Syberia
by Dreamcatcher Interactive
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: DreamcatcherFormat: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2002-09-10
Platform: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP
Publisher: Dreamcatcher Interactive
Product features:
- You play as Kate Walker, a businesswoman looking for the long-lost heir of the world's greatest family of toymakers
- To find this heir, she'll have to enter the world of odd obsessions and beautiful machinery as she uncovers a mystery that goes back for generations
- As you explore an amzing 360-degree environment, you'll face clockwork men & animals of every shape and size
- It's up to you to complete the jobs here -- find the missing parts so the machines can play out their roles, and you'll be given a clue
- Wonderful graphics will paint a storybook picture for you as 2D paintings meet 3D animation
Video Game Reviews of Syberia
Customer Review: A "Less Boring" Way to Pass the Time
Summary: 3 Stars
Before you buy this game, I suggest that you download the demo (Google it)! It's well-worth finding out whether you like the controls, the graphics, and the gameplay overall. This is a suggestion you should follow before you buy any computer game because it's more than likely that they have a demo for it.
Technical Problems: The installation was basic, like most other computer game installations, and took around 5-10 minutes. It is important to note that once in a while--very rarely--the game would suddenly exit out of nowhere, but this may have been caused by other factors and not necessarily the game itself. Nevertheless, it is important to save frequently. Other than that, I experienced no other technical problems.
Gameplay: The gameplay reminded me a LOT of "The Longest Journey," a legendary adventure game that I strongly recommend you play. Syberia is the typical point-and-click adventure game, but unlike in "The Longest Journey," you cannot skip through the animation of Kate running across the screen--you actually have to watch her run from point to point, which gets very tedious and time consuming. Luckily, you can still skip through the conversations line by line by right-clicking. A lot of the puzzles are trial-and-error sort of things, where you have to play around with it until you get it right. While most puzzles were fun and not very challenging, some weren't always very logical. As a result, I had to refer to the Universal Hints site a few times. Some example tasks in the game include:
- Getting a machine or gadget to work.
- Finding an item.
- Finding a way into a restricted or blocked area.
Graphics: The graphics are pretty decent--they are much better than "The Longest Journey," which came out in 2000, but they are nowhere near as nice as its sequel "Dreamfall," which came out in 2006. So all in all, the graphics are mediocre--nothing ugly but not impressive either. Unfortunately, some of the characters' movements seem unrealistic and bulky, but it doesn't bother me too much. Seeing that the game came out in 2002, it is reasonable that it is no match for today's breathtaking graphics.
Storyline: The storyline is probably the weakest part of this game, which is my biggest complaint. Although I wouldn't call it typical--I mean what other game is based on a lawyer searching for the heir of a toy factory in order to close a sale?--it isn't particularly interesting. Aside from the "twist" in the very beginning--I'm not even sure if I'd call it a twist--nothing else is added to the story that really keeps you interested. And just when the game begins to get interesting and exciting, it ENDS! I don't mean that it leaves you hanging, but rather, the journey just comes to a close, and personally, I think the ending is a little ridiculous and overly dramatic because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I felt like I had been waiting for the journey to get a little more exciting--hit the good stuff--throughout the entire game and just as it was beginning to, the game was over. Though Syberia was somewhat fun to play, it was definitely not satisfying, but maybe I'm just comparing it to "The Longest Journey" (whose storyline is infinitely more interesting, exciting, and fulfilling) too much?
Characters: Another of my complaints is that there were very few characters. In Syberia, you meet only around 20 characters or less, whereas in "The Longest Journey," you meet over 50. I wouldn't have minded not meeting many characters, but I would've liked to have more characters around, even if you couldn't talk to them. As a result, the game felt very solitary and a bit boring. It was even hard to LIKE any of the characters, even Kate. Being an 18-year-old girl, it felt hard to relate to her because she's probably in her late 20's or early 30's, with a hard-to-like fianc?e--she was like my 30-something-year-old cousin whom I'm not very fond of. Nonetheless, I still managed to sort of care about her towards the end and there was some good character development.
OVERVIEW
Strong points: Smooth gameplay with little to no problems, simple navigation, decent puzzles
Needs work: The storyline is weak and rather bland and there are too few, likeable characters. They should also incorporate a way to skip the animation for her running across the screen--it's pretty annoying.
My opinion: It's a good way to pass the time because the gameplay is fairly decent and entertaining, but just as it starts getting exciting, the game is over, leaving you feeling unsatisfied, though not hanging. It's a different dissatisfaction from the one that you get after you finish "Dreamfall," which simply leaves you with the worst cliffhanger possible, because at least the game itself was still gratifying in the gameplay--exciting, fun, challenging--whereas Syberia was just a less boring way of passing time. I was a little disappointed because I had heard such great things about this adventure game, but unfortunately, I'd have to say you'd better spend your money on "The Longest Journey," "Dreamfall" (if you can handle cliffhangers), and the Nancy Drew series. If you've already gone through that, and seriously need more, THEN think about Syberia.
EXTRA TIPS FOR GAMEPLAY
* Hints: Check out the Universal Hints website (Google for it).
* Right-click to skip through dialogue line-by-line AND to access your inventory.
Description of Syberia
Syberia takes you into an enchanting world full of clockwork machinery that mimics life so perfectly it could almost be alive -- and that may be the secret you've hired to uncover! Beautiful fantasy awaits in this gorgeous puzzle-adventure game!Adventure Games
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