Syberia: The World Before - Digital Deluxe Edition

The beginning of the story is just copied from the Charlie Chaplin movie "The great Dictator" but with some changes in the setting. After that it just goes on in 2004 with 2 lesbians in a russian prison and Im thinking to myself: Thats it? Thats all what will happen from now on? They couldnt write a better story to this fantastic looking steampunk game? Im a little bit disappointed because of the stolen stories we all saw and heared over and over again in endless other movies or books. This is just not unique. Its lazy and uninspired. Where is the great inspiration when you can see the sources in the first 5 minutes of the game? And take a look: Dana Roze also looks exactly like Hannah from that Charlie Chaplin movie!

First off, the ending of this game is excellent, and completely in tone with the first two Syberia games. I can confidently say that it will satisfy older fans, once they see it. With that being said, this game is a mixed bag, with a plot that would have been just a side episode in the original Syberia games, with mostly weak puzzles and underwhelming gameplay, dodgy voice acting (with the exception of Kate and Dana, both of whom are voiced excellently), and an amazing soundtrack as usual. The game looks great, and I liked the overall vibe of Vaghen; I think it expands the setting of Syberia in a good way, showing how Hans' influence can be felt throughout the world. That being sad, it's a bit sad that Vaghen is basically the only location we spend the game in, not counting the mine from the prologue, and a lot of flashbacks showing different places. Some of the puzzles were good, like the Musical Square one, but those are exceptions, and not the rule. I also cannot fathom why they didn't just call the "National Socialists" with the name they are known for, but rather used a made up name for them. Still, all the shortcomings of this game are just wiped by how satisfying the ending was for me, and that makes me very happy. Even if we never get another Syberia game (and I hope will get more), I would be quite happy with how this one ended things. I truly feel that Kate Walker is one of my all time favorite video game heroines, and I was happy to be a part of her journey.

Comics! Chips! Waffles! Music! L'art Nouveau! Beer (Ah! The Beer!), Poirot and now Benoît Sokal, will be forever imprinted in my memory. I must admit that at first the game didn't appeal to me. It is possible that, at that moment, I believed I needed something livelier. How wrong I was!! Unexpectedly, it sneaks on you. You’re in a world that embraces you completely. The backgrounds, the light, just right, the music, the people you get to know, the details - architecture, machinery, landscapes, and the depth of the characters, main or otherwise. Art Nouveau is everywhere. Such grace, with its intricate twists, so full of movement, energy, life! It blends so well with the essence of the game and its steampunk quality, always present in these games. Look at the Music Square! Those Trams! The Orchestra! It is a slow-paced game, no rushes, no suddenly outbursts of activity. I found it quite different from the first games. Less adventurous, more focussed on the main two characters and what connects them, so intensely and emotionally - less puzzles, greater introspection onto the human nature/essence, what stimulates it. Some of you might see it as essentially political. Yes. It is part of the narrative, of its context, reflective of those times. The story goes deeper than that and if you can't perceive it, you should not play the game. It is, above all, very emotional. A story where you seldom laugh, but often smile. So full of human drama and all the tragedies, disappointments and pain that go with it. But also so enthralling, so full of warmth and care. The work that was put into this game! More importantly, the care, the love, that soft embrace that surrounds you throughout the game, it can be felt physically. Yeh! It’s like that. And then, at the very end, everything fits. The surprise! (Not really!) Kate's energy and spontaneity takes you back to your own past when you played the first games! So sweet! Oh, So Sweet! P.S.: I leave the technicalities to others.

I will mostly echo what other reviews have already mentioned. Atmosphere, environments and music is very good. Gameplay, controls and certain graphics less good. Happy to say that the game clocks in at about 10 hours, during which the story is captivating enough to make one push through the slower parts. I don't remember whether I finished Syberia 1&2 back in the day but I remember playing them, but it did not feel like a big loss that I did not remember much about the previous story. Main issue as mentioned is that most gameplay feels like busy-work, with a few puzzles being a bit better than the rest. I used the hint system several times because I couldn't be bothered. There are certainly better puzzle games, but often their story might not be as good. Close to giving this four stars and I might regret only giving three later, but it is the grade that feels most correct at the moment. Would keep an eye out for potential sequels.

Kate’s scenario begins with her rotting in a Russian Gulag. Syberia: This game wastes no time retconning Kate as a homosexual and depicts her having a jail-house gay relationship with her cellmate. This bizarre turn of events might have been forgivable if it weren’t for the absurd and stupid motivation that pushes the story forward. Kate is told she resembles a woman in old art that she finds while excavating a lost Nazi train that was festooned with stolen personal items. The entire chain of events relies on Kate’s leap of logic. Kate’s voice actress is the same as always, but she also sounds so old now. It has only been a few years between Syberia games, but it’s been 20 years between releases. She should have been recast because it is distracting seeing a young and attractive woman sounding like a grandma and reading dialogue that tries to sound like she’s in her 20s. Dana is also not interesting at all. The game wants the player to care about her, but there is so little about her to work with. She can play the piano well, but that is all the personality she has. The game leans hard on this character and hopes the player will connect with her, but there is nothing to her. There is no real sense of adventure. Most of the game is set in Vaghen and there are only a few instances of venturing out. This game is more like a walking-sim than an adventure game. Puzzles are usually self-contained on a single screen. There is no going out and looking for stuff or interacting with mechanisms. This was a major aspect of the original Syberia and why the automatons were such an important aspect of the setting. There is only one ending and the replay value is intensely low since the gameplay is utterly shallow. This game is NOT FOR OLD FANS, but for those who want politics in games, ugly women dressed and cut like men, LGBT. The story is just a pretext to add politics. What is beautiful in this game is only in the past events. There is no content warning for these!!!