Although this game is, admittedly, very good, I am giving it a lower rating purely because of its high difficulty. Perhaps I had been pampered by the likes of Lands of Lore, where you rarely have to fight more than three enemies at the same time, so I was unpleasantly surprised when I first started exploring Emerald Isle – I was beset by dozens of dragonflies, who killed me almost instantly. When a similar thing happened with bats in the Temple, and the scores of orcs outside Harmondale, I finally realised this game can only be won using clever strategies which border on exploiting game tactics, like kiting enemies and endless reloads. Don't be surprised when one of the routine advancement quests pits you against two dozen some of the game's most powerful assorted monsters, five times. The game itself is a bit of a grind, but finds its devoted audience as such. The game world is large and varied enough, although you'll spend most of the time traveling from town to town looking for skill trainers. Definitely recommended if you liked the previous installments, but skip it if you like a more cleverly written story and a subtler gameplay mechanic.
It's not merely a game, it's a study of madness and its nature. The game abounds with disturbing scenes, and the most powerful one are the sight of deformed children near the beginning of the game. If you have the stomach for that, it will prove a very rewarding experience.
The first Syberia is a classic in adventure gaming. It captured loneliness and desolation like no other game. I expected something similar from its sequel, but it didn't make nearly as grand an impression. The landscapes are mostly bland white, with little variety. The people you encounter are cardboard-cutout characters. Syberia had them too, but they embodied archetypes in a much better way. You might want to buy this game only to find out how the story ends, though if I were you, I'd wait for a price drop or special offer.
[WARNING: some spoilers in the review!] Other people have described the game, so I'm going to write about the thing that impressed me the most about the game -- its storytelling. Great narration and hand-painted scenes with added effects between the missions create immersion like no other game. You'll itch to complete the missions as soon as possible just to find out what happens next. There's intrepid exploration, valiant defense, monstrous attacks, prison breaks, twists that turn the tide of battle, and wondrous sorcery. In one mission you'll make the landfall in the jungle as Veruna, in the next you'll take up the mantle of a Zhon shaman to drive away the Verunan invaders. In another instance you'll conquer a suspiciously empty Tarosian city, only to butcher them mercilessly in the next mission as Taros. It is a grand tale of epic fantasy. Too bad the gameplay mechanics are somewhat clumsy.
