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Beautiful game, but not quite "five-star" worthy.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This really was one of the most beautiful adventure games I've played. I thought the story was interesting and everything tied together well. However, there were a few of drawbacks: 1) being that it was in third person, it took forever for the main character to walk/run anywhere and to go up stairs, which made the game rather tedious, 2) the dialogue was excessive and the overabudance of cell phone calls wasn't necessary, and 3) the main character was quite rude and snotty (ok, so you might say that's not a big deal, which I guess overall wasn't that big of a deal considering it's all about realizing "there's more to life," but it was a drawback for me). The puzzles were pretty easy as long as you used your magnifying glass in all possible locations. Basically, I think this game was more about portraying an aesthetically appealing story rather than an action-packed, strategy-laden adventure - so is it worth buying? Yes, as it offers a leisurely few days away from the real world.

Bewitching, enthralling, beautiful and unforgettable

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Syberia" is beyond doubt my favorite adventure game ever. It has absolutely everything: gorgeous and varied settings, a compelling story, engaging characters, memorable music, challenging play, an excellent interface, cohesion, even humor. Above all, it has what I can only call a spellbinding and unforgettable atmosphere. In this most elusive regard, only "Syberia II," "Schizm," and one or two of the "Myst" series come close among the games I've played.

The world "Syberia" portrays is populated with interesting characters -- some helpful, some comical, some menacing, but all plausible. Voice acting is superb, and the game gives you choices in interacting with the characters. Some choices are more helpful than others, but none are dead ends.

Settings are varied and engrossing, from the humble quiet of Valadilene to the oppressive foreboding of Komkolzgrad and the fading splendor of Aralbad. The devices throughout are charming. Graphics are superb as well, rich in detail and appropriate in palette. Sounds fit the action, and music is just right; it complements the story and scenery without distracting you or seeming unnatural.

Play is logical, helped by a straightforward and consistent interface. Most of the time you know what obstacles you face, and can guess how to overcome them. Finding the tools you need presents resonable challenges, and applying them is simple. Puzzles mostly make sense, and pixel-hunting is minimal. Touches of humor relieve the tension. And the story as it develops draws you in to keep you motivated. Too many adventure games rely on your satisfaction in solving each puzzle to keep you going; "Syberia" you play because you really want to see how it ends, and you enjoy each step along the way. (Well, all right, I played through Komkolzgrad just because I couldn't wait to get out of there!) Even the cutscenes between levels are splendid.

Only two things detract from the sheer delight of this game, and they both come at the end. First, the end of the story is anticlimactic, not an ending at all but the beginning of the sequel, which is almost as good. And second, unavoidably, the game is over. Its scenes, characters, sounds, challenges, and jokes will linger in your mind, but you've found all there is to find in "Syberia."

If you like adventure games, don't miss "Syberia." But don't rush it, either. Play it, explore it, meander through it, savor it for all it's worth. You'll look far and wide for another game as lush and rewarding as this.

The Best Adventure PC Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you like adventure games, you will absolutely LOVE Syberia. Everything about the game is amazing, from the graphics to the story line. You may even shed a tear or 2 because you will fall in love with the characters!

the visuals make the game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

there have been many reviews commenting about the quality of the pictures in this game and they are correct. what the designers have done is to take a series of very depressing environments and render them exquisitely into an overall picture that is strikingly appealing. starting off in valadilene (?sp) a town in decline, with an unused, decaying factory with partially completed "automatons", weed overgrown churchyards, and discarded equipment, we progress to another town (barrockstadt ?sp) that, despite its fancy university, appears to be a burned out war zone filled with depressing characters. From there, we move on to a delapidated, creepy, abandoned, rusting, polluted soviet factory and space research facility, and, lastly, to a seedy has-been resort on the aral sea that appears to have been for the enjoyment of well behaved communists. this is a singularly depressing set of environments, but the authors bring it off wonderfully. these levels are consistently populated by lazy bureaucratic malingering workers, which makes me think the authors are commenting on communist, or even present day french, labor, but which, at the same time, they render humorous.

the level of detail in these visuals is to me astounding and accounts for the appeal of the game. the main character, kate, who is supposed to be a lawyer from new york, is about as american as charles degaulle (notice her clothes). she matures considerably during the game, from an aggressive shallow narcissistic yuppie to a woman who comes to realize the world is full of genuinely interesting things, places, and people. the gameplay here is not particularly good, which is why i am rating it 4 instead of 5. i think it is much too easy (always remember to try the cellphone). despite this, i would definitely recommend buying this for the scenery and story alone; also, as in a newspaper comic strip, i cant wait to see the continuation.

fun but not captivating

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The story line started off decently, but began to fade near the end. I felt the ending could have been much better. The automatons were cute and dialogue decent. It is a decent game to play on a rainy day or if your snowed in. The use of only the mouse for game play was a first for me. I am definitely a hard- core keyboard fan. Graphics in the game I must admit were very well done. I think a beginning gamer would have fun playing this game, but if you are a serious gamer try something like, "Alice"
or "Undying."

Great game but still left me wanting

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you're new to the adventure genre, this may be your game-- with stunning, detailed 3D-rendered graphics and an imaginative story ripe with possibility.

I would argue the game designers capitalized on MOST of that possibility. You would think that a game that begins in a town home to a sprawling toy factory complex that produces wind-up / clockwork toys would have much more in the way of imaginative puzzles.

Unfortunately, most of the puzzles are ludicrously easy, and the rare few that aren't painfully obvious can be solved by the usual hunt for "hot spots", applying every object to every other object/character and mapping out every single branch of the "conversation tree" with all NPCs. In other words, the usual fare.

There is little here puzzle-wise you haven't seen done in a better fashion if you're a veteran adventure game player. On the plus side, the puzzles were so incredibly easy that a walkthrough shouldn't be necessary for the vast majority of gamers out there.

The game is also populated with a number of colorful characters--some funny, some annoying, some very annoying. But even the annoying characters are part of the game's "charm"--though much of the dialogue often comes off as a poor translation (sure enough, the game was written by a Frenchman), mangling the English language more often than not and rattling off cliches the rest of the time.

To add insult to injury, Kate Walker has a cell phone that is a constant source of irritation, ringing at every inopportune moment. You'll soon wish "throw cell phone into beautiful crystalline stream" was an acceptable command.

On graphics, atmosphere, and storyline alone, this is still one of the best titles out there, hence my high rating despite my long list of gripes. You won't regret having played the game, though you will wonder why the game didn't ever reach the world suggested in the title--forcing you to wait impatiently for the sequel. Still, I wish the huge potential here had been capitalized upon.

Great Game!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Anyone who is a true adventure gamer will love this game!! Yea, the puzzles aren't unsolvable, the characters actually seem real. I see why PC Gamer declared it the best adventure game of the year! Wish there were more like this. I felt like I was actually in the game. ...One of the best! Please make a sequel!

Magnificent Adventure Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I personal found the game to be Magnificent. Though I felt the game was alittle short and did leave me hangin at the end. The game it's self had a great setup and control format and the graphics were the best that I've seen in awhile. Over all I did enjoy the game and finished it in 3 days. In some ways I'm glad the game did not drag out and that I was able to finish it. To sum up things, I kinda hope that they will come out with a second version of the game to finish where the first one left off at. If your looking for a Great Role Playing game in Third Person, this is a game to buy. The game will keep you thinking and wanting to finish till the end. I finish every few Adventure games and this is one that I did finish.

Gotta have it

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It isn't perfect, but it's close. Syberia is a must-have game, on a par with "The Longest Journey", because despite flaws noted in earlier reviews, you'll love this game.

There are two serious problems with RPGs. The biggest is timed puzzles, which to me are fatal -- I stop playing and try to get my money back. None of that here, thankfully.

The second is trial-and-error puzzles, for which you have no clues at all. Syberia has 1-1/2 of those (the lock and the bar). You get a clue for the bar puzzle, but it doesn't seem to mean anything. This is the biggest thing keeping Syberia from 5 stars.

I had no unexpected problems with graphics on my desktop machine, and what I did have was likely due to my dated Voodoo 3000 card.

A big criticism of this and most other games, is that it does not play well with others. This is a multitasking OS, and software is expected to cooperate and multitask. Syberia wants to take over the entire machine, and warns against task switching. I had some problems when I did that. If I ever find a game that simply makes task-switching impossible, back it goes. You are not allowed to take over my machine that way.

Others have noted the abruptness of the ending and the seeming shortness of the game. I'm not sure that's valid, because this is an unusually absorbing, even fascinating game. Coming back to the real world is a real letdown, especially if you've been immersed in Syberia for many hours. I wanted more.

More is coming, there is a sequel scheduled for release in October, 2003. I will be buying it.

One reviewer commented on the frustration of dealing with Oscar, the automaton. I suppose that's a viewpoint issue, because after a while it struck me as quite funny.

All in all, this is a game you have to play, to understand where the industry standards are -- unlike some of Dreamcatcher's earlier bombs.

awesome game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've only played a handful of adventure games, and this is my favorite. I'm someone who really likes the story, graphics, and music to be top-notch so that I get so absorbed that I want to keep going further. This game definitely delivered on all of these. I'd highly recommend this and its sequel to other people who are just starting to look into adventure games or dabble in them for fun. Some have complained about the game being too simplistic, but I found it to be complex enough that I didn't mind getting hints. In general, I'm looking for more of a fun escape than a challenge - I get enough challenges through work.

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