Syberia: The World Before
The expertly-told, decades-spanning story of two adventurous women.
MOVIES
- Still no new movies watched, although I did re-watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan again, which remains one of the best sequels ever made.
- I haven't reviewed it yet, but I would prefer to wait until I can watch the original crew's movies in order without having to pay for another subscription service.
- Maybe I'll give in if I have a really quiet period sometime...
GAMES
- I finished Syberia: The World Before far faster than I thought I would thanks to becoming utterly engrossed with its story.
- It's pretty simple stuff honestly, but exceptionally well told with you controlling Kate Walker in the present day trying to discover what happened to a similar-looking woman from a painting made just before the start of World War II.
- Well, 'World War II' as the world of Syberia is a little different from our own, including lots of clockwork automatons and other technology that surpasses our own even now.
- Still, with the flashbacks to the Thirties and Forties whenever Kate uncovers a new piece of evidence, this feels like it should almost be a prestige TV show more than a game.
- That's not to disparage the gameplay, but it is a very linear story and could be adapted very easily, although you'd have to adapt the previous games too to get to this point...
- Regardless, Kate and Dana are two excellent leads for a really great story spanning decades that unfolds at what felt like a near-perfect pace for me.
- It's the kind of human story that games don't really touch on all that much, and that is part of why it's so interesting to play.
- As for the game, it's mostly exploration, conversations and some puzzle-solving which serves the nature of the story well.
- The only issues here are that some of the puzzles are needlessly complicated and some others can be difficult to figure out what you need to do, even if solving them is simple once you know what's needed.
- The fixed camera angles when exploring can be a hindrance too, as there are things you can interact with that can be hidden out of sight when the camera changes and it can be frustrating trying to 'reset' it.
- I also think Kate and Dana must drag their feet when walking, as they often get stuck on bits of terrain that no physically capable adult should have any issue with!
- Outside of those issues, I really have nothing else but praise for this game and the story it tells, just wishing it lasted longer or that a sequel for it was already available!
- Having not played the previous three games, Syberia: The World Before does a fantastic job of telling a self-contained story that fills in the gaps needed and sets up a sequel expertly. [9/10]
TV
- I'm almost done with The West Wing's fifth season, which isn't quite as bad as some might say, but it's certainly nowhere close to how good the first four seasons were.
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