The one of Syberia is a saga that has made and continues to do, the history of graphic adventures. The exciting feats of Kate Walker and of the many characters she met, continue to fuel the interest of a genre of video games that too often is ignored by the spotlight. After a great comeback with Syberia 3, released 13 years after Syberia 2, Microids gives us a new prequel chapter straddling two timelines that will tell us the story of two extraordinary women. Thanks to Microids, we had the opportunity to preview the initial levels of this adventure, so let’s discover a taste of Syberia The World Before in questa anteprima.
Our preview of Syberia The World Before
We are located in Vaghena fictional town in Germany, during the spring of 1937. A young pianist, Dana Roze, takes her final piano exam at an important and exciting annual event, but the threat of war looms over Europe and Dana’s future. Speaking of the future, after a short prologue, the game shifts the focus to our beloved Kate Walker, protagonist of the previous chapters, became a prisoner inside a salt mine of the Russian Taiga by fascist militiamen. Here she meets Katiusha, her cellmate, forced, together with Kate, to forced labor. Among the vicissitudes involving the two prisoners, Kate will stumble upon an ancient portrait that shows the features of a woman incredibly similar to Kate. She is none other than the pianist Dana Roze.
From this moment on will develop a two-track storyline that will tell a double story, that of Dana, in 1937 and that of Kate, set in 2004. For the first time in the history of the franchise, we will therefore have the opportunity to discover two different but extremely interconnected stories. The duration of the trial did not allow us to discover more but, on the other hand, it increased our interest in Syberia The World Before even more.
In line with the series, also in this chapter we will find riddles and puzzles to solve. The elements to be examined in the map are many and even if the puzzles present in this short preview have not particularly thrilled us, we are sure that the complete game will be able to test our skills.
The unmistakable style of Syberia
Even if briefly, returning to the world of Syberia was a sweet dive into memories, full of adventures, mystery, puzzles and all the elements that a graphic adventure must have. Syberia The World Before seems to maintain the characteristics that made the series great, rejuvenating them in the right way, without altering them, managing to adapt to both new players and long-time fans. Likewise the style of the series appears in every scene. A world, past and present, sprinkled with melancholy, rust and gears, the unmistakable signature of cartoonist Benoît Sokal. In fact, this chapter is dedicated to him, given his departure in May 2021, during the making of the game.
Also noteworthy graphic development compared to the third chapter, which manages to best represent the atmosphere mentioned above. Excellent use of lights and shadows that manage to give us a vibrant and full of life world away from the static backgrounds of the first episodes. Always in line with the high attention given to the series, we find the soundtrack of the highest level, made, once again by Inon Zur (Prince of Persia, Fallout 4, Dragon Age: Origins) e Emily Bear.
Developer:
Microids Studio Paris
Price:
0
Syberia The World Before preview in brief
Syberia is a franchise that has accustomed us to great adventures, challenging puzzles and Great Characters and Syberia The World Before seems to be moving along this path.
If you are ready to travel the world again with Kate, meet wonderful characters and have another exciting experience, just wait until 18 Marchwhen the game will be disponibile su PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One e Nintendo Switch.