Syberia II

"The journey to end all journies"

Syberia 2 is the sequel to the majestic point and click adventure, Syberia, for the PC. The story picks up where the first game left off, which was on a somber yet mysterious note. Just for a little background, Syberia told the journey of a lawyer, Kate Walker, who traveled to Europe in order to close a selling deal of an old toy company. Kate Walker becomes much more involved with the past than she ever intended to and, before she knew it, was whisked away on a magical journey across Western Europe on a search for a lost heir of ages past. Through four beautiful, yet all unique-in-their-own-way towns she traveled until finally she found who she was looking for, Hans Voralberg. After signing the final papers, she looked back one last time and realized that New York was no longer her home. She had become a new person and before she knew it, was whisked away yet again, this time with Hans and their trusty companion Oscar, on a trip to the far north of Europe and into Russia, on a search for the mythical land of Syberia and it's mammoths; and also Hans' dream.

Story: 10/10
Syberia's story is definitely it's strong point, and, judging from the first game, everyone knew they couldn't possibly go wrong with the sequel. The story picks up where it left off and follows Kate, Hans, and Oscar on their journey to Syberia, passing through four once again unique settings, solving puzzles on their quest to solve the mystery shrouding the mythical land of Syberia. In retrospect, the story is the best I ever remember experiencing in a game as of yet and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Graphics: 10/10
Once again, the graphics, as expected, are magnificent. No shortcomings here. All the visuals and pre rendered backgrounds are superbly finished with attention the slightest of details. Running water looks as if it is coming right out of the screen at you. Even small animations such as the occasional squirrel on the fence, bird fluttering off it's perch, or clump of snow tumbling off a roof really add to the overall effect of the game and it's scenery. Truly perfect.

Sound: 9/10
The sound in Syberia 2 is much the same as Syberia 1. Totally different music, but same overall effect. The music is just subtle enough to suit the locale of the moment perfectly. However, it is not extremely catchy, as in not easily remembered. That is why I gave it a nine out of ten. Still superb audio in any case, however.

Replayability: 7/10
Most adventure games aren't played more than once, especially hard ones. Not saying this is extremely hard, but adventure games never tend to have much of a replay factor. However, this game earns a high score in this category just because of the sheer beauty of the graphics and story. These things alone will want to make you replay the game countless times over.

Overall: 10/10
This game deserves nothing less. It is truly a masterpiece and an experience that should be shared by everyone. DO NOT pass this game up. With the story, graphics, visuals and audio, this game truly is the work of a genius.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/04