challenging one. But it has never bothered me much. Why? Because once you enter its world (and if you're willing to accept its somewhat arbitrary limitations as to what our protagonist can do and where she can go) you will soon find yourself immersed in a captivating story (with some truly touching moments) inside one of the most unique and beautiful sceneries ever seen in a video game. In this sense, its linearity and lack of options to fiddle with stuff outside the main storyline actually helps the pacing, as you'll rarely get stuck for too long even on your first playthrough. Think of it as an interactive novel and you won't be disappointed!

One of the, if not the, best games of all time. And the sequel was just as good.

Syberia is a point-and-click adventure- We will control Kate Walker, a Lawyer from New York, having to handle the sale of an automaton factory. The owner of the factory died before Kate could reach Valadilène, the small french town where the factory resides, and she now has to track down an heir, who disappeared a long time ago. This will turn into an unexpected adventure that will change her outlook on life greatly. The story is decent. The plot is not incredible, but the odd characters populating this world and their quirks are interesting, and rarely boring (some characters, especially the ones you can contact by phone, are quite annoying, though). The main draw is the atmosphere, with the automatons (the equivalent of robots, but functioning only on gearworks, which appear more magical than scientific) ever present in most of the game, giving a rather unique tone to it. The same can be said for the architecture in general, the music, and the world building that puts everything together to create a universe that is both melancholic and whimsical. Sadly, the gameplay is sub-standard. Interactive spots are sparse, you cannot examine anything (the game uses one mouse button to resolve all interactions), stairs are painfully slow to traverse, plenty of empty large rooms, you can't double click exits to "fast travel", the pathing is bad, animations are slow, inventory interactions are limited, and there is a good amount of backtracking (if you get stuck on a puzzle, it can be painful). Some puzzles have opaque hints, but they are rare. The pre-rendered backgrounds are gorgeous, even nowadays. The 3D characters are dated, but they don't look awful, for the most part. The soundtrack is sparse but very appropriate. Overall, the presentation is quite nice, despite the age. I think it's a good game for fans of the genre, if they can stand the slow animations, and aren't bothered by the "quasi-fantastical" elements stretching the believability of the setting.

For me, Syberia has the most amazing and the most beautiful lore in the history of videogames. So simple, but full of sincere magic, tenderness and childlish playfulness. There is a lot of sadness in the lore, there is also a lot of hapiness in the lore. There is this "autumn" atmosphere that I will not ever forget. Thank you Master Benoît Sokal for this! The story is very simple, but also very effective. You are a lawyer Kate Walker from New York who came to a small village situated somewhere in French Alps to make a business contract. Her boss is expecting great results and Kate is determined to fullfil them at all costs. But the more she gets deeper into the new "world" she came to, the more she moves away from her job and also her personal life. She is constantly changing. It is fascinating how the creators managed to write a mature story without any cutscenes. There are just small interruptions in the form of phone calls. Behind those calls dramatic situations are happening due to which the characters are developing throughout the whole game. Well, gameplay-wise, Syberia is a bit of letdown. Hm, that was maybe a too much. No, no letdown. The game´s gameplay is just too streamlined for its own good. When you need something to continue, you usually find it nearby your problem. Real puzzles are basically non-existent, 99% of the game consists of talking to NPCs and using items that you found next to your "problematic" passage. It is not terrible at all, it somehow fits the mood and the style of playing, but more interesting problems and puzzles would definitely be more pleasing for me (This was fulfilled in Syberia 2 by the way). I love the ending of the game. What an unchained beauty! The music is so good as if composed by angels themselves in the heaven! 78%