Syberia: The World Before - Digital Deluxe Edition

Syberia 1 & were the best! Then #3 was not quite as good, but I liked it and still replay it with the others. But I think this one is the new best. I'm not going to pick it apart but will just tell you how I feel about it. Love it and the feelings of waiting to see what's next all along the storyline. Good job.

I have played many amazing games over the years, but no other game fits this particular description more than Syberia TWB. Benoît Sokal and Microids have really outdone themselves this time. The game runs buttery-smooth. The graphics and the art style are amazing. Ostherthal is a lovely location, whether we're exploring the beautiful city of Vaghen or its country side. I could not stop spamming my screenshot button. Inon Zur's music is unforgettable and I'm definitely adding some tracks to my playlist. The voice acting is phenomenal, which is very welcome after the somewhat-disappointing third instalment. The game takes place roughly a year after the events of the third game and is accessible to new player. The story is good and bittersweet, although somewhat predictable. It also has nothing to do with the island of Syberia anymore, so perhaps changing the name should be considered in future games. Afterall, Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy takes place in the same universe, so it wouldn't be the first time. On PC, Kate Walker can only be controlled with the mouse. Manual movement via WASD, introduced in Syberia 3, is gone, but thankfully pathfinding and camera work is much better this time. Having said that, there have still been a handful of locations where it was hard to make Kate go into a particular hallway, due to an awkward camera placement, so I still would have preferred to have WASD movement as an option. The game has 3 profile slots, without manual saving or chapter select. I personally will always prefer having the ability to save manually, especially since the first two games had that, but it’s not a very big deal. TWB is a worthy addition to the Syberia series and I recommend it to all fans of the franchise, as well as any newcomers looking for a story-rich game with a fantastic art style. It’s really sad that B Sokal did not get to see this game finished, but it will forever live on as his swan song. RIP and thank you for this wonderful journey.

It's uncanny how much of a turnaround for the series this was. Firstly,. the narrative. Rather than force a continuation from the pre-existing games, S:TWB tells a (mostly) stand-alone story, that focuses and expands on Kate as a character. The dual timeline puts a fresh angle on things, and the writing is a massive step up. Secondly, the production values. This games looks stunning, sounds stunning, and plays beautifully. The voice acting is top-notch, and the European scenery is incredible. But what's the one thing S3 did well? Challenging puzzles. They were often framed poorly, but they were genuinely head-scratching. Oddly enough, this is the one aspect where S:TWB regresses. What we have here is more of a "click to advance" game. A very engaging one, mind. But, it does dim the sense of reward as you progress. If I have one more complaint, it's that Oscar seems to get less dignity with each sequel. Poor old fella.

Despite some annoyance with camera controls, audio and loc bugs, texture clipping - it is the game I wanted. I didn't play it for graphical innovation, albeit its still atmospheric and picturesque. I didn't play it for challenging mechanics, albeit it still kept me interested. I played it because I love the story, I love the characters, I love the feeling Syberia games leave you with. It's always as if I went on that very adventure myself, I always want to travel somewhere far and new after I play any Syberia game. This one was no exception. I loved it.