Having finished the game I can tell that its biggest strengths are the graphics and the OST while the weaknesses are the gameplay and the story. The graphics are beautiful and detailed while the OST is something I will keep on listening to. Unfortunately, that's all... As you start the game (playing only with mouse - that's how a pnc game is supposed to be played) you'll notice that the camera moves by placing the cursor at an edge of the screen. The problem with this is that, as you need to click somewhere on the edge to move to another screen, then the camera moves too, which is very annoying when you need to go "down" cause then, you can only see the floor and Kate's legs, until you move the mouse to the upper part (so the camera moves). Add to this the odd angle most cameras are placed. That's the perfect way to ruin the gameplay... Then to access an item in your inventory you'll need to press down your mouse's wheel over a hotspot (also why are all the hotspots pointed?) and roll the wheel until you reach the item you want. I guess, the reason for both the problems I've mentioned is that Syberia 3 was meant to be a console game. No matter the problems, I thought I'd try it for the story but it was proved indifferent at least. You help a group of Youkols reach a destination. But they can do nothing on their own (how did they survive as a tribe so far, really?), they mostly make stupid comments and most importantly, wherever they camp, they roam everywhere needlessly telling nonsense. Only a couple of characters are interesting to interact with. All the rest are indifferent or Youkols... Add to that ,that the voices of the actors chosen don't fit their in-game characters at all, Kate and only a couple more being an exception. To sum it up: If the gameplay would be fluid and the story as it is, I'd give it a thumbs up. If the gameplay was broken like now but the story worthed it, I'd give it a thumbs up. If you want to try it, at least wait for a sale at 10€
Graphics are ok, the soundtrack and the dialogues are made as if they want to help you fall asleep. The puzzles are random indeed, the gameplay/cameras are the worst I've seen in an adventure game (changing almost randomly). The hero is more than depressing. He feels like he is bored of his own self. I understand he is supposed to be depressed but they overdid it. As far as I have played the game, there's no climax, just the same flat boring pace. I hate giving bad reviews but I tried to like the game and it's really impossible. It's the first game I won't try to finish after dozens I've completed... Waste of money unfortunately...
Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. But I believe it could be much more than simply a good game. As the game begins you wake up in a metal sphere by listening a silicon voice. The last thing you remember, you had just tried to commit suicide. Now as the protagonist you have to learn to whom this voice belongs, how you survived and why *it* rescued you. When you finally get outside the sphere, you find yourself in a scientific facility which is in turn located on a remote island. As the game goes on, an interesting (and emotional in some point) story unfolds. You learn most of the story by listening to some tapes you find on the island you're located, by the voice talking to you and by interacting with someone else. The graphics are quite nice (and playing smoothly at max settings even at my Core2Duo E6600 2.4 GHz, 3GB RAM, Nvidia 9800GT) and the soundtrack accompanying the whole game created a feeling of suspense and sadness to me. To sum up the good parts: Nice Sci-Fi and emotional story, nice graphics, good soundtrack. Then why the 4/5 stars? First of all because the game is a bit short. It took me less than 9 hours without using even a hint and more than that I was playing at late hours, tired, which means I was reacting slowly =). I'd say the difficulty level is from average to easy. Although there are more than just a couple of screens/backgrounds, the fact that you're located on an island and all the story takes place there, is a minus. I'd like some more locations. Also, since I think the game should be longer, then the story should be a bit more developed. Gameplay. It's a mix of first and third person. All these new stuff (for me at least) like moving the camera or using the mouse to turn a key are just not my style. I'd prefer a more classic gameplay. Or at least a bit better mouse sensitivity. In overall it's a quite good game for a p-n-c or Sci-Fi fan but I wouldn't call it a must-play. It's a real pity 'cause it had the potential to be a masterpiece.
