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Thumbs up from an infrequent gamer

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a GOOD game. I picked it up on the cheap to keep me occupied during a long weekend. Mission fulfilled. I found the storyline decent, the puzzles challenging without impossibly obscure solutions, and the graphics and music excellent.

The plot revolves around a New York lawyer who traipses through four European backwaters to find a long-lost heir to the estate of a toy factory owner. In the process, she meets a cast of typically bizarre and mysterious strangers, including closed-mouth hotel clerks, bureaucratic university officials, crazed factory superintendents, drunk astronauts, and fading opera divas. There are also a number of robotic automatons and a couple of mastodons thrown in for good measure.

While playing, I encountered a few technical glitches. When I started, the characters moved at a frustrating, slow-motion pace. I was about to chunk the game when a quick internet search found a patch that fixed the problem. Apparently this is a common difficulty when trying to run this older game on a newer machine. I also had trouble with crashes during one part of the game (the Barrockstadt station episode - this is also an apparently common problem in this game) but I solved the problem by saving often, and when I'd completed that phase of the game the crashes stopped. I usually don't have any patience for problems like this, but the fact that I pressed on in spite of them speaks well of the game; I was interested enough to WANT to finish, even with the problems I encountered.

I'm not much of a gamer. I probably attempt an adventure-type game once a year or less, and I tend to become bogged down, frustrated, and bored with them fairly quickly. I'm not an expert on this genre, but SYBERIA held my attention and was just challenging enough for me to solve on my own without resorting to a walk-through guide. Although hard-core adventure game fans might find this one a little too simple, I recommend it.

Sheer Genius

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: July 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Imagine how you would create a visually compelling canvas backdrop, a unique story line, immense attention to detail in voice acting, movement and motion, and you still would not top this truly gem of a game.

As Schumann said with regard to Chopin's entrance to the musical society in the early 1800's, "Hats off. A Genius"!

That is how I feel about all involved with this wonderful new addition to the genre. It is an "instant classic".

Best Adventure Game EVER!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: May 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is the best Adventure game I have ever played...And I have played ALOT.

First, the storyline. This game has a great plot that is easy to follow. You know excatly what your mission is and why you are doing it.

Second, the puzzles. The puzzles in this game are actually easy enough to figure out on your own. You do not have to follow a walkthrough or use a cheater site. And they seem to make sense, meaning they go along with the storyline.

Three, The graphics. EXCELLENT! Very cool for this kind of game.

The only thing I can complain about is the fact that you have to run back and forth alot. But that is to be expected in a game like this.

Buy this game you will not be sorry.

Not fun!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: June 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Adventure games are generally pretty much hit or miss. With that state of mind, Syberia is way off target. You play the game as the dull/boring/dense femme Kate Walker. You get submerged into Kate's life (you even get her cellphone) and are sent to get a contract signed by the Voralbergs for a toy company.

All starts out well and fine until you notice something. The game is boring. The conversations you have are horribly scripted and predictable. The puzzles you are to complete are laughably easy. The graphics are gorgeous so in Syberia you do a lot of senseless walking. In fact, this game could probably be sold as a walking simulator.

You listen to boring conversations and trudge through your "mission." You get annoying phone calls from Kate's annoying mother, boyfriend, and bestfriend keeping you up to date on her terrible social life. Just when the game starts picking up pace Kate's cell will ring. It's enough to make you want to get rid of phones for good.

The plot is atrocious. There are many flagarant plot holes that just plain irritate you.

Play Monkey Island. Play Grim Fandango. Play The Longest Journey - those are entertaining adventure games. This one is simply pure fluff that will have you yawning for twenty some hours straight.

Syberia

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: October 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have played many adventure games and this one is by far one of the most beautiful!The graphics are very well done and the game play is smooth.
The puzzles were a little more easy than I am used to,but at least I didn't get frustrated .If something gets missed the game doesn't progress-so at least you know that you have done everything that you can do in a particular area.
The story line is good and you get to know your characters well.
My only complaints are: I wish that it hadn't ended when it did-I had expected to do more exploring! The number of people to interact with was limited making the game easier than it could have been.
I hope that another game like this comes out soon as I was impressed with how well it was done.
Well worth the money!

Not for Myst Fans

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: March 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought Syberia with the intention that it would fill the "void" as I eagerly await the next game installment of the Myst series. It had all the recommendations, the graphics looked stunning, and it was named Adventure Game of the Year.

But if you are a Myst fan and are expecting a game that can rival the Myst games - think again.

If you are expecting a completely immersive environment, fabulous audioplay (in Syberia, the music starts up then sort of dwindles away, but as soon as you "solve" a puzzle, it revitalizes itself and is very gung ho... until it dwindles again), and challenging "Myst-esque" puzzles, keep looking.

Syberia hasn't really got any of that. The static graphics (namely, the backgrounds) are very beautiful. The 3-D character modeling is... well... let's just say it could use work. The ending was pretty disappointing too. You'll be sitting there at your computer cheering Kate on and then the movie will cut to the ending credits and you'll be "What? That's all? I did all that to just see a nice shot of CGI snowflakes??"

And the puzzles. Oh boy, the puzzles. This is the point on which I mainly urge Myst fans to consider waiting to buy Syberia at the [$$]-Bargain Shelf.

The puzzles were simplistic, repetitive, and absolutely non-thought provoking. Some puzzles were challenging, but only because they required lots of walking-clicking or maybe you just weren't looking at your screen hard enough (i.e. the mammoth drawing).

Myst fans, expect to finish this game in a few hours. I was very disappointed, but I was able to console myself with the fact that I hadn't bought the game when it first came out (and cost [more$$]).

I do not recommend Syberia for Myst fans who are looking for something in league with the Myst series.

However, if you aren't a Myst fan, then I say this is the perfect game for you. It won't fry your brains and despite the 3D-modeling and weird voice-script, Syberia is a very beautiful game.

Kudos to Syberia creative team

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: October 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Browsing these reviews for Syberia I wonder if Americans can appreciate what B. Sokal accomplished. A mature understanding of mortality and a deep respect for history is rare in the U.S. Syberia is a melancholy tale of the sweetest kind with landscapes that breathtakingly reveal the disintegration of once great pasts (e.g. post Soviet Union factory). Hats off to Nick Varley and Dimitri Bodiansky for the most beautifully haunting music I have ever heard in a PC game. The first animated train sequence still gives me goose bumps. My mouth dropping open in amazement and my eyes tearing up were reactions I've never encountered while playing a computer game. I became so attached to the characters by the end that I was truly heartbroken when Kate and the train left without me. The only downside: get better actors for the supporting characters. (Example: The Russian Ex-Cosmonaut should at least have a Russian accent!) It wasn't until the last chapter of the story that the voices seemed truly authentic. Above all, Sokal proves that games can be brilliant without blood, gore and pointless violence. We have a lot to learn from the French (and Canadians.) I will be buying Syberia 2 but I'm a little sad to hear there's a sequel. The ending is a perfect mixture of tragedy and hope - complex ingredients that you seldom see today in storytelling.

Boring

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 9
Date: November 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm not sure where all these great reviews came from. I hoped that this game would help wean me off my addiction to the Her Interactive Nancy Drew games, but it didn't even come close. I thought that moving the character around was clunky and slow, and even when I knew there was a key or something that I needed to pick up or interact with, it took me forever to maneuver around in order to do so. The only good thing I can say about this game is that the scenery was nice to look at. After playing 3-4 times, I gave up entirely.

Remarkable Game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have always been into adventure games and have played a fair share of them in the past. Syberia has by far surpassed them all. The only other game that comes close is "The Longest Journey" by Funcom, so if you haven't played that yet, then you should check it out...after you play this!
The interface is the most beautiful I have ever seen. The character of Kate Walker is very easy to control, and it's a pleasure to watch her movements, not a bore like the usual. I loved getting to know all the charaters and places that Kate visits on her journey to find one particular man.
I never had any problems playing this game, and I used XP, so that's good to know for all you XP gamers out there that usually have trouble with that form of Windows. You are also given many options for the gameplay in case you have a slower computer, which is good to know.
I was totally enthralled by the music, graphics, and story the whole time I was playing. I recommend buying this game (and the sequel) because I absolutely see no way that anyone would be disappointed.

Beautiful, imaginative, enchanting; some illogical solutions

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed this game a lot, not quite as much as Myst many years ago, but it had a similar fresh and creative feel to it. If Myst is a 10, I give Syberia a 9. I had no technical problems with it. The graphics are gorgeous, and the storyline is creative and captivating, although it did take a while to get hooked. It has a definite European flavor to it that was refreshing too. And it has a good message for young women as the young female hero "Kate" is transformed during the course of the game. She starts out an average young New York attorney involved in a love relationship with a somewhat weak and immature man, and by the end she has become a world adventurer of almost superhero stature, powers, and confidence. And it is clear by the end of the game that Kate will no longer be satisfied with her former ordinary life and suffocating relationship. Thus the stage is set for the sequel, Syberia 2, in which Kate embarks on another great adventure that is related yet different from the one in Syberia.

I read a review of this game online in which the reviewer was disappointed in the ending of the game, and with the "annoying" concurrent storyline of Kate's relationship with her boyfriend back in New York (via cell phone). But I think the ending was fine. Kate does achieve the goal of the game - at least mostly, and also embraces her newfound freedom and self-confidence, and a love of adventure. She leaves behind the pettiness of her relationship with an immature man and her job where an oppressive boss dominated her. It's a great message for young women who have not yet made their choice for the future course of their lives. And although the hero is a young woman, this is a good message for young men as well.

On the downside, the games "puzzles" often had illogical solutions that I, for one, would probably have only stumbled on after many boring, tedious hours of trying every possible combination of actions to come up with the right solution. This detracted from the game's enjoyment quite a bit, and I had to resort to a "walkthrough" available at the website Bellaonline.com. Therefore, I would suggest locating a walkthrough and then consulting it when the game becomes too tedious. I'd say try for 30 minutes to an hour and if you can't come up with a solution then check the walkthrough. In my case, even when I got the solution from the walkthrough, I did not say to myself "why didn't I think of that!" Instead it was more like, "Sheesh, who would ever think of doing that?" But that only happened maybe 5 or 6 times, so there were still plenty of other solutions that were logical and that I was able to figure out on my own.

As I said earlier the story is captivating and I was hooked, so I will be getting the sequel too. It's an enjoyable, nonviolent, fantasy-adventure game that sharpens your thinking skills and should be playable by all over age 10 to 12 or so.

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