If you are reading this, then Syberia
2 is now available in stores.
So before we get started, I have one question for you.

What are you doing, wasting time reading this review?! You could
be playing Syberia 2!!

My pal Vermin and I have
been anxiously awaiting this game since we played Syberia together
two years ago. Upon finishing that game,
we promised each other we’d play the sequel together if and
when there was one. As I zoomed up the 101 up to her place in Santa
Barbara last Friday, I couldn’t help fearing, “Are we
setting ourselves up for a huge letdown here? How could this second
game not be a disappointment?”

A couple of hours later,
after which we’d gushed ourselves
hoarse about the game’s virtues, I can safely say that no,
we were not disappointed.

Chapter 2

Syberia 2 isn’t so much a sequel as the continuation and conclusion
of the first game. The two parts could literally be played together
as one game. The story begins on the magical windup train designed
by the French automaton-designer Hans. He is accompanied by American
lawyer Kate Walker, his very unlikely champion. The two of them are
still attempting to find the mythical Island of Syberia, where the
mammoths supposedly still roam.

I’ve been accused recently of not discussing the faults of
games I like, and of giving away too much plot and even endings.
The endings part isn’t true (saying an ending SUCKS isn’t
giving it away), but I’m such a nice guy I’ll try to
make amends for both sins here.

Second Sin first. I’m not going to tell you whether there
are live mammoths or not. So there. I’m not even going to talk
about the plot. At all. Beyond to say it’s simply a narrative
continuation of the first game. So there.

First Sin second. No,
this isn’t a perfect game. The biggest
thing missing from it is the sense of surprise created by the first
game. If you’ve played that game, you’re already used
to the idea of the wondrous mechanical creations of Hans, and you’ve
had plenty of time to speculate about his outlandish dreams of a
mammoth-infested northern paradise. So there’s little edge
taken off of the sense of wonder.

There are a couple of
minor problems in the dialog trees. Occasionally a character will
assume you know something a bit prematurely. Most
of the characters have an annoying habit of always calling Kate by
her first and last name (“Thanks for the bubble gum, Kate Walker.
Are you quite comfortable now, Kate Walker?”). One important
(and talkative) child character was obviously and distractingly voiced
by an adult. And Kate has a hilarious, not to mention hazardous,
habit of climbing down a ladder by backing into it.

The game is a bit shorter than the first and the puzzles are a bit
easier. While this might disappoint some players, the upside is we
found the puzzles to be much more organic and intuitive this time
around.

Okay, so much for the horrible stuff.

And for the record, the
game is, like its predecessor, a third-person point-and-click adventure
with an interface that’s invisible
until you pull it up. When you do, it’s elegant, stylish and
efficient. Also, there are unlimited save slots, always a good thing.

The Beauty Part

I’ve played a lot of pretty games in my time. Simon
the Sorcerer.
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. Morpheus. Obsidian. Hopkins
FBI. Tron 2.0. Anachronox. Myst. Baldurs
Gate, Icewind Dale and their
sequels. And I’ve played some beautiful games as well. Starship
Titanic. Riven. Beyond Good and Evil. Uru. Journeyman
3. The Longest
Journey. Final Fantasy X. Ratchet & Clank. And, of course, Syberia.

Syberia 2 is the most beautiful game I have ever played.

At a time when I would
have wagered that real-time rendered graphics had finally won the
graphics war, Syberia 2 is a magnificent triumph
of old-school, pre-rendered graphics. Working from the ravishing
artistic sensibility of writer/director/artist Benoît Sokal,
from beginning to end, the game is simply a work of art.

What struck Vermin and I over and over again were the many lush
details that enriched the visual, auditory, and gameplay experience.

Visuals: Things like the
way the sun would catch the outside of a door when it opened. Or
the squirrel running along the train trestle.
Or the occasional clump of snow slipping off the roof of a building
and landing with a realistic-sounding thump. Or the beautiful reflection
of Kate whenever she’d walk over a puddle. We’d make
her walk over puddles again and again just to watch the effect. None
of these visual details were necessary to the game; they just made
the game better. The real-time lighting effects were employed beautifully
throughout. And, as Vermin pointed out, even the subtitles have character.

Sound: Syberia
2 has the
best sound design I’ve heard in ages.
Again, it’s all about the details. While on the train, the
sounds of the wind pushing against the train and making it rattle
and moan were stunning. The score is beautiful, and the voice acting
(with the one noted exception) is superb.

Gameplay: As mentioned,
in general the puzzles are more organic this time around. Most
of the tasks we got saddled with seemed to
make some sort of sense. Because of this, there’s not as much
frustrating to-ing and fro-ing as there was in the first game. There’s
also not the annoyance of all of those locked doors that lead nowhere – remember
that? There are a couple of pretty sticky puzzles, however. Two of
them can be solved with enough trial and error, but one of them – involving
a clock – feels a bit too much like a refugee from Reah or
Schizm. This is probably the worst single moment in the game, as
this opaque puzzle stops the game in its tracks until you solve it.

For the most part, however,
the puzzles are lots of fun. There’s
a particularly interesting one in which you use cups of water, a
fish skeleton and an owl-like predator bird to manipulate a lemming
through a maze of ice.

The game is full of beautiful
cutscenes, all of which are available to replay after the first
time you come across them. Particularly
visually delightful are the scenes of Kate’s boss back in New
York trying to figure out how to get her back. These scenes are produced
with a bunch of gruff talking men in silhouette in front of a beautiful
round deco window. It’s very reminiscent of the look from the
early scenes of Citizen Kane. In fact, the game has such cinematic
flair that you wish Microïds and Sokal would team up and actually
make a feature film.

I promised not to talk about the plot but I will say that you will
get very swept up in it. And for those who found the automaton Oscar
a bit irritating and unhelpful in the first game . . . Well, you
might find him exactly as irritating and unhelpful this time around.
But all I can say is just wait a bit, it’s worth it.

Death By Penguin

For fans of Amerzone (the
first Microïds/Sokal adventure game),
the artistic and thematic precursor to the Syberia saga, there’s
also some good creature action. While not as extravagant as that
earlier game (will I ever get over those amazing water giraffes?),
the creatures are still fun. In fact, in several instances the creatures
are integral to the puzzle-solving process.

Two things impressed Vermin
and I the most about Syberia 2. First, its production values feel
so luxurious it’s hard to believe
an adventure game would get such a budget these days. Second, from
stem to stern the game feels like it was built by people who loved
their work. The loving details that went into this game are so numerous
and delightful, you’ll want to play this game very slowly and
savor it all. This is the most TLC-drenched game I’ve played
since Anachronox.

I have to quote something
off of the Microïds website. Under
the heading “Our Philosophy,” it says, in part:

Video games should push the boundaries of creation and inspire those
who play them.

They have certainly achieved
that goal with this game. While not perfect, the virtues of the
game overwhelm its minor shortcomings
like a tsunami over tinkertoys. I have to congratulate Microïds – in
collaboration with Benoît Sokal they have created three of
the most beautiful and compelling adventure games ever released.
As a gamer, I earnestly thank them for Syberia 2. And I think you
will, too.

Final Grade: A+ (and
that’s just because I can’t think of a higher grade)

System Requirements:

Minimum System Requirements:

• Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
• Pentium II 350 MHz
  processor
• 16 MB Direct3D (DirectX
  8.1) compatible 3D video card
• 64 MB RAM
• 400 MB available space
  on hard drive
• 16X CD-ROM drive
• DirectX 7 compatible
  sound card

  Recommended System Requirements:

• Pentium III 800 MHz processor
• 32 MB Direct3D (DirectX
  8.1) compatible 3D video card
• 128 MB RAM
• 24X CD-ROM drive

This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.