Syberia: The World Before

Syberia is a more low-key point-and-click game that has been going one fore quite a while. This is the fourth entry into the series. The first game came out in 2002, twenty years ago as of writing. However, in-game, only 3 years have passed, so they are in the time of 2005. And in those 3 years, the main protagonist Kate Walker has gone through a lot. Syberia: The World Before has a small time jump after the end of the third game. Also, the story is now divided between the present, with Kate Walker, and the past, with Dana Roze.

Come embark on a slightly fantastical and mechanical journey with Kate. Find the game at Steam.

The World Before is much more of a story game with gameplay elements taking a back seat. There are more cutscenes and you simply walking around and talking to people, getting to know the story. It all starts in the 1930’s with Dana Roze, a piano student in the fictional city of Vaghen, Osterthal. Who is she and why is she important to Kate? Those are the answers you will slowly uncover over the course of the game. And expect some twists and turns along the way.

After the events of the last game, Kate has pretty much finished what she set out to do with Hans Voralberg and the youkol tribe. So what’s next? The answer is a mysterious painting that she finds in a train of looted treasure from World War II. In it, she finds a portrait of a woman that looks just like her. From there, it is a promise to a friend that Kate goes on to find out who the woman in the painting is.

The story then jumps between Kate and Dana. Whenever Kate finds out new information, you get to play through that segment of Dana’s story. To find out the whole truth, she will need to go all through Vaghen, Dana’s home town.

The world of Syberia has always been a bit fantastical, and this game is no exception. The locations you will mainly be what you can find in the real world, but there will be special elements mixed throughout that turn them magical. Also, this game fully confirms Syberia to be an alternate Earth since there is an entirely alternate World War II happening with an organization known as the Brown Shadow being the aggressors.

The character animations and facial expressions are done well. In a game focused on story, seeing the subtle shifts in their expressions adds to the atmosphere. The voice actors all do a great job, with the minor exception that some voice actors pronounce things differently from others. I don’t know if Kate Walker has the same voice actor as the previous games, though. I don’t think Oscar has the same voice actor. As a narrative experience, Syberia: The World Before is fun and engaging.

The gameplay sections, though, are mostly just walking around and talking to people. Getting around using the mouse can be a bit challenging since the camera only moves as you approach something like a side street, so you can’t really click deep into the street to move there. You have to move to the entrance first and let the camera move into position before you can proceed. Overall, navigation could be easier.

Also, there are a few puzzles in the game. They are fun and mechanical in nature, having to figure out how to fix machinery or things like that. It isn’t too difficult, though. While the environments are more detailed and lively compared to the previous, games, you also only get a small section each time, making it even easier to figure out what to do. There’s only so many places to go.

Syberia: The World Before is a game to play for the story. The gameplay segments are nice and help break out all the story pacing, but they are nothing too impressive. The story is fun, and the characters are well-voiced and acted. It is a fun continuation of Kate’s continued adventures in this wondrous version of Earth.

Random side thoughts. I am really amused by the sub-plot of Nic Cantin, a private investigator hired to bring Kate back to New York. The man has been tracking Kate since Syberia 2 and is still at it here. In-game he has been after Kate for three years. My goodness, the dedication. I mean, he is getting paid, but still. I wonder if anything will come of that plot?

Find it on Steam.