Syberia II

"It Can't Match the Original, But It's Another Wonderful Journey"

I have to get something out of the way immediately: Syberia II is a phenomenally beautiful piece of work. I'm referring to the art design, pre-rendered backgrounds, computer animation, character design, etc. Every element of the game that is visual, and audible for that matter (including the voice acting, which is great in both Syberia games), is damn near perfect. Syberia II is a work of art, of that there is really no dispute. What can be disputed, however, is whether or not this game is equal to its predecessor. I believe Syberia II to be a very well made adventure game, which even makes some improvements in interface over the original, but Syberia was downright terrific, while the sequel is merely a great game.

In the beginning, we find ourselves again with Kate Walker who is now aboard Hans Voralberg's clockwork train with Hans and Oscar. Her goal now is to do everything in her power to help Hans reach Syberia and fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing the mammoths. Her reasoning for this has been questioned by some critics who don't seem to believe this young, attractive, and successful woman would give up her career and her life to ride around with an eccentric old man and an automaton train engineer. I'm not one of those critics. I understand her reasoning. It's extreme, to be sure, but anyone who played the first game should understand that Kate is fascinated by this man, his life, and his genius...just as we were as players of the game. In addition, her boss treats her like garbage, her mother is self-absorbed and shallow, and her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend. What exactly is she leaving behind? Kate sees elements in Hans: his incredible faith in things he's never seen, his endless pursuit of his dreams, his childlike innocence; that appeal to her since she comes from a world where these things don't exist. Her adventure with Hans becomes a quest to discover her own dreams, faith, and freedoms.

Gameplay is much the same this time around, though the game has a more traditional adventure game feel than the original. In my review of Syberia I described the game as "Myst by way of The Longest Journey". Syberia II is less of the former, and more of the latter. There is more action and there are more characters. Also, I was very happy with the choice this time around to delete conversation topics after you've exhausted all new info. On the difficulty scale, I would say this one is slightly harder than the original, but quite intentionally neither one is brain splitting madness, like The 11th Hour or something.

So what is it that keeps Syberia II from matching Syberia? Unbelievable coincidences mostly, and the lack of the original's sense of discovery and characterization. I can handle the somewhat over-the-top villains (I've seen rednecks in real life act the same as these guys), but there are some coincidences in this game that ring false. This game's plot relies on them once or twice too many. For instance, at one point you are in a very bad situation where it looks as if Kate's life might very well end, when suddenly, an aircraft just happens to crash right next to the guys who are giving Kate trouble; saving her life. And that's just the beginning... The actual pilot of the aircraft just happens to be a certain someone you helped in the original game.

Syberia II has plenty of things that, even in the context of the game's style, feel quite unbelievable. Also, I missed the discovery in the original game. Everywhere you went you uncovered new information about Hans and Anna; you began to understand them. Here, there is no discovery of that nature really, since you have a clear goal that is no longer human for one, and nor does anyone know if these things really exist. Also, the first game is where the characters were really defined, and this time around there is less characterization involved, though there are some very nice character "moments".

Regardless of its flaws, Syberia II is a wonderful game. One can't help but compare it to the original, and in that comparison it can suffer somewhat. Compared to most adventure games however, particularly recent adventure games, Syberia II stands out as an attractive, intriguing, and fun journey into the unknown.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/04