Here we are, after a long wait: against all odds, with this review we will analyze in detail every aspect of Syberia: The World Before, the latest work by the Microïds studio and the now deceased Benoît Sokal. Will this adventure be able to meet our expectations?
If they had said, way back in 2004, that the series of Syberia it wasn’t over yet and that he still had something to tell, probably none of us fans would have believed it. Instead, against all odds, here we are: well 18 years later in fact we find ourselves in our hands not one, but two sequels that expand the story of Kate Walker. Even if by now Hans Voralberg we left him behind after helping him to fulfill his dream, his genius and his legacy continue to accompany us even later, in the places and characters we meet.
If with the third chapter, released in 2017, many have had something to say about different aspects of the game (not so much on the story as on the technical and playful aspects of the title). with Syberia: The World Before, which we will analyze in this review, the French team of Microïds has however continued to follow the same path, making some changes here and there to try to offer a better gaming experience. Will Syberia therefore be able to meet our expectations? But, above all, she will be able to bear the weight of the legacy of the late Benoît Sokal?
A world of wonder
Before starting the review of Syberia: The World Before, let’s make a summary of what happened in the previous episodes. In Syberia 1 and 2, we take the role of Kate Walker, a young girl New York lawyer charged with taking care of the acquisition of the Voralberg Factory and who, after discovering the existence of a legitimate heir located somewhere in the world, will go in search of it. During the journey, with the help of the automaton OscarKate will retrace the same steps taken some time ago by Hans, discovering all his incredible inventions based on automata.
After having crossed all of Europe and arrived in the distant regions of Siberia, Kate Walker will finally find Hans Voralberg. Instead of obtaining permission for the sale of the company, Kate will decide to do the most unexpected: with the help of the Oscar automaton and the locomotive built by Hans himself, she will help the latter, now over eighty, to fulfill his last dream, that is to find the last ones mammuth remained on earth, presumably hidden in the phantom island of Syberia.
With the third chapter, published 13 years after the second, we find an important change of course. In addition to the new playful setting and the new technical sector (both modernized), we will also find a new type of story. After accompanying her friend Hans, Kate will save her life from the already known Youkol tribeand will decide accordingly to help them in theirs ritual migration. In the background, we will find a more dramatic context than in the previous chapters: the theme of racism that the tribe is forced to suffer by a group of Russian soldiers who want them to become a “civilized people”.
What happens now? – Syberia review: The World Before
This fourth chapter starts right where we left off: Kate managed to help the Youkol in their crossing, but at a great price. She was indeed captured by the Russian neo-fascist military group and forced into forced labor in a salt mine in the Russian Taiga (the year is 2004). With her the cellmate katiushawith whom he immediately creates an important emotional bond, and the heart of Oscar, the last legacy of Hans’s inventions, recovered after having stolen it from the guards. It is a very dramatic beginning, with a succession of events that will lead her to decide to escape with her cellmate.
All very touching, but those who have even started the game only once know that this is not the beginning. We are located in the fictional town of Vaghen, in 1937and we take the shoes of Dana Rozea young girl with a promising career from pianist still to be cultivated, the first step of which will be to play for the spring concert in the main square of the city. After seeing the remarkable spectacle generated by the automatons when playing the melody, we will soon discover that the career and life of Dana and her family will encounter many difficulties, due to the climate of racial hatred promoted by the so-called Brown Shadow (fictional political group that strongly recalls the NSDAP) at the dawn of the Second World War.
This narrative, although completely different in setting from the past, maintains the characteristic features of Syberia. In addition to a lot of events going on dramatic (which we had already begun to see since Syberia 3), the almost fairytale atmosphere that accompanies all the main inventions of Voralberg is very present: every time we see a automa or something similar, we will have the same sense of wonder we had in previous chapters. The two stories are also well told, with a excellent alternation between the two protagonists: the connections that unite the two stories (in addition to the strong physical resemblance of Kate and Dana, something also noticed by Katiusha) are also all very interesting ideas to discover.
Making Automata Work – Syberia Review: The World Before
Therefore, it is ascertained that the story and the setting are promoted with flying colors (also helped by one masterful soundtrack composed by Inon Zur), there is also the playful aspect to be analyzed. In this case, we can see in this review how Syberia: The World Before departs from the classic point and click model of the first two chapters, to get closer to the paradigm of modern graphic adventures.
No more complicated and difficult to solve puzzles: in their place we will find, for example, dialogue choices, which can change the outcome of a conversation or some events. Or we can find scenarios that can be explored with some side missions that can help us to deepen some aspects related to the game world and the surrounding environment. However, the latter, although they are always interesting and never too invasive, can clash with the rhythm of the story: just think of the very first part of the game, in which Dana must urgently head to the central square of Vaghen, but which can easily waste time. conversing with the bookseller in the alley.
Technique Control – Syberia Review: The World Before
It is normal to pay particular attention to the technical aspect, after Syberia 3’s not too successful attempt. 3D environment, in which mainly the management of the camera and the movement of the protagonist. In this case, an attempt was made to correct the shot, with some quite important changes, but still essential to obtain a good result.
First of all, it must be said that the controllable and free camera has been replaced by one fixed camera, which follows the character according to his movements. This therefore almost completely solves the first of the aforementioned problems, were it not for the fact that it can happen that quite annoying and unwanted detachments occur.
If instead we look at the graphics as a whole, we can find a title technically more refined than the predecessor, but with the same limitations. In terms of graphic “power”, in fact, we are not at very high levels, but we do not blame them: as already mentioned, the production costs are not those of a high-budget project, and the same care cannot be expected. triple A in games. Also because, paying more attention to graphic stylewe are faced with a result that does its job very well, that is to transport us to atmosfere simil-steampunk that have always fascinated us.
Conclusions and verdict
It is useless to go around it further: Syberia: The World Before is a beautiful and very successful one love letter to Benoît Sokal, or rather to the artist who managed long ago to give us an imaginary that is still unique today. Despite the narrative approach now almost completely different from the past (which makes it perhaps a bit difficult to start directly from this fourth chapter), the title succeeds very well in the enterprise of carry the player into the same imaginary, making him feel those same emotions of wonder. Even with all those limitations typical of non-high-budget productions, in fact, several steps forward have been made compared to the predecessor, making the gaming experience almost entirely clean.
At the end of this Syberia: The World Before review, the ball is up to you. What do you think about it? Were you also able to feel the same emotions as in the past? Waiting for your response, stay tuned on the TechGameWorld.com pages for daily updates on the gaming world and beyond. You can also find Syberia: The World Before (and more) at a discounted price directly on Instant Gaming.
Points in favor
- Well told and compelling story
- Wonderful atmosphere
- Well integrated gameplay
Points against
- Some side missions are out of tune
- Some technical problems persist