Travelling by a clockwork train, a review of Syberia
Introduction
You, playing as Kate Walker, arrive at Valadilene in the French Alps to finish off a requisition of a mechanical toy factory from the famous family Voralberg. They have been building mechanical things for centuries, toys as well as more useful things. The problem you face is that the current owner Anna Voralberg just died when you arrived, so her little brother Hans has become the sole owner of the company, but Hans was last heard of in Siberia over half a year ago so you have to find him in some way. As you are trying to find him you will encounter many fascinating characters and Kate herself will become more and more emotionally involved. Kate has an over protecting and self centred mother, an even more self centred boyfriend and a best friend who finds shopping be the most terrific thing in the world. Having them safe back at New York Kate will go on a truly amazing journey.
Game play
The game features a similar interface to what we have been used to in graphical adventures for a long time now, that is you click on something and you get to go there or some other type of response. Even if it isn't anything revolutionary it does it's job without getting in the way of the story.
Now to the fantastic graphics, yes, the graphics are very nicely done. It is not just that they have rendered a lot of high resolution backgrounds and have good 3D-models of the characters, also to notice is that all architecture and all plants and other things has been well thought through and is made with very great detail. The game has a rather nice style in it's graphics which is done in a thorough and consistent way.
Another great part of the game is it's music. It is one of the best music scores I have heard in a computer game, well up to standard with big movies. The only thing I have to complain is that there is a little lack of variation in the background music in the game.
Puzzles are a bit easy, but that is compensated by that they are well integrated into the story and you never get the feeling that what you do is pointless.
The voice actors in the English version I played was mostly well done, but not much more. You also feel that they try to cut short on the number of things Kate has to say since there are very few things you can click on and Kate speaks as little as possible about those you can click on. One example is that for certain things Kate has a tendency to repeat herself.
My thoughts
The best thing about Syberia isn't the graphics or the music, even if they add up to the greatness of the game, but the story. It is a most interesting story and you always feel that you are a part of the story while it unfolds before your eyes. There are also many interesting character interactions, especially between Kate and Oscar, the train engineer automaton.
Even though it is a great story, has great music and a marvellous plot, you can sometimes feel that it is a little cheap when Kate repeatedly says the same things as she has many times before without variation. This is most prominent in the beginning of the game and there is less and less of that.
Having said this, I really recommend all of you that hasn't played it yet to go out and buy the game, even though it has some flaws, because it is a wonderful story that will give you much pleasure.
Having said this, I eagerly await the sequel that has been promised.