Gather around, everyone, to hear about the golden era of adventure games. Sierra On-Line and LucasArts were cranking out hit after hit. Mystery House, King’s Quest, Maniac Mansion, and The Secret of Monkey Island  – so many incredible adventure titles captivated the minds and hearts of PC gamers everywhere. That’s not even accounting for Japan’s visual novel output, which included the likes of Hideo Kojima’s The Snatcher.
Following the release of Myst, however, and the rise of other genres in the West, its appeal began to die out. As more games incorporated the same elements – Valve’s Half-Life, for one – dedicated point-and-click adventures that focused purely on narrative, characterization, and puzzle-solving were in decline.
However, just like their contemporary resurgence, there were a few notable releases in the late 90s and early 2000s that managed to shine. The Longest Journey is one, and 2002’s Syberia from Microïds, directed by the late Benoît Sokal, is another. The latter stood out for its absolutely gorgeous art style and unorthodox narrative, even as its gameplay mechanics felt like a throwback. Whether one enjoyed it or not at the time, it made its mark and would carry on over the years, including with 2022’s Syberia: The World Before.
“Unfortunately, the overall appeal can be hit or miss when it comes to the dialogue. The voice performances are a product of their time, both in cadence and quality, and they’ve seemingly remained untouched, so take that as you will.”
Time is a flat circle, and as is often the case in an industry that’s driven by remasters and remakes as much as new IPs, we return to the beginning with Syberia Remastered. But does going back really mean returning home? It’s a complicated question, and time isn’t the most forgiving.
From the outset, the narrative core remains the same. You play as Kate Walker, an American attorney sent to Valadilèn to facilitate the sale of a factory owned by the Voralbergs. Her arrival amid a funeral procession, carried out by automatons no less, is the first hint that things won’t go as smoothly as planned.
Once a bustling town, at least according to its citizens, Valadilèn has fallen by the wayside following the death of Anna Voralberg, the last remaining member of the family. Or so it would seem, as Kate discovers that her brother Hans, previously reported to be deceased, is actually alive, which means getting his approval for the sale. After investigating the factory and assisting the automaton, Oscar, the unlikely duo begin their journey to locate him.
The set-up is delightfully mid-90s. A harried member of the corporate world, Kate finds herself out of her element in this seemingly cold, standoffish world. But her boss is demanding and disrespectful; her husband cares more about social obligations; her mom is in her own world; and so on. So while this task blindsides her beyond belief, it’s also an escape in many ways. A chance to see the world, such as it is, in a greater light and maybe grow in the process.
Unfortunately, the overall appeal can be hit or miss when it comes to the dialogue. The voice performances are a product of their time, both in cadence and quality, and they’ve seemingly remained untouched, so take that as you will. However, the dialogue means that some interactions come off as unnatural and, at times, awkward. That being said, the camaraderie between Kate and Oscar still comes across well, transitioning naturally from curiosity to annoyance in a manner that feels naturally comedic and endearing.
“Speaking of which, while MicroĂŻds Paris and Virtuallyz Gaming streamline the UI and revamped the puzzles, you’ll still need to operate on adventure gaming logic to make your way through (at least without a guide).”
Of course, the biggest change with Syberia Remastered is the visuals. Are they competing with today’s fidelity-driven triple-A masterpieces? Well, no, and they don’t have to. The aesthetic is mostly faithful to the original’s vision, but with fully 3D environments instead of pre-rendered backgrounds with baked shadows and the like. Real-time reflections are nearly everywhere, especially when running down the streets, and settings like the factory and the cave where you discover the Mammoth doll are simply brimming with astounding details. That being said, even while the atmosphere feels much in line, some things are seemingly lost in the translation – as bizarre as it sounds, the buildings looking more detailed and natural takes away much of the surrealism of the surroundings and overall set-up.
It honestly boils down to preference, but it’s also interesting how much Syberia Remastered changes the original’s cinematography. Cutscenes with more dramatic angles and cuts are notable, making certain exchanges feel more lively (like Kate checking into the hotel or encountering Oscar for the first time). However, with its emphasis on fixed camera angles during gameplay, it’s surprising to see some sections feel outright different as a result.
It doesn’t cause much gameplay hindrance, though the angle and lighting in the factory when venturing up the stairs and catwalk feel bizarre compared to the original’s clean look. Long story short, I like it in some places but can’t see the reason for doing it in others, outside of making these sequences “look” different despite presenting the same gameplay.
Speaking of which, while Microïds Paris and Virtuallyz Gaming streamline the UI and revamped the puzzles, you’ll still need to operate on adventure gaming logic to make your way through (at least without a guide). Those cogwheels needed to enable the elevator in the cemetery? Why, of course, you need to go back to the hotel and pick them up from the table that Momo was sitting at before he stormed off (or picked them up in the beginning). The release papers required to operate the train? Of course you need to go to the Notary Office to get them stamped with the ink obtained from the attic obtained from the Varlberg family’s attic.
And as inviting as the UI feels now, it was baffling that details like the model number of Oscar’s legs weren’t noted down in Kate’s journal or even reiterated when speaking to him again. Granted, the solutions aren’t too off-kilter like the most devious adventure games could be, but there’s more than a bit of backtracking and re-examination required.
“It feels like the truest experience remains with the original, as unwieldy and archaic as it can be in places. Take Syberia Remastered as an introduction to the series’ world, if not a reminder about everything that makes it compelling, and then revisit the classic.”
The controls are noted to be more fluid, “tailored to today’s standards” as the blurb goes, but it’s strange to jog at a moderate pace in the open while being completely restricted to walking in some places, even those lacking people. It also felt awkward trying to perfectly position Kate to interact with certain objects. That console near the train? Turn around to line up with the prompt, which is more bizarre than all the goings-on in the story.
It’s also worth noting some technical nags. On PS5, Performance Mode didn’t really seem to offer any real bump in performance while resulting in worse reflections, so I stuck with Quality Mode. It runs at a solid 30 FPS (barring one strange moment where it clearly dropped) with pretty good image quality. However, there’s some noticeable pop-in and a strange outline around Kate. None of this is really a deal-breaker, and it should be emphasized – when Syberia Remastered looks good, it looks very good – but you’ll struggle to ignore that outline when first noticing it.
The timeliness of Syberia’s narrative and characterisation shines through. Despite some misgivings about certain changes, the overall presentation is a nice bump over the original. Yet it feels like the truest experience remains with the original, as unwieldy and archaic as it can be in places. Take Syberia Remastered as an introduction to the series’ world, if not a reminder about everything that makes it compelling, and then revisit the classic.
This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
