After the mediocre experience with Syberia 3, I wasn't having any big expectations of 4. It had me pleasantly surprised, though. The new adventure is better in every respect. The first thing I noticed is how much more smoothly the game runs compared to the demo, which had noticeably lower frame rates. Graphically, the game is very impressive - with its use of unique architecture, sun rays, shadows and reflections, in either day or night, it manages to evoke an immersive, almost magical environment that fits perfectly with the narrative. Walking through that mountainside I remember thinking if Skyrim looked this good today, it would easily eat up another 400 hours of my life. :P
Using mouse with keyboard worked fine this time around, and I had no need to switch to gamepad.
Puzzles were challenging but not too hard, with the exception of one particular map puzzle which got me quite frustrated. But after taking time to think it through logically, I was able to solve it as well. If I had to consult a walkthrough at least once in each of previous games, it was not the case this time.
To sum it up: Syberia 4 is a cleverly written visual delight with a heart-wrenching story. The first half of the game progressed kind of slow, but after that I felt compelled to see it through the end. And when the story reached its climax, it raised some hairs on the back of my neck. As was the case with its predecessors, it left me craving for more just as it ended.
Very much looking forward to the next adventure of Kate Walker!
