Customer Reviews

Syberia

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had never heard of Syberia until I saw the DS version for sale and became intrigued. After having played it, I am left with a lot of mixed feelings:

1. This game can be frustratingly difficult. This is in some ways due to the small size of objects and paths on the screen as well as the main character's awkward directions of movement. However, I noticed while reading walkthroughs online that this game's puzzles are simplified versions of the PC version. There are not as many steps involved in completing the puzzles, but the difficulty lies in actually being able to see the objects you are looking for.

2. The sound quality is very poor. Additionally, the soundtrack is very repetitive because each level only has 1 song, and there are only 4 levels in the whole game. The image quality varies. The backgrounds are very beautiful and detailed. Characters are very noticeably pixelated, but it isn't distracting. The motion video quality is very good, though I noticed one movie skipped a few times.

3. The story is definitely incomplete, so it makes sense that there already exists a Syberia 2 (with Syberia 3 coming soon). However, I was a bit insulted by the brevity and suddenness of the ending. It was like I had played half of a game, labored intensively for several hours, and then it just ends. This game can probably be completed within 8 hours or so, though I didn't see an in-game timer so I'm not positive how long I took.

I conclude that the game is worth playing if you are interested in investing in the whole story. Also, the game should be priced at $19.99 now which is a fair price. As far as I can tell, there is no replay value. However, if you are into the "mysterious, extraordinary adventure" type games, you should be able to see past this game's flaws and enjoy it well enough.

I've read the other reviews about this game, and they make many valid points: the graphics are tiny and not as detailed as I might prefer; the music is INCREDIBLY repetitive; and the puzzles can sometimes be frustratingly obfuscated.

Bearing all of that in mind, however, the game can be very fun. The characters are enjoyable; the long-shots of the villages, the rooms, and the countrysides are beautiful; and the story is complex and entertaining. After only the first few hours with the game, I've found it thoroughly engrossing, and I keep wanting to return to it when I'm busy doing other things (such as working).

The tiny DS screens make some aspects of playing the game more difficult than they should be, but it's fairly easy to work around those limitations - with a little patience and persistence. Stick with it, and this game with keep you hooked for hours on end.

I would recommend the PC version over the DS version. She moves very slow from one screen to the next, and a lot of the humorous dialog and one-liners (and a lot of the wonderful voice acting) is gone. The beautiful environments look horribly pixellated. They could have made a great port that took the adventure genre a step forward on the DS, but instead they were so literal about it that it feels like a drab pixel-hunt with a stylus.

I really enjoyed this game. The puzzles are not too difficult, and it keeps you wondering what will happen next in the storyline. I wouldn't say it has much replay value, though.

This is a great game overall. I had never heard of the game before until seeing it available on the DS. The story line is really intriguing, but since it was initially created for PC, the controls - mainly the camera angle - can get a little frustrating at times. Although it's minor, the main reason for the frustration is that it can be a little difficult to figure out where the character is supposed to go next. Also, I got stuck in a couple of places, but was able to read through the online walkthroughs and figure out my mistakes.

In spite of the minor camera angle irritations, I just completed the entire game and found the storyline really enjoyable. As someone who is a "russophile" and has traveled to Russia several times, I had a real appreciation for all of the cultural references to Russia in this game.

Since the game is more linear in structure, it plays like you're interacting with an electronic book. I would rate the story line about 5 stars as the game did a good job of holding my attention, but am rating it 4 stars overall because of the minor irritations with the camera angle.

Also, if you are buying this game for the younger crowd, there is some mild references to alcohol and language.

I thought this game was a nice PC Conversion. Nice music and the graphics are beautiful. The story is the same as the PC version: Kate makes a journey to places and with characters that border on the fantastic. The puzzles are not very complicated and are similar to the PC versions. The graphics and images are stunning to behold. This is definitely an artistic game. The conversion is not perfect - the interface is a little clunky and the dialog must be read on the screen - but still - you can play this game on your DS and that is well worth a little clunkiness.

This was the most fustrating game I have ever played. There is no dialog to speak of so you do not know what is going on and what the objects you pick up are to be used. Walkthroughs on line relate only to the PC version. Many of the objects in that version are not in the DS version. I keep getting stuck in places with no way out. I get into other places where there are no people and you just wander and wander. Waste of time!

I find this game interesting. Kind of hard,and Kate, walks so slow!!!!!! Still it is keeping me busy figuring out, though it took me a week to get to the 2nd level! Now I know to check everything before I leave an area. I love these kinds of games!

This game is very difficult to figure out, and leaves you very frustrated! Upon first playing the game, it took me thirty minutes before I gave up and found a walk through online. I viewed a couple of different walk throughs, and one of the main steps in the beginning was not available for my game. I do not know if this was a defect on my game or what, but I became increasingly frustrated as I continued to play. Granted I have never played syberia on anything before the ds, so I was going into this game as a newbie. Anyways, I really didn't want to have to play the entire game via a walk through guide, so I figured after getting the just of the game from the beginning then I could take it from there. NOPE! I made it a little farther in the game and found myself frustrated again. I've finally decided to give up on this game because any game that makes me mad and irritated is obviously not doing what it was intended to do in the first place. Save your money and buy mystery case files! That game is fun!