I should start by stating that I have never played the first Syberia, but have read several positive reviews about it.
Not too long ago, we headed to a Rogers Video store to rent some games, and noticed Syberia II for sale at a modest $9.99. We decided against it mostly because it was a sequel and we couldn’t find the first one to at least rent and play through it.
I don’t remember what we rented at that particular time, but the game didn’t work – it was way too scratched – so my husband took it back the next day. Surprise, surprise: Syberia II was still there, and it was now $7.99. Was it a sign? Maybe! So he bought it, under the excuse that I was meant to play it.
I did play it, and it didn’t take me long to start whining about not knowing what when on in the first game, and what was the point of playing the sequel without having seen the first title and so on. Then I found it, quietly hanging out on the top left corner of the screen: an option to see a summary of the story and events in Syberia. Suddenly, starting a new game in Syberia II wasn’t so pointless anymore.
After finally finding Hans Voralberg, the creator of the fantastic automatons, Kate Walker embarks on a journey to find the mythic island of Syberia, where it’s told that mammoths still roam the blue grass-covered plains. Hans’ last wish is to find this land and see it with his own eyes. But what at first seemed like an easy exploration task becomes an obstacle course. First, the train needs to be working, but then Hans falls ill with a terrible fever. Then the train is stolen and Hans is lost, roaming by himself somewhere out in the snow.
Kate searches for him and eventually finds him trapped in a dreamlike state. Decided to find Hans and bring him to his destination, Kate risks not coming back from this dream world herself to help Hans fulfill his wish.
The gameplay is an epic third-person graphic adventure with some puzzle solving in the mix. Syberia II is not only about the advancement and fulfillment of Hans’ quest, but also about Kate’s personal spiritual development. As the story progresses, she leaves her old life behind and discovers a side of her personality that she never thought existed. Instead of just a lawyer, Kate becomes a dependable companion to Hans.
The slow-paced explorative gameplay almost forces you to look at everything in detail, which is a good thing because Syberia II is indeed a beautiful game, and visually what some would call eye-candy. I couldn’t get enough of admiring the scenery, so it became a bit of a snowy safari for me. Even though the wintery landscape palette is all shades of white and gray, even though they may seem very bland, you will find the little details to be most impressive: the little snowflakes slowly falling from the sky, a bird flying by, a chunk of snow falling from a tree branch. In contrast, the building interiors are vibrant and colorful, and equally full of detail. The cut-scenes aren’t any less spectacular either. Combine all of these with very realistic sound effects, gorgeous music and good voice acting (especially Kate), and you have a recipe for success.
Although this isn’t a new game (it’s almost a year old now, being released in 2004), I found it well worthy of a review. Syberia II is definitely a masterpiece in the museum of videogame art, and one that I am happy to now have in my collection.
Editor’s note: As of 2021, you can download a free copy of Syberia II at IndieGala.